The Soccer Thread

[RLP4ever]

Brazil is going to win the World Cup in South Africa five months from now. They'll be playing against Germany. Spain is highly ranked but their world cup history is underwhelwing.

If Brazil win the World Cup this year, I'm gonna go leap off the Great Barrier Reef and end this (my) life of football worship. I simply cannot survive another Brazil trophy triumph at the World Cup again. I'd pray in probable vain that Brazil doesn't win the Cup again in a very long time.

Spain has been playing sublime soccer for close to 3 years now; but yes, they don't have the experience of actually going all the way and winning the championship Cup. So, it's gonna be particularly challenging and a stiff test of the Spain squad's will, tactics, staying power, and self-belief to translate their magnificent skills and current form into crucial wins to land them the ultimate prize of the trophy. I really hope this finally will be their year of glory. As always, I'm counting on Germany to go far and duel for the Cup in reaching at least semis, and possibly the final, yet again. I won't be wishing any luck at all to England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil and a few other genuine title contenders. lol... Indeed, I reckon this year's edition is quite likely to be one of the most competitive and open World Cup tournaments in recent memory.

nunoni, it's pretty obvious that it's now definitely a three-way race between Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd. The Gunners have hit a purple patch of sorts lately and been resurgent in their on-field play that has enabled them to fight their way back inside the top 3 right now, with a game in hand and a chance of a topsy-turvy knockabout with both Man Utd and Chelsea for pole position in the league as we head to February. I'm pleased for them, though I'm still pining for Tottenham to muscle in into the top 3, in a hurry. Wishing the Spurs tons of luck in overtaking Arsenal and giving Chelsea cold sleepless nights, hopefully. Meantime, glad to see Liverpool fall by the wayside and out of the hunt, and would love to see both Chelsea and Man Utd suffer a few upsets, from now on end.

Also, I'm avidly awaiting the next round of the Champions League fixtures. AC Milan vs Man Utd is just one of those gripping upcoming ties on a chilly European night of top-flight football. Still dreaming of an eventual Barca victory, come May at the Bernebeau.

[nunoni]

Spain winning the Euro is a huge boost to their bid to the World title!

[devilmaycare]

If Brazil win the World Cup this year, I'm gonna go leap off the Great Barrier Reef and end this (my) life of football worship.

So... I take it you can't swim..? I mean... It's not exactly a big drop... Can't you jump off the Sydney Harbour Bridge or off the top of Uluru...

[RLP4ever]

So... I take it you can't swim..? I mean... It's not exactly a big drop... Can't you jump off the Sydney Harbour Bridge or off the top of Uluru...

Oh well, it might not be a spectacularly huge drop, but hey, I reckon whether I can swim or not, I don't think I'd survive (or even want to) a reckless, suicidal jump off the Reef. lol...But alright, I'll jump off SHB or the Uluru or a select spot off the coast of Tasmania that I know of, if heaven forbid, Brazil lift the Cup in South Africa this year.

[nunoni]

Oh well, it might not be a spectacularly huge drop, but hey, I reckon whether I can swim or not, I don't think I'd survive (or even want to) a reckless, suicidal jump off the Reef. lol...But alright, I'll jump off SHB or the Uluru or a select spot off the coast of Tasmania that I know of, if heaven forbid, Brazil lift the Cup in South Africa this year.

don't forget to obtain film evidence when you do it

[Sir Kenneth]

The qualifying groups for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine have been announced and can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2012_qualifying all in all a pretty good draw for Denmark I think. Group A looks tough though, and Group E looks like it could be exciting as well.

[nunoni]

The qualifying groups for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine have been announced and can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2012_qualifying all in all a pretty good draw for Denmark I think. Group A looks tough though, and Group E looks like it could be exciting as well.

a fantastic group for you to get kicked around I think!

[Sir Kenneth]

a fantastic group for you to get kicked around I think!

Pffft! We'll take your greasy haired pretty boy team and do them over once more just like we did in the World Cup qualification In all seriousness though, I'd be happy if Denmark just finish second in the group. Portugal really is the only team that should give us any difficulties. Iceland and Cypruss are tiny football nations and I don't have much faith in Norway.

[Totentanz]

Wales & England in the same group - excellent!

As for me - I'm a Man City fan, I was 6 years old when we last won anything. It's good to see that even now the club has serious financial backing it's still very much City [i.e. can lose to anyone! lost to Hull at weekend ] Fun times being a City fan though, the roller coaster continues and it's never dull.

[nunoni]

Pffft! We'll take your greasy haired pretty boy team and do them over once more just like we did in the World Cup qualification In all seriousness though, I'd be happy if Denmark just finish second in the group. Portugal really is the only team that should give us any difficulties. Iceland and Cypruss are tiny football nations and I don't have much faith in Norway.

who's talking pretty boy?! All you blonde northerners with superiority complexes

I married one blonde northerner by the way but not from Scandinavia

[Totentanz]

Taking my dad to see Man City v Liverpool tomorrow... crucial match for a top 4 place (although there's still a long way to go). Vieira starts a 3 match ban, but I'm kinda glad, coz our balance in midfield has gone since he joined us. No Tevez though, this will be a tough one for City!

[nunoni]

once, oh but just once, we actually played brilliantly this season! One game, that's all, a bit too little for a whole year. It was a balm to the soul, instead of the usual humiliations of late!

[Totentanz]

Just beat Chelsea on their own patch - the only team to do so this season.

Cracking second half, two goals each for Bellamy & Tevez - maybe this will give us the boost to push on and make 4th place ours.

[devilmaycare]

First and hopefully not only trophy of the season wrapped up. Nice to see Owen score but OH... then he fucks his hammy again!

[Ady]

Best wishes to Aaron Ramsey.

[nunoni]

wow - two good games in one season now! We won 3-0 against FC Porto (or FC Porco as we prefer to call them), and played very well again - it seems we will be keeping the 4th place (about 20 points from the leader), which is good, it means a place in the Europa Cup, and also that we won't go below out worst ever, which is 5th; actually, I think we are the only team in the world that never ended the league (ANY league) lower than 5th, all big teams like Real, Barça, ManU, all the other English ones, Bayern, and so on, have done worse than that. It's a record we want to keep!

So it'll be a good happy week I think!

[Ady]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/020320...side-rule.html
FIFA are considering scrapping the offside rule, according to a report in The Times.
The newspaper reports that FIFA president Sepp Blatter has discussed what would be the most radical rule change in the sport for decades.

Blatter has apparently spoken to the president of the International Hockey Federation, Leandro Nagre, about how hockey abolished the rule in the 1990s.

"He asked me a lot of questions about it and how successful it was, although he never offered an opinion, so it was difficult to judge what football might do," said Negre.

"But he did seem very interested in how we had implemented it."

The offside rule in hockey was abolished in 1998 after a trial period two years earlier, a move which has been credited with making the game more free-flowing and exciting as a spectacle.

Veteran BBC sports commentator Barry Davies firmly believed that it would be a great move for football.

"I would love to see it given a trial in the lower leagues," he said.

"It would probably take a long time for players to adjust. It's also very demanding physically, but I was amazed at how quickly hockey adapted and there's no doubt the game is better for it."

Davies believes that the abolition of offside is not the only rule that football could borrow from hockey, suggesting that the green card - which leads to a two minutes in the sin bin for players - would also work well.

[Sir Kenneth]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/020320...side-rule.html
FIFA are considering scrapping the offside rule, according to a report in The Times.
The newspaper reports that FIFA president Sepp Blatter has discussed what would be the most radical rule change in the sport for decades.

Blatter has apparently spoken to the president of the International Hockey Federation, Leandro Nagre, about how hockey abolished the rule in the 1990s.

"He asked me a lot of questions about it and how successful it was, although he never offered an opinion, so it was difficult to judge what football might do," said Negre.

"But he did seem very interested in how we had implemented it."

The offside rule in hockey was abolished in 1998 after a trial period two years earlier, a move which has been credited with making the game more free-flowing and exciting as a spectacle.

Veteran BBC sports commentator Barry Davies firmly believed that it would be a great move for football.

"I would love to see it given a trial in the lower leagues," he said.

"It would probably take a long time for players to adjust. It's also very demanding physically, but I was amazed at how quickly hockey adapted and there's no doubt the game is better for it."

Davies believes that the abolition of offside is not the only rule that football could borrow from hockey, suggesting that the green card - which leads to a two minutes in the sin bin for players - would also work well.

That's ...interesting. I really doubt it would make the game more exciting though. Football and hockey are worlds apart, and in football I reckon we'd just end up with more strikers lazing about near the opposition's penalty field and more teams opting for really long passes rather than playing the ball around.

[devilmaycare]

At the same time though, defending teams would put just as many defenders back to clear the long balls so I think the teams that can play a fast close passing game would still benefit. The big plus would be the end of criminally disallowed goals because in the view of a misplaced linesman, a forward may have strayed a few inches beyond the last defender.

[nunoni]

the badly given or not given offsides are easily solved with tv; somehow I've come to believe that it does not happen in football simply because it would decrease the options open for corruption.

[Sir Kenneth]

At the same time though, defending teams would put just as many defenders back to clear the long balls so I think the teams that can play a fast close passing game would still benefit. The big plus would be the end of criminally disallowed goals because in the view of a misplaced linesman, a forward may have strayed a few inches beyond the last defender.

It becomes a lot harder to play fast close passing game if your defenders aren't able to take part in the offensive work though. I reckon that positions would become a lot more static than they are today and the game as a whole would suffer if they removed the offside rule. Of course there are some benefits (as you mentioned) but I don't think they are worth it.

I do really like the idea of a "green" card though. Being able to send players off the pitch temporarily for minor offenses is a great idea.

[Totentanz]

the badly given or not given offsides are easily solved with tv; somehow I've come to believe that it does not happen in football simply because it would decrease the options open for corruption.

Don't you find the 'criminal' decisions are all part of the fun? - after all, they make sure we get plenty of discussion points.

I prefer the raw approach where mistakes can get made by refs - I enjoy a good rant at the ref, and I'd hate to see the game going to TV replays for judgement, it'd spoil the flow. I mean if a ref doesn't spot something, then how does the game get stopped to check? If a player insists? If a manager shouts loud enough? I dread the time that TV replays will end up being used like some kind of tactical time-out. Which is probably how they'd end up.

Maybe there's a case for a goal-line 'hawkeye' device to determine whether the ball crossed the line in very specific situations, as that could be instantaneous. But that's the limit for me.

[devilmaycare]

Don't you find the 'criminal' decisions are all part of the fun? - after all, they make sure we get plenty of discussion points.

I particularly like winning goals scored in the 7th minute of injury time!

[Totentanz]

I particularly like winning goals scored in the 7th minute of injury time!

That's exactly it, a perfect example! Heh, as much as that particular moment wasn't great for me, it's all part of the magic. The climax to that game could only have been that exciting and controversial with those 'human' decisions.

It's part of the game, it'd be too dull without it.

[Franklin]

Hey, our Santa Barbara High School men's soccer team is undefeated and ranked #2 in the nation.
They are playing the CIF final tonight at UCSB and apparently are leading 3-0.
They are 28-0-1. The only blemish is a 0-0 tie against a cross-town rival. This is the same team they are beating 3-0 tonight.
EDIT: Final Score: 3-0.

[nunoni]

so, does anyone know of any US teams wearing green/white horizontal stripes ?

like the ones here

http://www.verdebranco.net/en_sporting.html

[Totentanz]

so, does anyone know of any US teams wearing green/white horizontal stripes ?

Don't know any US teams, but in Scotland they are the famous colours of [Glasgow] Celtic.

And possibly less famously in England they are the colours of Yeovil Town.


As for me, I now have tickets for and eagerly await the following games:
City v Everton, 24 March
City v Birmingham, 11 April
City v United, 17 April

I also have tickets for City v Spurs, but don't know yet when the match will be re-arranged for (was originally 6 March).

C'mon City!

[devilmaycare]

I haven't been over for a game in a while but I will use my tix for this weekend's Liverpool game & the Cheslea game in April... taking my eldest (who despite being born in Sydney & raised in NYC has become slowly United obsessed... amazing what the threat of boarding school will do! ) I've renewed my season tickets for each of the 20 years I've been away from the UK, but most of the United games I've seen in that time have been in London on business trips... London is far enough, the trip to Manchester & back is just a pain on top of that! But this time I reckon the boy is ready & he is PSYCHED!! Friday off school, Virgin Upper Class to London, limo to the hotel, train to Manchester, train back, night in London, Monday SHOPPING down Regent Street & then back to NYC Tuesday AM... His teachers are pissed but I told 'em if I'm paying $40K a year for the privilege of sending him to their school I reckon I have the right to pull him out of 3rd Grade for 3 days!!

[Totentanz]

I haven't been over for a game in a while but I will use my tix for this weekend's Liverpool game...

Well, enjoy it - it's always great to get to a game, and to influence the youngsters of course... I'll be taking my nephew to one of the City games, just to get him started on the right path (his dad's trying to teach him to support Liverpool for gawd's sake )

And secondly, that game is one of those rare occasions that I'll be supporting United! C'mon United, do us a favour and stuff Pool for us!

[nunoni]

Don't know any US teams, but in Scotland they are the famous colours of [Glasgow] Celtic.

And possibly less famously in England they are the colours of Yeovil Town.

those ones I have

http://www.verdebranco.net/en_estrangeiros.html

and also from Britain:

Bradford Park Avenue AFC
Buckie Thistle FC
Caerleon Junior Youth FC
Donegal Celtic Football Club
Farsley Celtic A.F.C
Greenford Celtic FC
Gosforth RFC
Knaresborough Celtic JFC
Lincoln City FC
Millwall FC
Northern Ireland Irish Football Association
Northwhich Victoria FC
Nottingham Rugby FC
Queen's Park Rangers
Soham Town Rangers FC
Total Network Solutions FC

and there's plenty more, green/white hoops are popular in the UK, it's the US that is hard to get!

[devilmaycare]

Hey nunoni

Are you just after pro teams? On my recent trip to Sydney I went to watch my nephew play a match... All ages & grades of his team play in green & white hoops...

http://pittwaterrsl.goalline.ca/news...d=255301&lang=

[BunnyPink]

So much for Beckam. Won't be playing the big one...

[devilmaycare]

So much for Beckam. Won't be playing the big one...

no loss. he's really only class with a stationary ball &/or lots of space. hopefully the much more effective James Milner will get his spot along with Lennon & Wright-Phillips...

[Franklin]

Obviously I am nowhere near the level of nuttiness as you guys are when it comes to soccer. Yet I still like to follow the local teams and root for them. In 2006 the UCSB Gauchos won the NCAA championship and just last week our Santa Barbara High Dons won the state championship. Yeah, these are "kids" but good soccer is good soccer, at any level.

So, anyway, I just noticed that this year's NCAA soccer finals will be held at UC Santa Barbara in November. So, if any of you are interested in college soccer and might be in the area for the finals, look me up.

[Sir Kenneth]

Obviously I am nowhere near the level of nuttiness as you guys are when it comes to soccer. Yet I still like to follow the local teams and root for them. In 2006 the UCSB Gauchos won the NCAA championship and just last week our Santa Barbara High Dons won the state championship. Yeah, these are "kids" but good soccer is good soccer, at any level.

So, anyway, I just noticed that this year's NCAA soccer finals will be held at UC Santa Barbara in November. So, if any of you are interested in college soccer and might be in the area for the finals, look me up.

I've always been interested in how talent development in sports in the States is generally being taken care of by the schools rather than by the clubs as is the norm in most of the rest of the world. I wonder how it affects the best talent not to play in a professional enviroment until they are 22 years old or so instead of being developed in a professional club from a young age.

[nunoni]

Hey nunoni

Are you just after pro teams? On my recent trip to Sydney I went to watch my nephew play a match... All ages & grades of his team play in green & white hoops...

http://pittwaterrsl.goalline.ca/news...d=255301&lang=

thanks for the tip!, I have loads of amateur teams, even several shirts from other sports (mostly rugby, but also basketball and whatnot), I'll write those guys an email, which sometimes works but often does not simply because amateur teams normally don't have shirts to spare

They do come out on ebay sometimes!

Hmm, I even have a couple shirts that are from no team; one is from 2005 St Patrick's Day New York parade, the other is an official Guinness (the beer) merch item that I just received 5 mins ago from ebay - cost me a whopping 7 quid or so.

[BunnyPink]

I wonder how it affects the best talent not to play in a professional enviroment until they are 22 years old or so instead of being developed in a professional club from a young age.

You can see the effect in You Tube by watching Elizabeth Lambert playing against BYU

[nunoni]

Hey nunoni

Are you just after pro teams? On my recent trip to Sydney I went to watch my nephew play a match... All ages & grades of his team play in green & white hoops...

http://pittwaterrsl.goalline.ca/news...d=255301&lang=

I wrote them back then and didn't get an asnwer, which is kind of normal, well, I just got an answer today, from their gear stweard, and I'm getting a shirt! Fantastic. Thanks again for letting me know about them!

[devilmaycare]

Man, you gotta love those Aussies! That's cool.

[RedZero]

Six more weeks......