Official Football Thread

I was glad to see Rooney get a hat-trick today - maybe that will get the newspapers off his back, and it's always good to see a fantastic player on form. I really hope Man U push Chelski all the way this season and prevent them getting the title three seasons in a row - I'm not bitter about their success but that club has no class whatsoever.

Down the road from Chelski in W12 QPR aren't doing so well. A draw at home against Leicester was all we managed today, despite controlling the game and having in the region of four billion shots. We're near the relegation zone, but I'm confident that John Gregory will work the magic to keep us up. Record so far under JG: won 2, drawn 2, lost 2. Not bad, but we started off with two wins and a draw, and so doing not so well in recent weeks. Up the R'ssss!
 
I'm pleased that Rooney is showing a bit of form also. Let's hope it lasts for a while (at least until after he has put on an England jersey a few more times this season ;)). One of his goals was supposedly very good - I've not seen it yet, but some folk have raved about at work today.

A bit of trivia here, did you know there are four (yes four) countries in Europe that do not have football as the most popular spectator sport. Ireland, Finland, Latvia and Estonia. So what is more important in those countries: Gaelic football (guess who?), Ice Hockey (Finland) and Basketball (both Latvia and Estonia).
 
Albie said:
and Basketball (both Latvia and Estonia).
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Funnily enough, we are much better in basketball and waterpolo than in football, but football is still the most popular sport here, although we are ranked 46th or something on FIFA's list.
 
Albie said:
A bit of trivia here, did you know there are four (yes four) countries in Europe that do not have football as the most popular spectator sport. Ireland, Finland, Latvia and Estonia. So what is more important in those countries: Gaelic football (guess who?)
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Spain? :P

I play Gaelic Football and am an avid follower of the sport.  I find it much more interesting than English "football" both to watch and play.  That may be because it is our little niche in the sporting world and not many people understand it.  Also, The GAA has strong ties with Irish nationalism, it's a very traditional sport that has not given into the demands of paying players.  That amateur aspect makes it very special IMO.
 
Conor said:
That amateur aspect makes it very special IMO.
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That was one of the things that made Rugby Union special (though it was debatable whether the Welsh players of the 70's were truly amateur) but money changed the sport - in some respects for the better. Players are stronger, fitter and more professional as well as the skill level notching up a peg or two. This is why countries outside the UK/France and big three down under are challenging at a better level. And it also helped Wales out a pretty crappy spell they had in the 90's.
 
A quick thought on last night's games. QPR were lucky to get a 3-3 draw away at West Brom, and I'm happy to get the point there. We do have a real problem though that although we can score and do so freely, we concede far too many goals (a similar problem seems to have afflicted Southend). In our case it is clearly down to the sale in the summer of one man: Danny Shittu. If he was still playing for us I believe we'd be up in the top 8 by now.

Barcelona-Chelsea. I tuned in to this game on the telly in the hope that I'd see the best club team in the world (the former) put on a real show, and generally that'd it'd be a good game. Within ten minutes I was pissed off at Didier Drogba jumping around on the floor, clutching his knee/neck/little finger or whatever. Barcelona weren't much better, but at least Barca cheat with a bit of class. ;)
 
national acrobat said:
Barcelona weren't much better, but at least Barca cheat with a bit of class. ;)
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Deco?
Anyway, I know what you mean about the diving, from both teams.  The smallest foul merits a free kick in the modern game, so long as you fall to the ground clutching yourself in agony.  Drogba has to be the worst culprit.  I remember an interview that he gave last year after a match.  At the start he said "Sometimes I dive" and then two minutes later he says "I do not dive".  Yeah right, who are you trying to kid :down:
 
1. Yellow cards to any player who even attempts to goad a ref into booking another player.
2. Any player that goes down injured, must be taken of the pitch for at least one minute to receive treatment - regardless of the extent of his injury.
3. A fourth official with a link to the ref to advise if a player dived - hence a booking.

These could stop some of this trickery.
 
Albie said:
1. Yellow cards to any player who even attempts to goad a ref into booking another player.
2. Any player that goes down injured, must be taken of the pitch for at least one minute to receive treatment - regardless of the extent of his injury.
3. A fourth official with a link to the ref to advise if a player dived - hence a booking.

These could stop some of this trickery.
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I absolutely agree with you Albie.  Diving takes place in all football games whether professional or amateur.  The worst time to dive is during the World Cup, in my opinion.  You're representing you're whole country.  It is a disgrace when a player dives.  The worst one I can remember from the past World Cup has to be Cristiano Ronaldo (sp?). 

The diving influence in soccer has even spread to the NHL (hockey) in North America.

It is too bad that powers-that-be in football are hardcore traditionalists who fear to change the rules of the game even a little to benefit everyone, especially the fans.
 
I would make a small distinction between the following scenarios

1. A player has fallen over an imaginary foot, rolls over the grass three times feigning an immense injury - then gets up to take the free kick.

2. A player goes past another player only to see his opponent has left a trailing leg. Subsequently, this player trips over this and then gets back up again. Lo and behold, he wins a free kick/penalty.

Scenario 1 should be punished with every grain of breath FIFA can muster.

Scenario 2 should provide defenders with enough thought to stop leaving the foot out ready to be tripped over. That, in some respects, is fair game.

But yes, the World Cup did see too much of scenario 1 - and the Portuguese (let alone C. Ranaldo) were the worst.
 
Albie said:
I would make a small distinction between the following scenarios

1. A player has fallen over an imaginary foot, rolls over the grass three times feigning an immense injury - then gets up to take the free kick.

2. A player goes past another player only to see his opponent has left a trailing leg. Subsequently, this player trips over this and then gets back up again. Lo and behold, he wins a free kick/penalty.

Scenario 1 should be punished with every grain of breath FIFA can muster.

Scenario 2 should provide defenders with enough thought to stop leaving the foot out ready to be tripped over. That, in some respects, is fair game.

But yes, the World Cup did see too much of scenario 1 - and the Portuguese (let alone C. Ranaldo) were the worst.
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We see less and less of this type of determination in football players.  I love the player that tries so hard.  Even when falling, this player puts his hands and "runs" on them, until he gets his balance, and keeps going even if the advantage is lost.  This kind of player wins the respect of fans, refs and other players.  Ah, maybe I'm just being too romantic and wishful.  They were rare.  Now they happen once a blue moon.
 
I agree with you Genghis: players should just carry on until properly felled. Diving in football drives me mad. Not only the theatrical cheating to win freekicks, but also when there is minimal contact and the player falls over despite the fact that he could so easily stay on his feet and carry on. It seems that footballers automatically go to ground at the slightest touch of an opposing player, which only serves to disrupt the flow of the game and annoy me and other supporters. Unfortunately we can see this sort of tomfoolery creeping into the Championship as well.
 
national acrobat said:
Not only the theatrical cheating to win freekicks, but also when there is minimal contact and the player falls over despite the fact that he could so easily stay on his feet and carry on.
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I do agree here, but the point I tried to make is when a player sees a trailing leg and will then subsequently trip over it. We have seen the likes of Owen (v Argentina WC 2002) and Rooney (v Arsenal and Sol Campbell last season - I believe) do exactly this and this has to be the defenders fault for doing such an idiotic thing - its asking for trouble.

A major difference in the above examples and to what some "theatrical" players do, is the player has not rolled around on the floor feigning injury. That has to be banished and I do feel a 1 minute treatment off the park while play continues, may go some way to eliminate this crass behaviour. I hope. ;)
 
Albie said:
I do agree here, but the point I tried to make is when a player sees a trailing leg and will then subsequently trip over it. We have seen the likes of Owen (v Argentina WC 2002) and Rooney (v Arsenal and Sol Campbell last season - I believe) do exactly this and this has to be the defenders fault for doing such an idiotic thing - its asking for trouble.

A major difference in the above examples and to what some "theatrical" players do, is the player has not rolled around on the floor feigning injury. That has to be banished and I do feel a 1 minute treatment off the park while play continues, may go some way to eliminate this crass behaviour. I hope. ;)
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My brother and I constantly refer to the little water squirts the players receive when "hurt" as "magic water with healing properties." 
"Just give him a little magic water and he'll be fine" we sarcastically say.
I agree with you Albie.  One minute will make the player start thinking before he decides to stop the flow of the game and have his team play a man less.
 
Ten internationals V lowly Southend United. And the shrimpers won. So, only Arsenal, FC Copenhagen and the Shrimpers have prevented Man U scoring in 90 minutes.

Now, Conor, I know you stated that Man U won't have taken this seriously - but by fielding Rooney, Ronaldo, Brown, O'Shea, Silvestre, Heinze, etc in their starting 11 - and Fergie sending a scout to Southend's last three games, I think they took it a bit more serious than you may have thought.

What a result. :D

Match report 1
Match Report 2
 
Fair play till ye' Albie.  Manchester United's (almost) full team was beaten by the Shrimpers in a deserved victory.  Credit where it's due, Southend did a great job :ok:
 
I tell you what will happen now, Southend will get Wycombe - and lose.
 
Albie said:
I tell you what will happen now, Southend will get Wycombe - and lose.
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We've had some good scuffles with them in the past. I tell you, it's not a nice feeling to be sat in the Wycombe home stand in a QPR shirt, losing 4-2 with a few disallowed goals and our player sent off three minutes into his debut. ;)

Sir Alex Ferguson's dressing room rant after Manchester United's Carling Cup defeat to Southend was heard by all the Shrimpers players.
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from BBC Sport
I can see the grins on those players' faces now. :D (yeah something like that)
 
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