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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: The Football Thread 2013
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
To be honest, I couldn't tell. Like I said, I was only watching from the corner of my eyes, and during the second half I had to go somewhere.
But in general, from the last games I've seen, Brazil doesn't seem ready for the World Cup yet. We'll probably know more next month, when they play the Confederations Cup at home.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Imaginary Friend:
I watched about five minutes of the Brazil v England game before a combination of Real Life™ and boredom persuaded me to do other things. England seemed really woeful. How on earth did they score two goals?
Despite creating stacks of chances Brazil didn't look interested in the first half, when Joe Hart kept England in the Game. I've got doubts about Scolari.
In the second half Brazil tried a bit harder, their substitutions helped them, but a) Brazil, like the Mancs, are always likely to concede a goal, and hence b) England got lucky.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
I think Brazil are in a tough position at the moment. Not having to qualify for the World Cup means that it's ages since they've played a competitive game and it's got to be hard to motivate yourself for meaningless (or money-spinning) friendlies, many of which have been against terrible opposition, including England.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
He's baaaaaaack!!!
![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif) ![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
That shirt's an unusually pale blue. Are you sure he's not goine to the Etihad Stadium and there's been a cock-up?
On another note: Will he leave before Abramovich?
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Sioni: Odd question. I guess. :shrug:
On another note - has anyone been paying attention to the U21 European Championships which kicked off this week? England's first game was against Italy (the other strong team in their group) and they lost one-nil in decidedly uninspiring fashion.
I still find the appointment of Stuart 'Psycho' Pearce as their coach utterly baffling. People keep saying that the kids should be taught to get the ball on the floor and pass it. What does Pearce know about that?!
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Imaginary Friend:
Has anyone been paying attention to the U21 European Championships which kicked off this week? England's first game was against Italy (the other strong team in their group) and they lost one-nil in decidedly uninspiring fashion.
Uninspiring game, according to youngest son. Mind you, he has become a fan of German football, which is on Eurosport twice a week and features a game as energetic as the Premiership but more skilful. The crowd never shuts up either.
quote:
I still find the appointment of Stuart 'Psycho' Pearce as their coach utterly baffling. People keep saying that the kids should be taught to get the ball on the floor and pass it. What does Pearce know about that?!
Pearce was always the man for playing for the shirt, giving 110% and the rest of the cliches that indicate a triumph of hardwork over skill. He was ideally suited to the top flight until the top players from around the world came along, and better, cheaper journeymen arrived from Scandinavia.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
Brazil is looking a bit better after their 3–0 win against France. The Confederations Cup will start on Saturday, looking forward to it.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
I might watch some of that, simply to revel in how good my Brazilian Chelsea boys are!
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Imaginary Friend: I might watch some of that, simply to revel in how good my Brazilian Chelsea boys are!
That would be David Luiz and Oscar? I promise to down a sip of beer every time one of them does something right (even though my favourite in the Premier League would probably be Swansea ![[Biased]](wink.gif) ).
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
And potentially Ramires and Piazon, although I guess they might not make the final squad.
Edited to add: And I guess you'll end up pretty drunk. But that's the point, right?!
[ 13. June 2013, 18:12: Message edited by: Imaginary Friend ]
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Imaginary Friend: And potentially Ramires and Piazon, although I guess they might not make the final squad.
I understand that Scolari has called 23 players, and Ramires and Piazon aren't among them.
quote:
Imaginary Friend: Edited to add: And I guess you'll end up pretty drunk. But that's the point, right?!
You understand me all too well!
I intend to watch the game on Saturday in a simple neighbourhood bar here in Brazil, with lots of local people. It's going to be fun.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
Well, I guess the first results are as expected. Brazil has their 3–0 win, I didn't find the game that spectacular though. Italy vs. Mexico was better, and in fact things got a bit scary for Italy at the end of the first half. Spain did what was expected: part of the first half was brilliant, the second half was utterly boring to the point of people booing from the stands.
Looking forward to Brazil–Mexico.
I watched Brazil vs. Japan on a small screen with bad image quality (but being in a neighbourhood bar more than made up for that), so I couldn't be sure if David Luiz or Oscar did something right. So I decided to take a sip of beer every minute or so, just to be sure. I hope that I've kept my promise?
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
My Uruguay-centric take on yesterday:
Spain's game was pretty well played (and, as mentioned, boring). At some point in the second half, they showed that Spain had controlled the ball for 77% of the match. You aren't going to win too many games when you only touch the ball for 23% of the game.
Uruguay's attack seemed pretty disorganized as well. They may have two of the best strikers in the game, but with no one feeding them accurate passes, they aren't going to do you much good. It's a shame that Forlan can't make it 90 minutes any more, because when he came out, the chances improved. They need to identify a new 90 minute set up man, and fast. (And while Suarez is my SOB, even I have to admit that he is a little quick to the turf- maybe he should try to get to the goal from time to time.)
All that said, if it weren't for that ricochet off of Lugano that gave Spain the first goal, they might have gotten a 1-1 tie. If they beat Tahiti and Nigeria and make it to the semis, you never know what could happen.
I only saw the last ten minutes or so of the Mexico match, which mostly consisted of replays of Balotelli's amazing strike (Suarez would have been on the turf). I'd love to see El Tri make it into the knockout round, but beating Japan is no guarantee, and they are probably going to need to get a point off of Brazil at this point. With a spot in the World Cup still in question, maybe they have bigger things on their mind.
[ 17. June 2013, 16:17: Message edited by: Og, King of Bashan ]
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Og, King of Bashan: And while Suarez is my SOB
Son of a b...?
I agree with your thoughts about the games.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
There is a (probably apocryphal) story about an American politician (several are credited with the quote) saying of a dictator with a bad reputation but anti-Soviet leanings (once again, several dictators are supposed to be the target) "He may be a SOB, but he's our SOB." Suarez is a dirty player, but I think most sports fans can admit that they will give a dirty player who happens to play for a team they like a little undeserved leeway.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Og, King of Bashan: "He may be a SOB, but he's our SOB."
Ah, I get it know. He was my SOB for a while, but in the end even the supporters of our side started to get fed up with his constant diving.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
I watched the Uruguay v Spain game, but that's the only one I've had the time to see so far. That Spanish passing thing might be technically impressive, but it doesn't half get boring after a while. Give me a bit of directness any day of the week. I thought it was especially amusing that Spain's first goal came from a nasty deflection off an improperly cleared corner - all that tikka takka was no use in that scenario!
Anyone fancy a sweepstake on the number of goals Spain get against Tahiti when they play later in the week? I'll go for a (probably somewhat conservative) estimate of 12.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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Ricardus
Shipmate
# 8757
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
Suarez is a dirty player, but I think most sports fans can admit that they will give a dirty player who happens to play for a team they like a little undeserved leeway.
Personally, I'm rapidly coming to hope he buggers off to Real Madrid and tanks as ingloriously as Michael Owen. Or else that Liverpool take him at his word and send him to Shakhtar Donetsk in exchange for that Armenian bloke. Ungrateful bugger.
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Then the dog ran before, and coming as if he had brought the news, shewed his joy by his fawning and wagging his tail. -- Tobit 11:9 (Douai-Rheims)
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Tahiti scored a goal against Nigeria yesterday! Cue a twitter meltdown from their official FA account which was as humorous as it was endearing. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I still think the match against Spain might be painful.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Imaginary Friend: Tahiti scored a goal against Nigeria yesterday!
This guy is going to tell it to his grandchildren: I was in Brazil and I scored a goal against Nigeria.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
And depending on how many times she has had to hear the story (or how embellished it has become in forty years), his wife may or may not mention the own goal he also scored fifteen minutes later...
(Although his Wiki page now tells us that he is the first person to score on both ends in a Confederations Cup match, so maybe he will take that as a dubious honor.)
[ 18. June 2013, 17:10: Message edited by: Og, King of Bashan ]
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
I just want to point out that, based on what I am reading online, Spain will be starting 10 players who did not start against Uruguay for the match against Tahiti in 15 minutes. The second stringers, perhaps.
I sill might bank on a lot of goals- Spain is so loaded, that means that the second string schlubs starting up front are named David Villa and Fernando Torres.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
We're about to kick off. Come on Tahiti!
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
As well for Tahiti that Torres & Villa can't operate as a partnership. They could have conceded twice as many. Navas is going to give some Premiership left-backs a stiff test next season and I expect a few will be led off the field in tears.
To be positive, Tahiti kept going and tried for 90 minutes to get on the scoresheet. Spain were magnanimous and showed them respect. On the debit side, Newcastle and QPR defend better than Tahiti.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
On the debit side, Newcastle ... defend better than Tahiti.
Ah, but Joe Kinnear will sort that out for them. ![[Killing me]](graemlins/killingme.gif)
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
And with a win against Nigeria, I feel very confident about Uruguay's chances to advance to the elimination round. Although a tie would have resulted in an interesting last day of group play, with Uruguay needing to beat Tahiti by at least 5, and needing Spain to beat Nigeria by more than one. Much better to be able to rest a few guys to prepare for the winner of Italy / Brazil.
Which, now that we have come to it, has to be the most interesting game of the tournament. Is Brazil a real threat at this point? Is Neymar going to be able to produce against a great European team (Barca had better hope so!)? Best part is, the game is on a Saturday, so I will be able to watch.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Og, King of Bashan: Which, now that we have come to it, has to be the most interesting game of the tournament. Is Brazil a real threat at this point? Is Neymar going to be able to produce against a great European team (Barca had better hope so!)? Best part is, the game is on a Saturday, so I will be able to watch.
Half an hour to go. Heading for the bar...
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
Well, that was a game. I found the first half far too rough and dirty, referee Irmatov seemed really week.
The second half was a delight to watch though. Both teams were going to the limit, just to avoid picking Spain in the semi-finals!
I was quite critical of Brazil during the friendlies of the last months, but they seem to be shaping up. Now I'm really hoping for a final Brazil vs. Spain!
(PS During the Confederations Cup, Brazilian television has Ronaldo as one of the commentators for the first time. He does that very well, a pleasure to listen to.)
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
So, Brazil vs Spain it is. Both teams suffered a bit in the semi-finals. Brazil seems motivated, but Spains remains a favourite of course. Let's see!
PS A serious Dutch newspaper wrote today that the final will take place in the capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro...
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
It should be a good game. And in some ways, for me it's the dream final because the involvement of Oscar, Luiz, Mata, Torres, and possibly Azpilicueta make it interesting. Plus, they've been the best two teams in the competition so they deserve to be there.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
Wow, a Brazilian goal after 2 minutes. Fireworks are going off like crazy here! I don't think that this is what Spain expected...
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
Wow, this was unexpected. Of course, there was always the chance of Brazil winning; in a final anything can happen. But they completely played Spain off the field ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
I'd say: bring on the World Cup!
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
Brazil were really fired up for the match; little guys like Oscar and Neymar got stuck in and they harried Spain in a very unBrazilian way.
It wasn't all one way though: Spain had a shot cleared all-but off the line, missed a penalty and Julio Cesar made a couple of great saves. Then again, if all that happens and you have a man sent off it's just not your day.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Yeah, Brazil were awesome in their intensity and passion. And yet they managed to keep their composure and channel that in a constructive way. They also got a bit of luck in that there was a distinct suspicion of handball for the first goal, and a decent shout for offside for the second. If the ref had ruled those two goals out and the Geezer hadn't made that clearance, it could have been a very different game.
However, for the neutral, it was an thoroughly enjoyable match to watch, and deep-down I'm quite glad that someone was finally able to stop the Spanish juggernaut.
And I do love it when Oscar starts kicking people!
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
Time of possession: Spain: 52% Brazil: 48%. It's no wonder that Spain made a few critical mistakes: they were out of their comfort zone. If you have the talent to press the midfield passing game like Brazil did yesterday, you have a chance.
That said, very few teams have that kind of talent. We may now know the general strategy to take on tiki-taka, but it takes some pretty good players (and a bit of luck) to pull off that strategy. The Spanish machine may have lost some luster, but they are probably still good enough to beat most of the teams they will face, and I would still list them as co-favorites with Brazil to win it all next year.
As for the 3rd place game, Cavani finally had a game to remember, and in extra time had several good chances to win it. I know that players very rarely win games on their own, but it is hard to say that Buffon doesn't deserve most of the credit for winning that game. He was a monster towards the end, when the rest of his team appeared to be content to sit back and let Uruguay take shots at will.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Imaginary Friend: They also got a bit of luck in that there was a distinct suspicion of handball for the first goal, and a decent shout for offside for the second.
I watched the game on a very small screen, so I didn't see any of that
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
On the first goal, replays clearly showed that the attacker's arm hit the ball. It was incidental, and I don't think it gave anyone a better chance at the ball. For that reason, I might call it a good discretionary no-call. Would it have been called if the game was being played in Madrid?
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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rolyn
Shipmate
# 16840
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Posted
Anyone following Women's Euro 2013 ?
I watched 2 or 3 matches for want of something better to do in the hot weather and found myself quite enjoying it .
It takes a bit of getting used to as we normally associate the playing of football with males . I am however impressed with the level of skill, and with the commitment of players who clearly go all out to win group games even though their team are already through .
Also the lack of falling over in the penalty area, and customary haranguing the referee is something of a breath of fresh air.
BTW, for anyone not following , England are already out -- so nothing new there . I shall nevertheless be watching the knock-out stages with keen interest.
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Change is the only certainty of existence
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
The Netherlands have been eliminated by ... Iceland?
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Og: Thread Killer
Ship's token CN Mennonite
# 3200
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Posted
Was reminded today why I support a team in this game.
Pouring rainstorm. Buckets.....all of us soaked.
5 minutes to go.
Down 1-0.
Havn't won at home in over a year.
Never beaten this team at home ever.
Hometown boy scores to tie it up at 86 minutes.
4 minutes of extra time.
Winning goal scored with 30 seconds to go.
Pouring rain stops just as game ends.
Supporting a bad team that won't be any good until a whole year from now.
But...today...for a few hours...it was awesome.
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I wish I was seeking justice loving mercy and walking humbly but... "Cease to lament for that thou canst not help, And study help for that which thou lament'st."
Posts: 5025 | From: Toronto | Registered: Aug 2002
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Conversely, DC United, currently the worst team in the MLS (and boy, that's saying something!) went up early on in their game against the New England Revolution tonight. I was there, with the fans, singing my lungs out and feeling quite good about things at half time.
Second half, we play like yesterday's house salad: limp, lifeless, absent of color, and thoroughly predictable. We end up conceding two goals and losing 2-1. Horrible, horrible performance.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
Youngest Son is at church this morning i) running the sound/PA and ii) praying Gareth Bale stays at Spurs.
I expect the sound could be a little 'off' this morning.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
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rolyn
Shipmate
# 16840
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Posted
Women's Euro 2013 final seemed quite thrilling even though the outcome may have been predictable.
Interesting to note, by lip-reading the player who had Norway's second penalty saved by heroic German goalie, that FFS looks very much the same in Norwegian as it does in English.
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Change is the only certainty of existence
Posts: 3206 | From: U.K. | Registered: Dec 2011
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DouglasTheOtter
Ship's aquatic mammal
# 17681
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Posted
Hello, everyone.
I've taken the rash step of starting a Ship of Fools fantasy league. Here's the URL and the league reference number. If there's already a league, I'll pipe down and shut up...
fantasy.premierleague.com
374312-156203
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Need writing or copywriting? Visit me at...
www.rjpmedia.net
Posts: 171 | From: Twickenham | Registered: May 2013
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
We have had a league in previous years, with varying degrees or participation. But nobody had started one for this season yet, so thanks for taking the time to do it.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Og: Thread Killer
Ship's token CN Mennonite
# 3200
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Imaginary Friend:
Conversely, DC United, currently the worst team in the MLS ..
BTW, thank you for giving us a lot of bar credits for that goal scorere, Silva.
Silva may end up being a great player but until he learns to find space, and track opposing midfielders coming back, he's going to cause you more issues then he causes others.
Cost you about 600K in MLS/Monopoly bucks, apparently.
Oh, and more importantly, good to see DCU finally getting a decent stadium. .
By most accounts, the BEST supporters in MLS, bar none.
[ 29. July 2013, 21:26: Message edited by: Og: Thread Killer ]
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I wish I was seeking justice loving mercy and walking humbly but... "Cease to lament for that thou canst not help, And study help for that which thou lament'st."
Posts: 5025 | From: Toronto | Registered: Aug 2002
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Og: Thread Killer:
Silva may end up being a great player but until he learns to find space, and track opposing midfielders coming back, he's going to cause you more issues then he causes others.
Believe me, he's still an improvement on "offside" Pajoy and anyone else we can currently field.
quote:
Originally posted by Og: Thread Killer:
By most accounts, the BEST supporters in MLS, bar none.
Without doubt.
The team may be shit, but the fans know how to have a great time. That's what it's about really, isn't it?!
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
Youngest Son is at church this morning i) running the sound/PA and ii) praying Gareth Bale stays at Spurs.
I expect the sound could be a little 'off' this morning.
From the sounds of it, Real's strategy is to create a toxic situation at Spurs and then get their man. As I understand it, Bale and Spurs had an informal agreement that if another club offered more than X Euros for Bale, Spurs would consult with Bale and let him have a say. Madrid has offered a package worth more than X Euros, BUT the deal is part cash, and part players. So from Bale's perspective, they have crossed the threshold, and he should get a say. But from Spurs perspective, the cash isn't enough to cross the threshold, so they don't think that the informal deal has been triggered. So now Bale may not be happy, and Spurs may have no choice but to unload him. Sounds like a shrewd, if not particularly good faith, tactic from Real.
If you think the money in Europe messes with the game, I just started following the Mexican Liga MX, to help my efforts to learn Spanish. In Mexico, teams move around fairly easily to follow the money. So going into this season, we have the following shifts to keep track of:
- The team that was set to be promoted was purchased by owners of a formerly powerful team in Veracruz, who liquidated the assets and applied the license to play in LigaMX to their own team.
- The team that was set to be relegated, Queretaro, bought another LigaMX team from Chiapas, and merged the teams into one team, saving themselves from relegation.
- The team from San Luis Potosi moved south to take up the space formerly held by the team that moved to Queretaro.
At least that is what I have been able to glean from poorly translated Wikipedia articles. So you see, as bad as the transfer market gets, it could be worse.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
I'm just looking forward to getting back to school again when my pre-teens will be playing football and I can name the sides! I hope my Spurs do not lose Mr. Bale and make successful signings as well.
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If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Writing is currently my hobby, not yet my profession.
Posts: 30517 | From: White Hart Lane | Registered: Oct 2002
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