2005-06 Soccer Thread

[Critch]

Originally Posted by Katon

Oh, I absolutely agree with him doing it. I just don't think that going straight from ill wife to high-pressure, press-screaming-at-you situations is a very good idea.

Oh right, sorry. Misread what you were meaning.

O'Neill has apparently already said that he wouldn't take the job even if it was offered, but I guess it wouldn't be the first time somebody in sports said they would never do something before turning around and doing it when the cash was mentioned

[Coder]

Sure, I'm biased since I'm a Swede, but what the hell were they thinking conjuring up this whole Sheikh-business 4 months before the World Cup? Do they WANT England to struggle due to internal conflicts?

Too often it feels as if the British press are more interested in CREATING news than reporting them.. makes me furious just thinking about it because the Swedish press is slowly adapting this technique.

I have this theory that the British press are so all over him because the first probes they tried to rock his chair just slipped off of him, and he even managed to get some good results.. but THEY weren't able to get under his skin.. so they escalated their efforts.. and failed again.. then they increased the pace again.. and so on.. I just feel like no other manager has been so harassed by the press as Sven, and my theory is that it's because he failed to get frustrated with them earlier.. he just ignored them..

[AlexB]

Breaking news: Craig Levein leaves Leicester with immediate effect. We currently sit in the relegation zone of the Championship, having never in our history being outside the top two divisions (thank you Tony James - that was too close!).

We have some decent players, but no grafters - nobody who will get stuck in and grab the game by the scruff of the neck, Bizarrely, I think if we had had a decent start, the team would be OK, but we are in no way suited for a relegation fight.

One week to find a new manager and bring in a couple of veteran battlers to get us out of this mess before the transfer window closes...

The win over Spurs in the cup might be the worst thing for us: gave Levein a stay of execution that leaves us no time to get anyone else in...

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Coder

Sure, I'm biased since I'm a Swede, but what the hell were they thinking conjuring up this whole Sheikh-business 4 months before the World Cup? Do they WANT England to struggle due to internal conflicts?

Too often it feels as if the British press are more interested in CREATING news than reporting them.. makes me furious just thinking about it because the Swedish press is slowly adapting this technique.

I have this theory that the British press are so all over him because the first probes they tried to rock his chair just slipped off of him, and he even managed to get some good results.. but THEY weren't able to get under his skin.. so they escalated their efforts.. and failed again.. then they increased the pace again.. and so on.. I just feel like no other manager has been so harassed by the press as Sven, and my theory is that it's because he failed to get frustrated with them earlier.. he just ignored them..

Yup. The Tabloids are absolutely repulsive in their nature at times.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by Coder

I just feel like no other manager has been so harassed by the press as Sven, and my theory is that it's because he failed to get frustrated with them earlier.. he just ignored them..

Sven has been done up like a kipper by the red-tops, but he's had it no worse than many. Keegan was the same, as was Hoddle, and none of the three had anywhere the unfair treatment that Graham Taylor received.

Even the media darling El Tel (Terry Venables) didn;t get off scot-free, but he did have a better knack of handling the media - if you are stand-offish and not open to the press, they will dig around to find something. It's not right, but to coin a phrase, it is what it is, and unfortunately part of the job that press are going to be pricks towards you.

Everybody knows what these papers do, and IMHO Sven has been either poorly advised or is very naive if he thought he would be the exception.

The only way it will stop is if people stop buying the papers: unfortuantely other than the Liverpool area stopping buying the Sun after Hillsborough, which had far more of an personal emotional reason behind it, this is unlikely to happen beacuse of stories like Sven...

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Katon

First, part-time coaches aren't such a great option. Sven watches a lot of matches, looking for candidates to call up, and there's no way someone with a club job could match that; also, there's the question of how he could deal fairly with Chelsea players versus non-Chelsea players.

More generally, while the national team coach always gets a hard time from the press Sven's been having particular difficulty with some of the more xenophobic elements (in particular the News of the World & its like). Appointing someone like Mourinho might make the team more likely to win, but it wouldn't help much with the press criticism. Especially Mourinho; he doesn't get along very well with the English press.

If he's watching all these matches, why is Beckham still starting?

[SirFozzie]

wow, great first half in the ManYoo-Blackburn 2nd leg.. what a sav on the PK by Friedel

[AlexB]

I don;t know if I'm right on this, but I have the impression that there is a vastly lower conversion rate on wrongly awarded penalties - this was another example.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Katon

Sven watches a lot of matches, looking for candidates to call up

How many matches does he have to watch to pencil in Beckham and Owen?

Partially tongue-in-cheek, really, since it's irritating that Sven simply refuses to deviate from that pair regardless of form or anything else.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by daedalus

How many matches does he have to watch to pencil in Beckham and Owen?

Partially tongue-in-cheek, really, since it's irritating that Sven simply refuses to deviate from that pair regardless of form or anything else.

Beckham definitely. It is stunning that he is still the captain and an automatic name on the team sheet given his indifferent performances over the last couple of years.

I would be interested to hear who you would consider a viable alternative for Owen (he has actually not looked bad when he has got onto the field for Newcastle this year) The only two other options I see for that particular role are Jermaine Defoe who can't get into the Tottenham team, and Darius Vassell who was never international quality in the first place. And despite everyone creaming themselves over Theo Walcott, I think at the moment he's a bit young

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Beckham definitely. It is stunning that he is still the captain and an automatic name on the team sheet given his indifferent performances over the last couple of years.

I would be interested to hear who you would consider a viable alternative for Owen (he has actually not looked bad when he has got onto the field for Newcastle this year) The only two other options I see for that particular role are Jermaine Defoe who can't get into the Tottenham team, and Darius Vassell who was never international quality in the first place. And despite everyone creaming themselves over Theo Walcott, I think at the moment he's a bit young

Agree with your analysis of Owen & the other forwards, although I would add that Owen should be in every important game for England - he by far our best forward, and his scoring record is fantastic.

Your opinions on Beckham though are simply misinformed - you appear to have swallowed the tabloid media message hook line and sinker (the same tabloid media who people cannot wait to jump on re: Sven). Beckham deserves his place in the England team, again in every important game, and he has been one of our best players on a regular basis for as long as I can remember (bar one short period).

I do agree that the captaincy side could be looked at, but dropping him is a ridiculous notion.

He is an easy target, being interested as much in fashion as football, has a cartoon-style wife, and comes across as being 'intellectually challenged' at times (although recently he has become much more worldly), and as such people get on his back. However, this is unjustified from his England performances, and from what I understand the majority of his Madrid performances.

[tanglewood]

Beckham as been one of Real's best players over the last 12 months. He really struggled when he first went over there, and his England form took a similar hit at the same time, but now he is playing as well as he ever has been. Even if Shaun Wright-Phillips was still getting regular football, he'd deserve to be ahead of him for the right midfield spot.

[Crapshoot]

Beckham gets more stick than he deserves. He's one of the 30 or 40 best players in the world IMO, and while he gets marketed like a top 10 guy - it doesn't make him a bad player. He's been doing a great job for Madrid, and if Sven realized that dropping Lampard for Carrick would actually give that midfield some defensive cover, things would be better IMO. My England line up:

GK: Robinson
Defense (R to L): G.Neville, J.Terry, R.Ferdinand, A. Cole
Midfield: D.Beckham, M.Carrick, S.Gerrard , Joe Cole
Playing Off the Striker: Rooney
Up Front: Owen

Put Lampard on the bench, giving you a good option there - the problem with playing Gerrard and Lampard together is that you force one of them into a defensive midfield role they're not really suited for - Gerrard can do the job, but he's better than Lampard, and it seems like a waste of his talent.

[ISiddiqui]

I'd take Lampard over Gerrard frankly.. make Gerrard sit the bench.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

I'd take Lampard over Gerrard frankly.. make Gerrard sit the bench.

Heathen!

I dunno - I think Lampard's a good player, but he's got one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and two of the best defenders in the world doing the hard work for him - and his defensive responsibilites are non-existent. Gerrard is a more end to end player (anyone recall him playing Right back on a bad hamstring in Istanbul ?) who has to shoulder so much more in terms of responsibility - he can't lurk outside the penalty area and score deflection after deflection.

[Wolfpack]

Briefly interjecting to note that the former San Jose Earthquakes shall henceforth be known as...(drum roll, crashing cymbals) "Houston 1836" (deafening silence...crickets chirping).

Right then. Carry on.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

I'd take Lampard over Gerrard frankly.. make Gerrard sit the bench.

What? Gerrard is having his best, most consistent year yet (last match vs. ManU withstanding). He's the only English player I've seen in the premier league (other than Rooney) capable of taking over a game single handedly.

If you want to get the best players on the field, I could see making a case for moving him to right back (although he'd probably be making forward runs more often than not) but I'd have a hard time sitting him on the bench.

[Critch]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Briefly interjecting to note that the former San Jose Earthquakes shall henceforth be known as...(drum roll, crashing cymbals) "Houston 1836" (deafening silence...crickets chirping).

What a crap name. Not Real Salt Lake crap, but crap nonetheless.

[tanglewood]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Beckham gets more stick than he deserves. He's one of the 30 or 40 best players in the world IMO, and while he gets marketed like a top 10 guy - it doesn't make him a bad player. He's been doing a great job for Madrid, and if Sven realized that dropping Lampard for Carrick would actually give that midfield some defensive cover, things would be better IMO. My England line up:

GK: Robinson
Defense (R to L): G.Neville, J.Terry, R.Ferdinand, A. Cole
Midfield: D.Beckham, M.Carrick, S.Gerrard , Joe Cole
Playing Off the Striker: Rooney
Up Front: Owen

Put Lampard on the bench, giving you a good option there - the problem with playing Gerrard and Lampard together is that you force one of them into a defensive midfield role they're not really suited for - Gerrard can do the job, but he's better than Lampard, and it seems like a waste of his talent.

Well, for the last couple of games Sven has gone with a midfield of Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham and Ledley King in the holding role. It worked very well against Poland and reasonably so verses Argentina. SOme have been saying that Carrick would be a better coice than King (especially considering Carrick actually plays in midfield for Spurs!) but I'm not so sure. Carrick is defensive in the sense that he isn't box to box and will control the tempo of a game, but he isn't that dynamic defensively and not that great a tackler. King is nothing above acceptable on the ball for a midfielder, but is pacy, excellent in the air, strong in the tackle and good positionaly. Of course, the build up friendlies will only tell so much, so we will only really find out if either of them are up to it in Germany.

[Crapshoot]

A great letter on football365.com about the next English management process:

ust Let The Tabloids Pick
Perhaps we could get the tabloids to set up a panel to decide the next England manager? After all, they decide when it’s time for them to be fired. Let’s make them accountable. Categories for assessment could be:

·Is your missus fit?
·How foreign are you? Because foreign coaches are all sh*t, let’s face it. Even the ones that have won the World Cup. And all English coaches are ace. Despite only one of them winning the World Cup and none in recent history winning the Champion’s League. Or the League. Or much.
·Do you have any relationship, however tentative, with a root vegetable? It will be a bonus if you do.
·Does your name rhyme amusingly with anything football related - or anything, for that matter?
·Have you ever had sex with anyone? Anyone will do, we'll find ‘em and they will tell us the sordid details. The nation needs to know who you have sex with. It’s important for the game.
·Does a vein start to bulge in your forehead when you are losing, or as half time approaches? Do you feel angry a lot? It helps with being a manager.
·Will you try and play all your best players at the same time, or listen to a million different opinions on what will definitely bring success from a million different people, none of whom have managed a football team at the top level?
·Can you really be arsed with this cr*p job where people expect success if you give it to them but are ever ready to flay you alive should you expose any human frailties or, God forbid, make a mistake occasionally?

I'm going to hide under my desk now.
Andy Woolnough

[Katon]

The problem with Beckham at the moment is that playing him on the right wing hurts both Lampard and Gerrard - the two English midfielders who definitely deserve to be ranked ahead of him. Lampard at club level has most of the play running through him; when Beckham plays for England, he tends to hog the ball somewhat, meaning Lampard starts looking significantly worse. When Beckham was suspended against Poland, the result was Lampard's best performance for England and the national team's most coherent midfield in years.

Gerrard can be a lethal player, but what makes him special is the surging runs he makes at the opposing defence. If you play him in a two-man central midfield, then there are two possibilities: he can keep making the runs, in which case he necessarily neglects his positional responsibilites and the midfield can get badly overrun, or he can stop making them in which case you've lost most of what made him special in the first place. This is why for years Liverpool did better with him out of the team than in it; he doesn't work well in the centre of a 4-4-2. For about a year now, Benitez has been using him either as a right winger or in a three-man midfield with Alonso and Hammann/Sissoko, both roles with far lighter defensive requirements; suddenly you've got the best Liverpool team in years and Gerrard is one of the best players in the Premiership.

The upshot of all this is that if the national team is going to play a 4-4-2, then there's only one spot where Gerrard can play anywhere near his best: right wing. Which is occupied by Beckham. So while Beckham is clearly a better player than any of his potential replacements either in the center or on the right, having him in the team severely discommodes two people who are among the top ten or so players in the world. Which means that in the long run England would probably be better off with a midfield of

Cole-Lampard-Carrick-Gerrard

or something to that effect.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Briefly interjecting to note that the former San Jose Earthquakes shall henceforth be known as...(drum roll, crashing cymbals) "Houston 1836" (deafening silence...crickets chirping).

Right then. Carry on.

The Alamo?

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Briefly interjecting to note that the former San Jose Earthquakes shall henceforth be known as...(drum roll, crashing cymbals) "Houston 1836" (deafening silence...crickets chirping).

Right then. Carry on.

I kinda like the name. I mean, obviously the names in MLS are becoming more "soccer-like" and less American sportesque. I think it shows at least they're being more creative.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by tanglewood

Beckham as been one of Real's best players over the last 12 months. He really struggled when he first went over there, and his England form took a similar hit at the same time, but now he is playing as well as he ever has been. Even if Shaun Wright-Phillips was still getting regular football, he'd deserve to be ahead of him for the right midfield spot.

I haven't seen him play since EURO 2004, which is when I formed the opinion that he needed to be replaced. I still think they need more of a prototypical winger that can threaten defenses with pace and dribbling, but I guess England doesn't tend to produce a ton of those.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

I haven't seen him play since EURO 2004, which is when I formed the opinion that he needed to be replaced. I still think they need more of a prototypical winger that can threaten defenses with pace and dribbling, but I guess England doesn't tend to produce a ton of those.

Shaun Wright Phillips ? Beckham's still probably the best crosser of the ball around - its a shame England's strikers aren't always good enough to take advantage of that in the air. He's a good winger, IMO.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by Katon

...Which means that in the long run England would probably be better off with a midfield of

Cole-Lampard-Carrick-Gerrard

or something to that effect.

Agree with most of this.

So alternatively Gerrard-Lampard-plus one-Beckham (l-r), as Becks deserves the place ahead of Cole...

Admittedly Gerrard is not as good on the left as the right (see Euro 2004) but Becks' crossing is something that we cannot afford not to have. I would argue that the three are all good enough players that we have to find a way of getting all three in the side: this is the only way of doing so.

(If we had a decent left sided player who proves himself prior to the WC - only real hope is Downing, but I think it's likely too soon for him after his long injury - then the fight would be between Gerrard & Lampard for the central spot. As we have a need, and a great player who can do a job, use him, otherwise one of the two has to sit - as in the DC position between Terry/Ferdinand/Campbell with Woodgate in there if he can stay fit for longer than five minutes)

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

The Alamo?

Close. Apparently the city was founded in 1836, hence the number in the name.

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

I kinda like the name. I mean, obviously the names in MLS are becoming more "soccer-like" and less American sportesque. I think it shows at least they're being more creative.

Creative in what way? They're basically getting ideas from other leagues. Chivas USA from Mexico, Real SL from Spain, DC United from England, FC Dallas from just about any Euro league, and now 1836 from Germany. Though I suppose it makes sense, a little, if you think about the fact that America is a melting pot of cultures, why not a melting pot of team name styles?

If they're going to keep doing this, go all the way and abolish the conferences and have one table. With the relative few number of teams (at the moment), play four against everyone else. Intersperse with games for the MLS Cup which feature everyone in MLS getting a crack at it and then you'll have domestic doubles and with the US Open Cup, a domestic treble. Still keep American ideas like the draft and a salary cap, though, because American soccer just doesn't have a strong enough base to survive being reduced to New York, LA and then a bunch of also-rans every year.

[Katon]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Agree with most of this.

So alternatively Gerrard-Lampard-plus one-Beckham (l-r), as Becks deserves the place ahead of Cole...

Admittedly Gerrard is not as good on the left as the right (see Euro 2004) but Becks' crossing is something that we cannot afford not to have. I would argue that the three are all good enough players that we have to find a way of getting all three in the side: this is the only way of doing so.

(If we had a decent left sided player who proves himself prior to the WC - only real hope is Downing, but I think it's likely too soon for him after his long injury - then the fight would be between Gerrard & Lampard for the central spot. As we have a need, and a great player who can do a job, use him, otherwise one of the two has to sit - as in the DC position between Terry/Ferdinand/Campbell with Woodgate in there if he can stay fit for longer than five minutes)

But England does have someone who has proven himself over nearly a year, has been one of the best players on one of the top 2-3 club teams in the world, and can play on the left wing quite easily. Joe Cole. He's been one of Chelsea's top players since February and has been probably the best winger in the Premiership this season. Beckham's been very good for Real recently, but it's still not nearly that clear-cut a decision.

There's also the problem of having Beckham and Lampard in the same team. It would be one thing if Beckham stuck to the flank and focussed on crossing (which I think he does for Real, though I haven't seen them play in a while), but for the national team he tends to drift infield and try to play quarterback which puts Lampard noticeably off his game. The difference between Beckham and Cole is not worth inconveniencing both Lampard and Gerrard over.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by moriarty

What? Gerrard is having his best, most consistent year yet (last match vs. ManU withstanding). He's the only English player I've seen in the premier league (other than Rooney) capable of taking over a game single handedly.

If you want to get the best players on the field, I could see making a case for moving him to right back (although he'd probably be making forward runs more often than not) but I'd have a hard time sitting him on the bench.

As stated by others, Gerrard is far more of an asset on the right wing. He's not that great in the center of the midfield. Of course the problem is that Beckham will NOT be sitting while Sven is in charge, so that means this WC. Lampard is a better CM and thus should start over Gerrard in that position.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Shaun Wright Phillips ? Beckham's still probably the best crosser of the ball around - its a shame England's strikers aren't always good enough to take advantage of that in the air. He's a good winger, IMO.

Yes, if he wasn't stuck on the bench.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Agree with your analysis of Owen & the other forwards, although I would add that Owen should be in every important game for England - he by far our best forward, and his scoring record is fantastic.

Your opinions on Beckham though are simply misinformed - you appear to have swallowed the tabloid media message hook line and sinker (the same tabloid media who people cannot wait to jump on re: Sven). Beckham deserves his place in the England team, again in every important game, and he has been one of our best players on a regular basis for as long as I can remember (bar one short period).

I do agree that the captaincy side could be looked at, but dropping him is a ridiculous notion.

He is an easy target, being interested as much in fashion as football, has a cartoon-style wife, and comes across as being 'intellectually challenged' at times (although recently he has become much more worldly), and as such people get on his back. However, this is unjustified from his England performances, and from what I understand the majority of his Madrid performances.

Not from the games I have seen him in, although I'm not an England fan and therefore probably haven't seen as many games as you.

He drifts in and out of the games I have seen, and you have a real problem in that he doesn't want to play right wing, and is clearly the third best option at center midfield. I agree with everyone else in this thread who says that England's midfield seems to be a lot more coherent without Beckham in. I think Cole-Gerrard-Lampard with Carrick as the holding player works very well and Beckham can then be an amazing option off the bench.

Don't get me wrong, I still think Beckham is a great player and still one of the best passers of the ball in the world. From what I have seen though he just doesn't seem to "fit" in the England team. By all means, he has been playing very well for Real and I don't know what role he plays for them. I could be completely wrong.

Regards the captaincy - I see no reason why it shouldn't be given now to John Terry. Clearly a better motivator than Beckham and he's been in the squad for long enough. I also don't see how Beckham can be a role model seeing how many times he has been petulantly sent off over the last couple of years.

[daedalus]

It's not really that I think they (Beckham and Owen) *should* be replaced as much as I don't necessarily think they should have a lock on their respective positions. For example, last year when Wright-Phillips was playing and showed great form . . . it didn't matter. Because you knew he would never start over Beckham as long as Eriksson was picking the squad.

As for a replacement for Owen, I honestly could not come up with one. I vaguely recall Defoe making a case for it last year but not so much this year. Vassell has always seemed the economy version of Owen . . . who is just nowhere near as deadly. Owen is probably the best bet for England right now, especially paired with Rooney [assuming he stays in the good graces of the referees]. I'm just annoyed that some like James Beattie and Andy Johnson can never, ever get a look, regardless of what they are doing. Am I saying those guys are overlooked Ronaldo and Adriano? Absolutely not. Am I saying that they should be starting over either Rooney or Owen? Absolutely not. But they are/were succeeding and it would have been nice for them to have had a chance to have earn that spot, especially when Owen was going through a rough patch.

[AlexB]

Beattie & AJ are simply not good enough - especially Beattie. AJ did score a lot of goals last year, but at high percentage (approx 50%?) were from penalties after he launched himself salmon like in the penalty box. If he was not taking pens for Palace last year, the clamour for him to get an England chance would have been pretty low...

[KeyserSoze]

As a Real Madrid fan, I´ve seen a lot of Beckham's games, and I think that he should play in any national team (well maybe in Brazil no for talent and style). For me he has three tools that made him vital in the R. Madrid and England.

1- Free kicks and corners. He masters in free kicks and corners. And these are the kind of situations that can change totally a stale game. For example, the last Liga game, the Real Madrid was losing with Cadiz, but two goals of free kick (one of Beckham, the other of R. Carlos) changed the game.

2- Midfield crosses. Beckham didn't need to make the crosses near the box. He can make very dangerous diagonal crosses from 2/3 of the field, and these balls arrive too low to give a great advantage to the goalkeeper.

These is very useful since it allows a team that is not dominating a game, to put the pressure in the other team defense and goallie. And maybe make some goal.

3- Attitude. In the Real Madrid always has showed a great attitude in the field. He works where he is needed, fight every ball, and never give up. Outside the field he could be a "star", but inside the field for me has been a worker.

So for me he should play in any national team

[MIJB#19]

Drawn today, Euro2008 qualifying groups. Top 2 per group join Austria and Switzerland.

Group A: Portugal, Poland, Serbia & Montenegro, Belgium, Finland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan
Three WC'06 qualifiers (Portugal, Poland, S&M), while Belgium missed WC'06 after being present in the previous five WC's. An interesting group with Portugal and S&M as the top favorites, but not by far. Poland, Belgium and Finland could definately be in the mix. The draw of Armenia versus Azerbaijan brings a rivalry to this group, but more importantly gives the five top teams three difficulty road games in 'middle Russia'.

Group B: France, Italy, Ukraine, Scotland, Lithuania, Georgia, Faroe Islands
Say hello to the 'group of death'. France and Italy sound like the top dogs, but Ukraine has proven in WC'06 qualifying matches to have moved into the top-tier of European teams. These three WC'06 qualifiers should be the three teams to battle it out. Scotland always has had peaks every ten years, so who knows what happens in fall 2006 to fall 2007. Lithuania and especially Georgia are trap games on the road, while the Faroe Islands could be able to win or draw a few at home.

Group C: Greece, Turkey, Norway, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Moldova, Malta
What kind of group is this? I mean, these countries combine for like 15 qualifications for finals in Euro or WC tournaments all-time. With the pre-70's Hungary taking the lionshare. None of these teams made WC'06. Greece and Turkey have been the big surprises of the recent big tournaments (Greece Euro'04 champs, Turkey WC'02 third place), but Norway isn't much worse, maybe even better recently. Moldova and B-H could be trap games, espeically on the road. And watch out for Hungary. With this draw it's their best shot in about 20 years to return to a big tournament. Oh, Malta is also here. The over/under is at one point in twelve games. Take the over, they might get two or three.

Group D: Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Ireland, Wales, Cyprus, San Marino
Oh goody, some nice rivalries here. The Czecho-Slovak derby is going to big in this group. Germany hasn't exactly been a, say, top ten team in Europe for the past five years, except in the summer of 2002. Still, aside from the Czechs, none are better, so they'll have a shot at making it. Ireland gets through qualification once in a while since the '90s, but they'll need to get past Slovakia, which is possible, and either the Czechs or Germans. Wales should play a good role of spoilers, but I don't see them capable of a top two spot. Cyprus might be in the mix until the spring 2007. Oh and San Marino is also here. If they draw one game, it'll be a success.

Group E: England, Croatia, Russia, Israel, Estonia, Macedonia, Andorra
Oh my, three good teams and four trap game opponents. Israel went trough the WC'06 qualifiers unbeaten, but missed that tournament. Russia have done great choke jobs the past decade and thus the English and Croatians should be the early favorites. Estonia and Macedonia shouldn't be underestimated, but they're not going to finish in the top two seats. Same with Andorra, they're known for losing a lot of games by 1-0.

Group F: Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Latvia, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Liechtenstein
Nice, it's not 'the group of death', but it's pretty close. Four teams made Euro'04 (Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia), two made WC'06 (Spain, Sweden). I expected Latvia to have been a once in a lifetime kind of lucky to make Euro'04, althought they were pretty competititve again for the WC'06 qualifiers. But with Spain, Sweden and Denmark around, it will probably be a tree horse race. Iceland and Northern Ireland are capable of a few upsets here or there, while Liechtenstein have also recently proven to not be a zero-points team.

Group G: Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Albania, Belarus, Luxembourg
Welcome to the eastern Europe group, with invitations to the red-white-and-blue flagged countries. Clearly, the Netherlands are the top dogs, but you'll have to wait and see what WC'06 will do to them. Especially since Romania, Bulgaria and Slovenia are eager to return to the big tournaments. Albania and even more so Belarus can be dangerous underdogs to slip into third of fourth place, but with so many good teams, not much higher either. Luxembourg is some sort of filler. If they win one game, the qualification stage will be sort of a success.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Beattie & AJ are simply not good enough - especially Beattie. AJ did score a lot of goals last year, but at high percentage (approx 50%?) were from penalties after he launched himself salmon like in the penalty box. If he was not taking pens for Palace last year, the clamour for him to get an England chance would have been pretty low...

Peter Crouch. Perfect for receiving Beckham's crosses, if that's the strategy Sven wants to employ. Although I still stick to my belief that Beckham needs to be replaced by a more prototypical winger. IMO, he only person who is irreplaceable in the squad is Rooney.

[AlexB]

Got a lot of time for Peter Crouch as a footballer: certainly he gives you something nobody else can: holds the ball up well, skilful on the ball, decent in the air (although not as good as he should be given he's 11' tall)...

Irreplaceable? Nobody, although Rooney is close as he gives you a far better chance against top opposition. Key players who should be in if fit? Robinson, Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Owen. All are a class above their nearest rivals for their position. We have four excellent central defenders who you can in effect mix and match, and a spot in midfield for whoever suits the situation best.

[SirFozzie]

*blink blink*

wow.

Robbie Fowler goes back to Liverpool, after flaming out so spectacularly there and going to Man City.

[3ric]

Fantastic to see Robbie back with the Reds, even if it's only as a fourth striker and for sentimental value. Two more goals and he's overtaking Kenny Dagliesh as the fourth-best goal scorer in Liverpool history.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by 3ric

Fantastic to see Robbie back with the Reds, even if it's only as a fourth striker and for sentimental value. Two more goals and he's overtaking Kenny Dagliesh as the fourth-best goal scorer in Liverpool history.

""

"God" is back at Anfield - and aint life grand.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

*blink blink*

wow.

Robbie Fowler goes back to Liverpool, after flaming out so spectacularly there and going to Man City.

WHAT? I missed this one. I wonder if this means Cisse or Pongolle is now on the move.

Hell, Fowler at least can poke in sitters right in front of the goal which is more than Cisse managed at Man U. I wonder if this is a "make up" for failing to bring back Owen to the club when they're desparate for a consistent scorer, or if it's just a thank you to Fowler, and they'll release him at year end.

[SirFozzie]

Cisse's in trouble for smacking his wife.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Close. Apparently the city was founded in 1836, hence the number in the name.



Creative in what way? They're basically getting ideas from other leagues. Chivas USA from Mexico, Real SL from Spain, DC United from England, FC Dallas from just about any Euro league, and now 1836 from Germany. Though I suppose it makes sense, a little, if you think about the fact that America is a melting pot of cultures, why not a melting pot of team name styles?

If they're going to keep doing this, go all the way and abolish the conferences and have one table. With the relative few number of teams (at the moment), play four against everyone else. Intersperse with games for the MLS Cup which feature everyone in MLS getting a crack at it and then you'll have domestic doubles and with the US Open Cup, a domestic treble. Still keep American ideas like the draft and a salary cap, though, because American soccer just doesn't have a strong enough base to survive being reduced to New York, LA and then a bunch of also-rans every year.

I like all your dieas, really. I think the conferences are silly and it doesn't allow the best teams to make the playoffs.

I am far more in favour of them having the Euro-style names for teams, than having silly names like the KC Wizards. Revolution makes sense for New England and MetroStars is ok, but bugs me at the same time. DC United works okay, too and Real Salt Lake was just silly, though I get why they did it.

Of course, this is a league with a team that has USA in its name. I mean, what's that saying about your league when an expansion team can't find its own stadium and is really native of a totally different country?

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Cisse's in trouble for smacking his wife.

First he smacks a kid, now he smacks his preganant wife??? Geez, and just when we got rid of Diouf too.

Funny thing is (well, nothing funny about smacking his wife), but Liverpool strikers have trouble scoring, and the two strikers they have loaned out to premier league clubs (Mellor, LeTallec) both scored this weekend.

[Critch]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Cisse's in trouble for smacking his wife.

He should smack his hairdresser too.

[Marc Vaughan]

Shocked at Liverpool signing Fowler today ..... I know City wanted shot of him (because he hadn't been particularly stellar and had a whopping wage) but for Liverpool to take him on bearing that in mind (and I'm presuming they've taken his salary with him?).

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Shocked at Liverpool signing Fowler today ..... I know City wanted shot of him (because he hadn't been particularly stellar and had a whopping wage) but for Liverpool to take him on bearing that in mind (and I'm presuming they've taken his salary with him?).

Only thing I can figure is this is to appease the fans (unless they really feel he'll revert to his old Liverpool form which I can't see happening).

I mean they've failed for over a year now to get a right winger. Rafa has received some stick that he hasn't brought in any English players to the club above the age of 17. They failed to bring back Owen when he wanted to return from Real. So why not bring back 'God' to Liverpool so the fans forgive the transfer market woes?

Either that, or they're using him as cover for Cisse whom they're shipping to France in exchange for a right winger. When does the transfer window close?

[SirFozzie]

end of the month.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Beattie & AJ are simply not good enough - especially Beattie. AJ did score a lot of goals last year, but at high percentage (approx 50%?) were from penalties after he launched himself salmon like in the penalty box. If he was not taking pens for Palace last year, the clamour for him to get an England chance would have been pretty low...

In no way, shape or form, am I suggesting either should be handed the starting spot at WC '06. On the other hand, if a Defoe or a Johnson was doing well in the Premiership, I see little harm in giving them a chance. As it is, there isn't. Come Hell, high water or FA secretaries, Owen starts.

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Irreplaceable? Nobody, although Rooney is close as he gives you a far better chance against top opposition. Key players who should be in if fit? Robinson, Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Owen. All are a class above their nearest rivals for their position. We have four excellent central defenders who you can in effect mix and match, and a spot in midfield for whoever suits the situation best.

Don't know how Ferdinand's form has been but, man, on recent form, Sol doesn't even deserve to be on the squad let alone be considered to partner Terry. Ugh, why did Sol have to go and become Cyganized?

I haven't seen Woodgate lately but has he been good enough to earn a recall?

[daedalus]

Really, I probably am just bitter that Wenger made zero play for Nigel de Jong and Dean Ashton. Especially given De Jong's quality and the price.

Meanwhile, y'know, teams are fighting it out for various supposedly well-rated defenders (Aggers, Latka, Pele . . . Portuguese defender from Belenenses, not the OTHER Pele) and we just stand by and watch. I mean, we're starting Pascal Friggin' Cygan for Goodness' Sake!