The Official Football/Soccer Thread: 2017-2018 Season
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Another "unfortunate" Real Madrid signing...
: Huntelaar. He can't do anything that Van Nistelrooy or Raul already do... So a player for the future though it costs 27 milions and has 25 years... and Higuain is supposed to be for the future... and Saviola seems an "unfortunate" signing too. Thought the problem now, In the winter market, is not the future... For God's Sake... Sign a WING!
Don't sing a player who has 2 player sthat do the jobs as good or better than him, I mean Van Der Vaart and Sneijder and Guti, for instance. It doesn't have to be the best wing in the world or so... but someone that just can do it. Attack through the wing and pass balls to the strikers, that's all. There are tons of possible ones.
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Fantastic match on Friday that lived up to all the hype. This, in the German Bundesliga.
Mighty Bayern Munich needed an injury time winner from Luca Toni to gain a come from behind 2:1 victory against the Cinderella story of Europe this season, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Both clubs are now level on points at the top of the table but Hoffenheim has the better goal difference. Hoffenheim's rise to the German top flight began in 1989, when they had just been relegated to the 8th level of the German league chain. It was then that former Hoffenheim youth player and now billionaire co-founder of the software company SAG Dietmar Hopp arrived to help financially back his hometown club. Since then Hopp has invested a total of ?150 million into Hoffenheim, the vast majority of that amount going towards the infrastructure of the club. As a result, the club have jokingly been referred to by admirers and detractors alike as "_Hopp_enheim".
Hopp is always quick to dispell comparisons to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, and he has good reason: -- Hopp does not "own" the club as it's prohibited by German football laws for clubs to be owned by a single person or group. -- Hopp stays very much in the background and does not get involved in the sporting aspect of the club. Coach Ralf Ragnick and sporting director Bernhard Peters enojy a tremendous amount of freedom with on the pitch decision making. -- If an experienced player is needed, Hopp will NOT shell out millions for a big name player and will NOT buy a player over 23 years of age. Regarding sporting director Bernhard Peters: Despite having had no prior footballing experience, Peters was highly valued by then-German national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann. Peters was the coach for the German national hockey team and Klinsmann wished to have him as part of his team that was preparing for the 2006 World Cup. But the German FA scoffed at the idea citing his lack of football experience. Hopp quickly entered the fray and brought Peters to Hoffenheim instead. In addition to Hoffenheim, Hopp also provides financial backing to other clubs in other sports, all of them from the Baden-Württemberg region where he's from: -- FV Lauda, football club that plays in the Verbandsliga Nordbaden, -- Adler Mannheim, Bundesliga ice hockey club, -- team handball side Rhein-Neckar Lions, -- junior golf at the St. Leon-Rot Golf Club. In January 2007 Hopp came to the aid of former Bundesliga side SV Waldhof Mannheim by donating ?300,000 to help keep the club from going into insolvency. He donated another ?3 million for the construction and maintenance of a youth set up for the club. Hoffenheim, a small village within Sinsheim, has a population of 3,500 and is the smallest town to have ever boasted a Bundesliga club.
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Obviously, Bayern Munich's outspoken general manager Uli Hoeness disagrees with the manner Hoffenheim have achieved their success. On Sunday he yet again couldn't keep his mouth shut and lashed out at the small club during an interview of DSL television, starting with coach Ralf Ragnick, who had defeated Bayern in his last three meetings while coaching at Stuttgart... "Up to now, Ralf Rangnick has always experienced a good first year and then been sacked afterwards. He will still discover the air at an altitude is a lot thinner than the air he is currently enjoying. If there is anything that worries me about the positive development of Hoffenheim, then it is Ralf Rangnick's know-it-all attitude. I respect Dietmar Hopp as a person a hell of a lot and I rate what he is doing. But if Hopp took his money and invested in Bielefeld tomorrow, then they would be playing at the top. FC Bayern are playing against a billionaire - it is not small against big financially speaking. They have done some sensational work, but without the financial support, they would still be in the second or third division. You can only employ scouts when you have the money for it." Although true to an extent, a look at Hoffenheim's squad will find anything but high profile names. It should be noted that in 2007 Bayern spent a combined 36 million euros for Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni. A large sum in any league, even more so in the Bundesliga where you'll rarely find a club (except Bayern) spending more than 10 million euros during the summer. Meanwhile, over in Spain...
... it's 5 days and counting until El Clasico.
This past weekend: Barcelona 4-0 Valencia Real Madrid 3-4 Sevilla The Madridista faithful are eagerly looking forward to Saturday's matchup.
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yes, "The Classic" or simply "The Match", the most awaited match of all the European leagues every year. You know Real Madrid has half of the team injured so their XI it's gonna be weird and Barça only has problem with Iniesta Rumours are this XI Casillas Ramos Metzelder Cannavaro Salgado Van der Vaart Gago Guti Sneijder Higuain Raul yes, Metzelder and Salgado virtually never play... What Real Madrid is supposed to do is, you know, place the defence near the area, so Barça has not much chances to score and their "fast" forwards (Henry, Etoo, Messi) are quite useless.... BUT! this time Diarra is not there to defense, neither Pepe, and I don't think Metzelder and Salgado are so great... I'm not sure about the present Real Madrid defense able to defend Barça, like past year for instance. Chances are the team does the oppossite, go trying to steal the ball to Barça, like they did in that match where Barca won 2-0 at the start but Real tried to have the ball and they ended 4-3. If they play like that it's gonna be a show
. If the Real places the defence back, maybe it's 0-0 1-0 0-1 or so... Barça is rumoured to play Valdes Alves Puyol Marquez Abidal Toure Xavi Gudjohnsen Messi Etoo Henry Barça is supposed to be better in passing the ball around but this time Real Madrid it's going to play with 4 good passers (Gago, Guti, Van der Vaart and Sneijder) and Barça only with Xavi. So I guess they're gonna go and try to the steal the ball cause there's a lot danger if the Real Madrid midfielder have it, and only with Xavi is not very easy for Barça to pass it around. Though you never know, maybe Busquets, Hleb or Iniesta could play... and change it all... But if Real Madrid can't stop Barça to play the ball at the beginning of every possession, the defence is gonna be a disaster cause Etoo, Henry and Messi are twice faster than Salgado, Cannavaro and Metzelder
. Raul (as usual) should do a "mad job" defending, in spite of being a forward. As usual in Raul we trust, same old story.
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Stars of "THE MATCH" Raul, "The never does-a-thing one"
Long runs speed 6 Short runs speed 8 Ball control 9 Drible 8 Short passes 8 Long passes 7 Short shooting 10 Long shooting 7 Placing himself/sharpness in attack 10 Heading 9 Defending 10 Endurance 9 Leadership/team work 10 Etoo, "The untameable lion"
Long runs speed 10 Short runs speed 10 Ball control 8 Drible 8 Short passes 7 Long passes 5 Short shooting 9 Long shooting 9 Placing himself/sharpness in attack 6 Heading 7 Defending 8 Endurance 7 Leadership/Team work 8 Messi, "The flea"
Long runs speed 9 Short runs speed 10 Ball control 10 Drible 10 Short passes 7 Long passes 4 Short shooting 8 Long shooting 8 Placing himself/sharpness in attack 5 Heading 5 Defending 4 Endurance 4 Leadership/Team work 2 Casillas, "Saint Iker" You know it
Xavi, "Humphrey Bogart" ("play it, play it again...")
Long runs speed 6 Short runs speed 8 Ball control 9 Drible 6 Short passes 7 Long passes 10 Short shooting 8 Long shooting 8 Placing himself/sharpness in attack 8 Heading 4 Defending 7 Endurance 8 Leadership/Team work 8 Sergio Ramos, "Should I Stay or should I Go"
(not really... but sometimes it seems like that... forward and back, and forward and not knowing what to do...)
Long runs speed 9 Short runs speed 10 Ball control 7 Drible 6 Short passes 7 Long passes 6 Short shooting 7 Long shooting 3 Placing himself/sharpness in attack 8 Heading 9 Defending 9 Endurance 10 Leadership/Team work 6 and last but not least Puyol, "The Shark" (the ball is the "victim" and he rarely miss to go away without it :wink
Long runs speed 9 Short runs speed 9 Ball control 6 Drible 8 Short passes 7 Long passes 5 Short shooting 4 Long shooting 2 Placing himself/sharpness in attack 7 Heading 9 Defending 10 Endurance 10 Leadership/Team work 9 Also starring... Guti "The Rebel Without a Cause" (the James Dean, the unpredictable for worse or for better), Henry "Titi", Alves "Moto GP" (he sometimes seems to be in a motorcycle, crossing all parts of the field...), Higuain "el Pipita", Cannavaro "Il Bello", etc. Good watch
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and the standings of the Macca Board League in Fantasy Football, after the end of the Group Stage. 1 Oliver Sanz's team (21st Century Paul) 248 points (44 last matchday) #43000 out of 250000 teams 2 Louisville United (Daniel) 216 points (19 last matchday) #107000 out of 250000 teams 3 FC Blaugrana (unclesox) 189 points (25 last matchday) #158000 out of 250000 teams See you in the knock out rounds in February. All the big teams in, no surprises, except maybe for Real Madrid in...
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Sheffield Wednesday 0 - 0 Bristol City Sheff Wed 9-6-8 GOALS 7 Tudgay 5 Clarke 3 Esajas 2 Sodje 2 Watson 1 McAllister 1 Spurr 1 Small 1 Burton 1 McMahon
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21st Century Paul:
and the standings of the Macca Board League in Fantasy Football, after the end of the Group Stage. 1 Oliver Sanz's team (21st Century Paul) 248 points (44 last matchday) #43000 out of 250000 teams 2 Louisville United (Daniel) 216 points (19 last matchday) #107000 out of 250000 teams 3 FC Blaugrana (unclesox) 189 points (25 last matchday) #158000 out of 250000 teams See you in the knock out rounds in February. All the big teams in, no surprises, except maybe for Real Madrid in...
Why didn't you play the UEFA Cup with us?
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unclesox:
21st Century Paul:
and the standings of the Macca Board League in Fantasy Football, after the end of the Group Stage. 1 Oliver Sanz's team (21st Century Paul) 248 points (44 last matchday) #43000 out of 250000 teams 2 Louisville United (Daniel) 216 points (19 last matchday) #107000 out of 250000 teams 3 FC Blaugrana (unclesox) 189 points (25 last matchday) #158000 out of 250000 teams See you in the knock out rounds in February. All the big teams in, no surprises, except maybe for Real Madrid in...
Why didn't you play the UEFA Cup with us?
because I don't know almost no player on UEFA... the players of Milan if ever... most teams are unknown to me, I wouldn't know how to make a team....
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Barça 2 - Real Madrid 0 Real Madrid doubted if "go for the ball" or "wait behind". Drenthe played instead of Van der Vaart. Finally after some dangerous moves of Barça, Real (Raul really...) decided to move to the area. Then virtually no danger, same old Barça problems. Raul did a great pass to Drenthe in the only dangerous counter-attack of the Real Madrid, he was all alone with the goalkeeper but he can't shoot (this is all there is for counterattacks now in Real Madrid :lol
. Raul worked around all the field, becoming the best defensive midfielder, and even stealing a ball from Messi feet!, quite to Real Madrid midfielder's shame
. In a corner kick, Puyol had Gago to stop him in the heading.... instead of Diarra for instance, with deathly result. That's what I meant that Real Madrid possibly couldn't endure waiting behind with these players. And the 2nd goal was meant to be with all the team desperately forward and the space in the world for Messi and Henry. I've seen no change in both teams compared to the past season. Barça continues to be the most dangerous team if there's lot of spaces to run. But not dangerous if there's no space behind the defend. And Real Madrid is just the same only missing a fast player for counter-attacks or as a wing. That is supposed to be Robben if he doesn't have injuries, like Robinho did. Congratulations for Barça, but if the teams play reducing spaces they're gonna have a lot problems... as when Real Madrid doesn't have a good fast player has a lot problems too. Real Madrid is supposed to sing some player of that kind soon (not Huntelaar at all...) (Who is Palanca, by the way? :lol
, I think it's gonna be some young English wing. And Barça should sign some smart striker one day, I guess or someone that can do crossings... but better for Real Madrid if they don't do it.
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Spurs O - O Red Daisies
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LIVERPOOL........
: Do they really want to win the bloody Premier League? I know we are saddled with a right couple of numpties with our owners Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber but we really should have bought a goal scoring striker not the classy Robbie Keane, he's not enough of a poacher in front of goal. We really should be killing off sides like Hull and Stoke etc.......6 points lost recently.......and when you have Scumchester United at The Theatre of Screams and Chavski at Slumford Bridge breathing down your necks then you need to win these games.
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you know, Champions League draw Lyon - Barcelona Real Madrid - Liverpool Arsenal - Roma Inter - M. United Chelsea - Juventus Villarreal - Panathinaikos Sporting Portugal - Bayern Atlético - Oporto now, 2 Fantasy Football little questions. Why Lampard appears as "suspended"
He already didn't play in the last game, maybe it's a big suspension... And what happens if you have players in your team that are eliminated, can you go on with them to the next round or are you forced to do transfers to use players that COULD play? And finally more Real Madrid signing madness...
it seems they want to sing Diarra to replace Diarra
... the french Diarra... and now they want to sell Van der Vaart, I already thought it was a silly signing cause there's lot of players in the team that can do what he does, but as they signed him for 10 I guess it's all made to have profits selling him now for more money. And Parejo is gonna come back instead of Van der Vaart. But the fast player continues not to be signed. No defensive midfielder either, without Diarra and De La Red, I would like Toulalan to be signed as he is good defending and good with the ball, instead of another Diarra, that will make impossible to play the ball from the defense to the midfielders, but well...
: Above all... the fast forward or wing, if not only Robben can do that job.
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Cardiff City 2 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday 49' Roger Johnson 1 65' Michael Chopra (pen) 2 Sheff Wed 9-6-9 GOALS 7 Tudgay 5 Clarke 3 Esajas 2 Sodje 2 Watson 1 McAllister 1 Spurr 1 Small 1 Burton 1 McMahon
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Tommy Spurr
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Goal in double offside yesterday when Barça was 1-1. Offside in the pass to Gudjohnsen and offside in the pass of Gudjohnsen to Iniesta.
I'm not gonna complain of the referees, but I just think this year they're gonna "help" Barça when they need it, so the league is already won. But I don't think they'll do the same in Europe.
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21st Century Paul:
I'm not gonna complain of the referees, but I just think this year they're gonna "help" Barça when they need it, so the league is already won.
They came away frrom the four big matches with 12 points. 3-0 away to Sevilla 4-0 home against Valencia 2-0 home against Real Madrid 2-1 away to Villarreal Earlier, Atlético was dispatched 6-1. Combine all that with the scorelines from some of the mid-lower opponents like 6-1 (Sporting), 5-0 (Almería), 4-1 (Málaga) and 6-0 (Valladolid)... They currently have an 11 point lead on second place Sevilla... Their goal count is 51 goals scored and 11 conceded... And yet you say Barcelona will win the league because of the referees helping them.
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: Sounds like you still haven't recovered from the New Year's celebrations. The Champions League is in the knockout stages now, and anything can and often does happen. The best team doesn't always win it. Too much luck required. Same with the Copa del Rey. No big deal if both are lost.
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Ipswich Town 1 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday 52' 1 Steve Watson 66' Pablo Gonzalez Counago 1 Sheff Wed 9-8-10 GOALS 7 Tudgay 5 Clarke 3 Esajas 3 Watson 2 Sodje 1 McAllister 1 Spurr 1 Small 1 Burton 1 McMahon 1 Slusarski watching burnley v swansea city live.... espn360.com
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The Chin in full flight! Peter 'The Great' Beardsley......THE most underrated player of all time......
If only Liverpool or Newcastle United had him now.....: ......they might actually win some matches and play some good incisive football. I wonder how much he'd be worth at todays prices?......£75 million easy!
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Sheffield Wednesday 4 - 1 Charlton Athletic 16' Darren Potter 1 38' Marcus Tudgay 2 63' Francis Jeffers 3 86' 1 Matthew Spring 90' Marcus Tudgay (pen) 4 Sheff Wed 10-8-10 GOALS 9 Tudgay 5 Clarke 3 Esajas 3 Watson 2 Sodje 1 McAllister 1 Spurr 1 Small 1 Burton 1 McMahon 1 Slusarski 1 Potter 1 Jeffers