Soccer Thread 2012-13

[saldana]

only the standard 3 game suspension for Hazard.

FA: Eden Hazard ban will not be extended - ESPN FC

now if they can just deliver a suspension for ferguson's remarks about the assistant referee from 2 weeks ago, they might actually look like a credible governing body.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

great article by David Sullivan the co-owner of West Ham on the dark side of the transfer window

link

[SirFozzie]

Benitez HAS to be out after a loss to Newcastle, right?

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Benitez HAS to be out after a loss to Newcastle, right?

My guess is his goose is well and truly cooked - but that he might linger until the end of the season unless they have a quality replacement already in the wings (which I don't think is the case) .....

(was a bloody good match that one )

[miami_fan]

They could always bring back DiMatteo off of gardening leave

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

They could always bring back DiMatteo off of gardening leave

They should never have let him go imho - if he'd remained in charge they'd be in a much better place as a club imho ......

Can't see Abramovich ever admitting he was wrong though can you?

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

They should never have let him go imho - if he'd remained in charge they'd be in a much better place as a club imho ......

Can't see Abramovich ever admitting he was wrong though can you?

No I don't but I don't think Abramovich believes he is wrong. I don't think Abramovich ever believed DiMatteo was in charge. After bringing in AVB to be "in charge" and to make major changes, I think Abramovich believes RDM was just in the seat for the ride as the players were on auto-pilot during last season's CL run.

[Katon]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

No I don't but I don't think Abramovich believes he is wrong. I don't think Abramovich ever believed DiMatteo was in charge. After bringing in AVB to be "in charge" and to make major changes, I think Abramovich believes RDM was just in the seat for the ride as the players were on auto-pilot during last season's CL run.

Yeah, probably - after all, last time Chelsea sacked a Portuguese manager and went to penalties in the CL final under his temporary successor, it turned out Avram Grant really wasn't a Premiership-level manager. One can see how Abramovich might assume the same thing had happened again, if not why he thought Benitez would be an improvement.

At this point, I think the only question is whether Benitez or Jose Mourinho gets sacked first - and, if it's Mourinho, whether Abramovich is any more interested in rehiring him than he is in rehiring RDM.

[SirFozzie]

Balotelli (1 goal in 14 premier league starts), scores two in his AC Milan debut, including a 94th minute game winning PK.

[AlexB]

In League 1 yesterday, a quirky story... Hartlepool beat Notts County 2-1 with the goals coming from Hartley and Poole!

[rowech]

Originally Posted by AlexB

In League 1 yesterday, a quirky story... Hartlepool beat Notts County 2-1 with the goals coming from Hartley and Poole!

Hartlepool was the team that I lead from the lowest division to highest division title in a 10 year span in the game One-Nil. Still one of my life's greatest accomplishments.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by TroyF

It is funny, isn't it? I here all the time about the discrimination and intolerance in America. Yet I have never been at a sporting event where a racist chant was yelled out. Not once. I know there have been some idiotic taunts (I seem to remember in a college hoops game a kids dead father was brought up once) Overall? We just wouldn't put up with it. We wouldn't subject our kids to it either.

We could use that kind of atmosphere in and around soccer games overhere (I'll speak exclusively about the Netherlands, fwiw). As an aside, the soccer culture is completely different from other sports.

[Easy Mac]

Well, I guess this isn't news. Carry on with your day.

Europol's match-fixing bombshell leaves football authorities in the dark | David Conn | Football | The Guardian

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Well, I guess this isn't news. Carry on with your day.

Europol's match-fixing bombshell leaves football authorities in the dark | David Conn | Football | The Guardian

It would have been news had they actually revealed which leagues and which games were fixed.

[whomario]

"played in England 3 or 4 years ago"

well, good to know it´s narrowed down

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

i've always assumed it was rampant. seems like every other game there's a wtf moment with a keeper

[Big Fo]

A Danish newspaper claims it is Liverpool - Debrecen from September 2009. The Debrecen goalkeeper was bribed to have a bad game so there would be over 2.5 goals scored. However Liverpool only won 1-0 that night.

Ekstra Bladet - Afsløring: Liverpool-kamp var fikset

Some explanation in English: The fixed Champions League game was Liverpool 1 - Debrecen 0 (Sept. 2009) | 101GG Football news

[bulletsponge]

im stunned Liverpool could only score once on a keeper tanking for them

[SirFozzie]

yeah.. you think they could have hit the post or something (And yes, I'm a 'Pool fan)

[sovereignstar v2]

Speaking of Pool. Hi Pepe. Bye Pepe.

[bhlloy]

I'm stunned to find out Torres played for Liverpool that night... stunned

[SirFozzie]

Way to go AC Milan. Way to use a racial slur to describe your own player, not two weeks after you spend $30 or so million US to buy him :P

AC Milan's VP (and half-brother to president Silvio Berlusconi) is featured on a video clip telling a meeting of Berlusconi's political party: ""OK, we are all off to see the family's little nigger. He's a crazy head. All the young ladies are invited as well – you can even have a chance to meet the president [Silvio Berlusconi]."

Mario Balotelli at centre of racist remark by Milan's vice-president | Football | guardian.co.uk

[JPhillips]

Balotelli has a lot of problems, but good Lord it must be difficult to try and play and live with this level of racism.

[bhlloy]

I'm stunned he went back to Italy. At least it's not Eastern Europe and Milan is pretty cosmopolitan but still...

[MrBug708]

Deuce!

[MrBug708]

That was quite a goal by Honduras

[MrBug708]

Crap 2-1 Hon

[RainMaker]

They just aren't good. Would be shocked if they qualified for Brazil. Can't believe what Klinsmann has done is such a short time to the USMNT.

[RainMaker]

They're also pretty lucky they didn't lose 3 or 4 to 1. Honduras missed a lot of quality chances.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

They just aren't good. Would be shocked if they qualified for Brazil. Can't believe what Klinsmann has done is such a short time to the USMNT.

They will qualify but it won't be pretty. It's not Klinsman's fault. The defense is wretched. When our national team was bad we would produce lots of good defenders but now we have great talent we can't get any kind of defense.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by rowech

They will qualify but it won't be pretty. It's not Klinsman's fault. The defense is wretched. When our national team was bad we would produce lots of good defenders but now we have great talent we can't get any kind of defense.

Why isn't it his fault? He seems to make a lot of questionable decisions that have backfired spectacularly.

And I don't have the same confidence in qualifying. They barely made it to the Hex and have not looked dominant outside of one half against Guatemala.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Why isn't it his fault? He seems to make a lot of questionable decisions that have backfired spectacularly.

And I don't have the same confidence in qualifying. They barely made it to the Hex and have not looked dominant outside of one half against Guatemala.

Even if they finish fourth, they would have a one game playoff with New Zealand. No excuses if they don't qualify. He's tried to push players into being more than happy just to make the cup and like spoiled kids they've rejected it. The defenders don't defend in the most basic ways possible.

[RainMaker]

He chose those guys for the back line. Chandlers was embarrassing out there and he put a pair of CBs into a hostile atmosphere that have never worked together. Boca should have played, he has experience in these kinds of matches.

[kingfc22]

Didn't see the game, but not surprised at all.

This team is just flat out not good enough.

[bulletsponge]

well it could have been worse, we could have dropped 2 points at home like Mexico just did

[booradley]

That first goal by Honduras was a thing of BEAUTY. All engineered by their defenders, as well.

[SirFozzie]

Southampton up 2-0! Massive screw up by Hart.

[SirFozzie]

Gareth Barry with an inexplicable own goal, and Southampton restore the two goal lead!

[SirFozzie]

3-1 Southampton final. Is that the deathblow for the Premier League Race?

[sovereignstar v2]

Yep, I think so. That performance is going to leave a bad taste. I hope nothing is done until the end of the season and hopefully it's mutual, but I think the new management is going to want to make a change, especially after the dreadful UCL performances. Strange saying that 9 months after the title.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

3-1 Southampton final. Is that the deathblow for the Premier League Race?

I think its all over now.

Worth mentioning though that while Man City did make two bad mistakes Southampton were damned good value for money for their win and even without the mistakes I think they'd have won the game (there were 2-3 times late in the game where they out-numbered the City defense but played safe and wasted time rather than risk losing possession).

The tactics for Southampton were spot on, great pressuring throughout the park (esp. on the City back line) and quick breaking when possible and Lambert holding up the ball when it wasn't .... very impressive imho.

PS - Awesome late win for Brighton also to keep us in the race for the Play-offs in the Championship

[Big Fo]

It is so far from over. Manchester City were down eight points with 5-6 games left last year. Now the gap is nine with like 13 games left. Manchester United play Everton tomorrow and while they could make it a 12 point gap, Everton are one of the better teams in the league and from what I've read Manchester United will be resting players for Real Madrid away on Wednesday. So they could very well lose or draw tomorrow and then Manchester City's loss today wouldn't be such a big deal.

[Sublime 2]

Gareth Bale is a stud, period - the end.

[sovereignstar v2]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

It is so far from over. Manchester City were down eight points with 5-6 games left last year. Now the gap is nine with like 13 games left. Manchester United play Everton tomorrow and while they could make it a 12 point gap, Everton are one of the better teams in the league and from what I've read Manchester United will be resting players for Real Madrid away on Wednesday. So they could very well lose or draw tomorrow and then Manchester City's loss today wouldn't be such a big deal.

It's not so much the point gap but City's form. Yesterday they looked like a team that didn't want to play for their manager.

[Big Fo]

I see. I didn't watch the match, just read that they played poorly and saw the highlights.

I guess when SAF said Manchester United will have to play two different teams today and Wednesday, he really meant that Carrick and Ferdinand would be rested. Vidic, Rooney, RVP, and other best XI guys are all going to play.

[Big Fo]

21 consecutive seasons with a league goal for Ryan Giggs, that's fantastic.

edit: not sure why the commentators only mention the EPL seasons, it's actually 23 counting the years before the name changed to the Premier League.

[sovereignstar v2]

Gus Johnson doing commentary for UCL matches?

[sovereignstar v2]

Can't wait for some more of this!



Fuck off Fox and go way Gus you gimmicky piece of shit.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

not awarding the corner was strange. compounded by the refs, 'eh, what are you gonna do?' body language

[Big Fo]

The ref was pretty bad all game long. Ramos playacted to get RVP carded, when last man Varane took out Evra from behind nothing was given but it was at least a yellow card, and yeah not letting United take the corner with 92:50 on the clock and three minutes of added time was bizarre. Still a good result, if only RVP could have scored one of those second half chances to get the win though.