Official Football Thread
- Thread starter national acrobat
- Start date
Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
It was a good game, but for most of the first half it was Liverpool that were more the likely to score. Then a stupid free-kick conceded just outside the box with a minute or so left on the clock before half-time, and the rest id history. Reina did little more than pick the ball out of the net - twice. Kaka was almost non-existent and Inzaghi did little more than deflect a free kick and score another.national acrobat said:I'll second that. None of us have any attachments here, let's just hope for a good game.
However, even though the stats suggest that territorial advantage was 63.5%/36.5% in favour of Liverpool, it's balls in the back of the net that count.
thousand_suns
Prowler
Sunday, 13th May. The day Manchester United won its 16th league title after losing 1-0 to West Ham. Also this year it almost won the F.A. Cup for the 12th time when it lost to Chelsea 1-0. Let us hope that maybe Manchester United will win its 17th league title or the F.A. Cup for the 12th time next season.
Go Red Devils!
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Go Red Devils!
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Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
But still, he told the readers of this thread that Man U won the league this year - just in case you didn't know.____no5 said:
I love that guy !!
....of course not as much as Perun does
but still ...
And his post obviously brought a smile to your face - as it did mine.
On a serious note, if Man U are to win the league next season, they would do very well to hold off Chelsea again for a second season. I think the league next season will be won by a team getting around 88-92 points (or more) as it has been for a few seasons now. The main reason behind this is that the gulf between Chelsea and Man U over almost the rest of the league is growing rapidly. Liverpool are likely to have a massive cash injection and can, no doubt, push these teams but may not mount a serious challenge just yet and Arsenal need to spend big as well. I don't think we will end up with a perpetual two-horse race (as in the SPL with Rangers and Celtic), but rather a situation where the league will be won by only 4/5 teams (the current top four - and perhaps one other). Unlike in Scotland, there are a lot of potential "big" clubs in England and with money pouring into this league so easily, it only takes another Abramovich to take over at, say, Spurs and lo and behold they will be serious title contenders.
And it will be nice to see Hargreaves in the Premiership next season - if it happens.
____no5
Free Man
Albie said:And his post obviously brought a smile to your face - as it did mine.
I don't even need to read his posts !!
just to see his name in the general page (home) of the forum and ...
Albie said:
let's hope ! there is no league as premier league
the biggest example is the holy team of Leeds
back in '87 (I was crazy about football) I created a 40 page comix discribing one imaginary PL, won by Leeds...of course by then Leeds was not even participating in PL (that's why I chosed it)
some years later (and as I was not so passioned for football anymore) i learned that it had really won the PL
....only in England
back in '87 (I was crazy about football) I created a 40 page comix discribing one imaginary PL, won by Leeds...of course by then Leeds was not even participating in PL (that's why I chosed it
)some years later (and as I was not so passioned for football anymore) i learned that it had really won the PL
....only in England
national acrobat
Ancient Mariner
Albie said:But still, he told the readers of this thread that Man U won the league this year - just in case you didn't know.
And his post obviously brought a smile to your face - as it did mine.
Mine too. I feel I must take some of the blame for Liverpool losing last night. You see, I put a bet on them to win as the first half was nearing to a close. Naturally, about 15 seconds later, Milan scored.
having said that, Benitez must take more blame for not playing Crouch. If Crouch plays, you not only get whatever he brings to the team (alot!), but it also brings more out of Kuyt who was pretty anonymous for the game.
Concerning next season, sure Liverpool have said they will spend big, but to compete with Chelsea and Man U, they'll need to spend very big - Eto'o for £35 mil etc. - and strengthen a lot of areas.
I'm also looking forward to seeing Hargreaves in action for Man U. If they buy another world-class striker and a full-back, I think they'll win the league again, and compete in the Champions League. Chelsea have said they won't be splashing the cash around, though this could mean anything - maybe buying a defender for 10 million instead of 20
. Either way, Shevchenko I reckon will become better next season, Ballack I'm not so sure.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
national acrobat said:
Little correction, at least in my own opinion. Instead of saying "bringing more out of Kuyt", I'd say "using Kuyt more (and better)"
Kuyt was good but the rest of Liverpool wasn't good enough to "serve" him well. Crouch showed that he could reach Kuyt well, as soon as he came in.
For the rest, Kuyt's playing might look anonymous to you, but when you really focus on him (something which I always do when I see him) you'll see he's a hard worker and often doing good things with the ball, but also without the ball (hunting defenders as hell and walking well to the right spots).
Most other players were less than him, yesterday, in my humble opinion, apart from Crouch.
national acrobat
Ancient Mariner
Yes, I agree that Kuyt has more to his game than a lot of strikers, and spends a lot of time looking for the ball in midfield. Compare him with Inzaghi though, not a hard-working player, but always on the last defender and looking for a through ball - it was Inzaghi who got the goals. When a team plays only one striker, it should be one whose primary objective is to score goals, or at least one who plays in such a way that he creates assists for the attacking midfield players.Forostar said:
My problem wasn't with Kuyt's style of play, but how he was applied in the team. As you say, Kuyt needed to be used more effectively - hunting for the ball is all well and good, but if you do it by yourself for 90 minutes, you just won't last, and most strikers benefit from having another to work off anyway.
Benitez's tactics were all wrong, in my opinion. Possibly Liverpool's best player was jermain Pennant, who got lots of crosses in. That part of the plan worked well. But if that was his plan, why wasn't 6'7 Peter Crouch in the area to receive the ball? Then, perhaps we may have seen Kuyt getting more of the ball, as well as from long kicks upfield.
Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
This is nice - more people joining the football discussion.
Another reason why Rooney should not be upfront for England on his todd. However, with Owen (a real Lineker-type poacher) named in the England B team to face Albania tomorrow, the upcoming internationals should yield what England have been lacking of late - Goals.national acrobat said:
____no5 said:the biggest example is the holy team of Leeds
back in '87 (I was crazy about football) I created a 40 page comix discribing one imaginary PL, won by Leeds...of course by then Leeds was not even participating in PL (that's why I chosed it
some years later (and as I was not so passioned for football anymore) i learned that it had really won the PL
I remember back in the days when Leeds where just an ordinary second division side (I also remember when Leeds where the very best in England, but that was much earlier than then). They get promoted to the top flight football and in one month, had a serious challenge with Man U on three counts - some round in the League Cup, FA Cup third round and meeting with them in the league - where they where first and second (this was also the year Leeds won the league). This little trio of fixtures gave them shed-loads in gate receipts. But, where are they now? 
As a point of technicality, it was the League Championship they won rather than the Premier League - which was formed the very next season. So, Leeds will be know as the very last winners of the Football League.
As a point of technicality, it was the League Championship they won rather than the Premier League - which was formed the very next season. So, Leeds will be know as the very last winners of the Football League.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
national acrobat said:
Hunting alone doesn't work when the rest stands still or simply doesn't do a thing, but I really saw a change after Crouch came in. He hunted too. He was fresh of course, but his appearance and long legs are very effective as well.
national acrobat said:
I disagree that Pennant was the best player. Pennant made some really bad assists when 1 or even 2 people were in good scoring position. It happened at least two or three times that he simply made wrong choices or that he couldn't reach Kuyt or anyone else. Still I like him a lot and he showed against PSV that he's a very deadly player!
thousand_suns
Prowler
Wednesday, 23 May. I know you people did watch the U.E.F.A. Champions League Final match in Athens, Greece, which saw A.C. Milan beat Liverpool 2-1 to win its 7th European title. It is Milan's night. This match, however, is a repeat of the 2005 Final in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
Beckham is recalled into the England squad. Is this the right decision or not? Perhaps - but if we win in Estonia, it will be; if we fail to win.....
Looking at England's fixtures beyond this game in Estonia, England's run in is as follows:
Israel, Russia and Estonia at Wembley
Russia way
Croatia at Wembley
The fact that we have got 4 out of five games at home, gives me confidence they should qualify. And considering they are only 2 points off the top is a reasonable position - although it should have been better - the draw at home to Macedonia was the bad result.
Looking at England's fixtures beyond this game in Estonia, England's run in is as follows:
Israel, Russia and Estonia at Wembley
Russia way
Croatia at Wembley
The fact that we have got 4 out of five games at home, gives me confidence they should qualify. And considering they are only 2 points off the top is a reasonable position - although it should have been better - the draw at home to Macedonia was the bad result.
national acrobat
Ancient Mariner
Right decision IMO. What I think is a ridiculous decision is the fact that Gareth Barry is persistantly overlooked - he's by far a better player than P Neville, Shorey (whoever he is), Jenas, Bentley, Downing and Dyer. Steve McLaren is an idiot and should be sacked as soon as possible. Bring back Sven! (I'm joking; he was appalling. compared to Mclaren though he looked like a master tactician and motivator)Albie said:
Whatever else he is, Beckham is still the best free kicker in the world. And he's staying in shape. Gone is the day when a footballer is done at age 30. With new physical training, health options, these athletes can stay in their prime into their late 30s, even early 40s.
