4117 réponses à ce sujet

[OBakaSama]

Thanks for the update, Kimo. I'll check out some of the details later, but that seems like an odd judgement for a court to make. Still...any soap opera being over is good for the relevant fans.

The news, or rumours, of Ronaldo wanting to come back is probably known over here and possibly some murmurings in Spain. Pinch of salt time I think.

I think I've written enough about Suarez of late; I'm wearing out my keyboard....

That's a big flag....

Rangers and Portsmouth are almost in administration. Blimey.

With Big Mick's sacking I have to wonder who the candidates to take over from him are. The sites seem to be suggesting Steve Bruce, Neil Warnock, Alan Curbishley and Ian Holloway. Be interesting to see who does take over seeing that Wolves' defending is shockingly poor against West Brom the other day.

EDIT: so...with Blanka apparently ready to go back to Man City he starts off by stating that he was treated like a dog by Mancini (translation approval pending on that one). Good way to start off anew.

Modifié par OBakaSama, 13 février 2012 - 09:56 .

[Druss99]

Kimo, the original Suarez hater. If only we had listened when you warned us all.

On Suarez:(Yes I'm borrowing Obaka's format) I was confused yesterday by the apologies in that I don't know who they are aimed at, I thought there might be some clarification today but there hasn't been. So I'm left thinking the apology was to themselves and United only accepted it as some sort of posturing maneuver. It still feels dirty to me.

On Ajax: Bloody hell but atleast it seems to be coming to a conclusion. We have them this week in the Europa League and Sir Alex was either trying to unsettle Ericksen to put him off his game or was attempting some disgusting Iron Gerbil-esque tapping up by saying every top team is watching him but we will get a chance to run the rule over him up close. Not sure what he is at there.

That is a big flag....

I hope to never see Ronaldo back at United, the reason Madrid fans booed him is the reason I hated him. But ofcourse most United fans don't see that "Ronaldo's great come home Cristiano. Carrick is crap and so is Evans herp de derp!" And this is why I can't go to Old Trafford, I'd riot attacking my fellow "fans". Grumble...back in my day...grumble...the whole thing was made from cheese...grumble...

I've spoken to a rather paranoid Celtic fan who thinks Rangers went into administration on purpose to avoid paying debts and rob Celtic of the glory of a proper title win with the 10 point deduction. Apparently thats the belief among Celtic fans. Portsmouth...The Iron Gerbil...no...not today either...

The usual crowd then, there's no creativity. Big Mick left with dignity today on SSN, stopping his car to thank the reporter and taking it rather well, he apparently spoke to every single member of staff to give a personal farewell. The ladies swooned.

I saw the interview on SSN and they had the Organ Grinder on the phone too who ofcourse gave a completely different view on it, claiming this is just Tevez finally explaining what happened because he never did that. The interview he gave right after the match still doesn't seem to exist, I saw it...But it once again looks like he won't apologise. Given everything he said about Mancini in that interview he basically undermined his authority again, he made out like the entire thing was all Mancini's fault, that he made tactical errors and that everyone agreed with Blanka. Not exactly peaceful.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

Well, I'm going to watch a match after months!
Arsenal - AC Milan

[OBakaSama]

Us listening to Kimo wouldn't have done much. If the higher ups in Liverpool had listened on the other hand....

On apologies: it's true that Liverpool collectively or individually never apologised to the other party and only to themselves, though I think the way Man Utd accepted the apologies is done in such a way that it is an acceptance of Liverpool acknowledging that they themselves have committed a wrongful act. The apologies were very much "I am sorry I did something wrong" rather than "I apologise to you for what I have done". I think that's the most we can expect which is still a lot more than last time. Also interesting to read that Standard Chartered had voiced concerns as well. The plot thickens.....

On Rangers: table is tight, but it I get the feeling that the Scottish league is one of those that if you're in front you stay in front. Heck, people can still do the maths afterwards and decide for themselves (assuming they know how to do the calculation...at this point in my life I am not taking that for granted having met some people....). I found the whole 'who cares about Rangers' comments rather intriguing coming from Celtic.

On Ajax: reading this it still doesn't make things clearer. Details are sketchy to say the least. Suffice to say the appeal court sided with Cruyff as Kimo said. No statement about the reasoning behind such a decision though.

On Big Mick: read that he said he left with his head held high, so good for him. Still wonder who is the best choice for them. Curbishley seems to be the forerunner, though given his spell at Charlton I have some doubt; they never played well in the second half of the season during his reign.

On Blanka: to be fair....*urgh*....there was an explanation there. But seriously though, if you can see that your manager is in a foul mood and you don't do as you're asked...you're asking for trouble. Blanka lacks some common sense.

On Henry: that was an interesting spell he had back at Arsenal. Depending how long his career lasts...might not be his last spell according to some reports.

[Druss99]

We could have prepared our souls for the horror of seeing a man not shake another mans hand though...The worst part about this whole Suarez thing is that none of it is the worst thing he has done in England, kicking Dawson while he was on the ground, going kung-fu crazy on Parker and sneaking up behind Rafael to pull his hair are all arguably worse and he got off scot free with them all.

Yeah I saw the Standard Chartered thing yesterday. Given previous behaviour, the nature of the apology, the all not as it seems comment and the pressure they came under(theres an article in the NY Times too) its very hard to take it at face value and seems insincere. I think everyone just wants to move on and hope they shut up about it, something tells we haven't heard the end of this though. There will be more sniping. The FA really shouldn't have let it get this far, something should have been done about the "oh poor us we were wronged but we aren't going to appeal because we know we were caught" attitude weeks ago.

Table won't be tight when Rangers lose 10 points. I'd say you're right about being infront and staying infront though. Looks like the SPL is now a one horse race for the foreseeable future. The death knells are ringing out for Scottish football.

It just seems that the court sided with Cruyff because they think Van Gaal was hired purely to annoy him. Thats what I took from it anyway. Hopefully it will distract them on Thursday.

I'm not sure Wolves will find a better manager to work with what they have but are just hoping that freshening things up to save them from relegation. They certainly won't find a sexier manager.

I took that explanation as "its all Mancini's fault, he doesn't know what he is doing" he slagged off Mancini's tactics on the night in there too. Did you see his explanation of why he went back to Argentina with no warning? Reporters kept following him apparently, so he went back to Argentina and repeatedly popped up on tv. This didn't explain why he didn't inform the club, he just went into a whole thing about them sending him letters every day because he is very important. He reminds me of a girl I went out with once that was bat sh*t mental, she used to try to convince everyone that she had this mythical stalker, turned out she was the stalker all along but was convinced it was everyone else. Also I forgot how much the CPU cheats in Street Fighter 2, I nearly put the pad through the screen the other night.

All the USA loanees have done well so it will probably be a regular thing now.

[OBakaSama]

Yeah, I suppose so. We'd still see him at international tournaments though....well...I can not watch those I suppose; don't usually miss much on those now.

There was definitely pressure from up top no matter what their statements suggest now; and they came down hard. The thing is they were warned by that guy in Europe about their reputation and it didn't seem to click for them. Whoever is responsible for public relations at Liverpool either doesn't know what they are doing, actually thinks what they were doing was good for business, or a complete idiot really doesn't bode well for their business acumen. In that they had no-one to blame but themselves in that respect. Truthfully the owners should have set the stall as soon as Dalglish and the others started sniping; things wouldn't have gone so far and all this could have been prevented. What we do know is that Suarez cannot be relied upon as a person; not sure if he's worse in this aspect or Blanka.

Celtic would have to throw it away now.

That's pretty much the impression I got as well, and it just seems really strange. My mind boggles.

I don't really see anyone doing spectacularly better. And Big Mick was too sexy for his shirt...

I hadn't come across his 'explanation' for going back to Argentina; though that does sound comical. Goodness knows what's in store now he's 'back' in the country.

They have done quite well too. Be interesting to see whether Donovan will make the move to Everton if his contract expires. And all this loaning from the US thing...Beckham started that trend. Come to think of it...who was it that criticised Beckham for going on loan? I have it in my head it was Donovan who made that criticism but I'm not sure...

[Druss99]

True enough, though I suspect the Euro's will be hilarious.

Indeed, I suspect the NY Times article and the sponsors outrage caused the American owners to act and give a few orders. Perhaps they weren't fully aware of what was going on over here, relying on the word of whoever thought their stance was a good idea until the NY Times got involved. Did you see the Mediawatch bit on how NESN(their companies sports network) covered Saturday's match? It was....a unique point of view shared by seemingly just them and Scousers. Maybe thats where they were getting their original info before the sponsors outrage from and were blissfully unaware.

The best part is that despite the 10 point deduction Rangers are still 9 points clear of third. They certainly picked a convenient time to go into administration.

Hoping Pogba gets a start against them tomorrow/tonight. Apparently they are struggling a bit on the pitch this season. Twente are top I think with Schteve back incharge.

Indeed, they might stave off relegation then go through the same thing next year again. So sexy it hurts...

And it begins, Mancini refuting the claims. No word on if Tevez has actually apologised. Mediawatch pointed out he is going around wearing a tshirt of his own face, I'd seen the tshirt but hadn't noticed other than him wearing it at the interview and next day when travelling. Couple that with the hoody with his name on it and questions begin to form...

I think you might be right, I do recall Donovan criticising Beckham before. Mind you if I was a professional I'd be annoyed at him rocking up taking those wages and all the spotlight when he is basically in retirement and just there for the PR and cash. I'd say Everton might get priced out if Donovan comes on the market, he is someone a few more cash happy teams might well look at.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

Dammit, the AC Milan was over-powerful! They can even beat Barcelona. Arsenal and England football has become so weak in recent years...
Arsenal has hardly a good goalkeeper and two defense players. Lack of someone like Nasri or Fabregas in the Midfield made it worse. Poor Van Persie and Henry ...

[OBakaSama]

If the comedy factor is there I think I'll check it out. Actually...if The Iron Gerbil becomes England manager, what do you reckon would be the comedy rating of the performances? Hm....

I missed that article. If it's unique in the sense that some Liverpool fans have been in the past with respect to their previous owners....then...I can imagine that things would be rather skewered. If that's what is being relayed to the owners....no wonder they were so slow to react.

Not much competition there then. Previously the Scottish league was seen as a two horse race, and with Rangers in administration...a one horse race? One and a half?

Be a good opportunity to give the younger players some European experience. Will await news on that. Should be interesting though.

I don't remember many teams that manage to stay in the Premier League after gaining promotion for long. I think the typical example cited is still Allardyce with Bolton. Wigan has managed to hang around a bit though it looks like the end of their stay this season.

Hm...I can only imagine what it would be like if Blanka and Suarez were in the same team. The soap opera that never ends...will also need rich owners as well....

Probably was Donovan then. I think it was also because Beckham was on loan for longer which extended into the MLS season. That would be annoying.

Arsenal got thrashed. Their midfield looked rather anonymous as well which didn't help matters. Only caught the highlights but it looked like Arsenal only had one decent chance (and what a chance it was with that flick-on by Henry to van Persie). Arsenal could be shaky for their next match.

Interesting that Giggs is sort of being pushed to the forefront of consideration for the Man Utd job. Wonder how much credence that one has, and whether the upper echelons would consider him.

[Druss99]

I'm predicting The Iron Gerbil incharge, Gerrard and Lampard in midfield, Rooney suspended and Bent alienated(again). The press hyping up the brave lions marching to victory and it ending in going home early with Capello getting the blame. http://www.football3...leave-Spurs-now Memories of Portsmouth when he was leaving them bankrupt before going to get Southampton relegated, then back to finish the mess he made at Portsmouth before once again claiming he wouldn't leave and was going to retire there, then landed them in more financial trouble and left for Spurs. Every time he said something similar.

It had no mention of the handshake and painted Suarez as some sort of hero and Liverpool as desperately unlucky. Scouse tinted glasses.

It was the ultimate two horse league, even more so than La Liga. It's become even more of a joke now, I don't think SPL teams should even be allowed into the CL proper, its not a real league.

Apparently theres been over 80 arrests ahead of the game in Amsterdam, mostly Ajax fans and one United fan so far.

Sunderland have done well after their last promotion, can't think of many others either. Establishing yourself is difficult, growing from there even harder.

Would they be mortal enemies or team up?

Most things Beckham does are annoying though. It must be a nightmare playing in the same team as him knowing that no matter how good you are he will always get the plaudits.

I didn't see much of the match but I found Henry's grinning after it a bit disgusting. Massive Arsenal fan who grins after a 4-0 loss? Also are Arsenal fans going to call for Wengers head every time they loose until he goes?

Atleast Giggs would be given some time I think to get things right. I wouldn't object to him or Solskjaer. I suppose Mourinho is the only person I would object to really, anyone else I'd be willing to give them a chance.

[Kimosabe]

I saw Arsenal, they didn't stand a chance, Milan dominated the field. After about an hour in the macht (already 3-0 behind) they finally started to try something but way to little, way to late..

Amsterdam has been quite restless with United coming. Yesterday, on two seperate occasions, groups of Ajax 'fans' were stopped trying to cause trouble in the centre and today a lot of people were indeed arrested before the match, most of whom were already banned from the stadion. Security was really tightend to prevent a repeat of the incident with AZ...

I just watched the match and Ajax played good, mostly because ManUnited didn't really have to play their best. It was nice to watch but Ajax never really stood a chance, the difference in quality is just to big.

And indeed, that is a big flag, our biggest in our 100 year of history, unveiled at the start of NAC-Ajax last weekend, it covered almost 2000 people

Modifié par Kimosabe0, 16 février 2012 - 07:57 .

[Druss99]

The dominance of English teams in Europe seems to be coming to an end, with FFP it may be a permanent end unless they sort their academy system out.

Ajax played well, United were awful in the first half and did enough in the second. Nani in particular had a bit of a shocker. I can see why theres a fuss about Eriksen. Channel 5 don't seem to know who Raymond Van Der Gouw is, though I suspect I might be alone in recognising him...

Are Ajax having problems with their pitch? People kept slipping, there was a couple of players seemed to get hurt from it, passes were under or over hit alot and alot of the ball bobbling up on people. Valencia is out for 4 weeks now too, he's been our best player for weeks now damn it. We can't seem to keep a full squad.

I remember back in the days of Klinsmann and the like, players used to say they were coming to England for the atmosphere. The Dutch fans tonight put the PL to shame as far as atmosphere is concerned. From what I've seen Germany and Holland seem to have taken over as the leaders in that regard.

[OBakaSama]

Promotion: good point about Sunderland, forgot about them. Mind you, Stoke certainly appear impressive as well. Though I guess time will tell whether getting into the Europa League is a hindrance for them or propels them further ahead as a club.

Blanka and Suarez: I have it in my mind that they are like supervillains who have been tricked by the superheroes into a misunderstanding and are at odds with each other; then they realised they've been tricked and come together to fight against the forces of truth, justice and the....oh...wait....

Henry: maybe it was one of those 'I can't believe that happened' type disbelieving grins....

It's interesting to see where the power shift goes in the European competition now, especially the Champions League. FFP will play some role presumably, not that Man City seem to be particularly bothered about it though I guess we'll get a better idea in the summer.

The name 'Raymond Van Der Gouw' does sound familiar. Why do I get the inkling he was associated with Man Utd at some point? Maybe it was when I was playing Championship Manager back in the day or something.....

[MordinKrios]

. I can see why theres a fuss about Eriksen. 


.[/quote]

He looked really good when the Danes layed against England. Can't seem him moving to the EPL though, more likely to moneybags PSG or Spain. Unlikely anyone going to pay top bucks for him.

[Druss99]

For some reason I thought Wolves only came up last year but apparently they have been up for 4 years.

Thats got the potential to be the ugliest comic ever....

Did anyone else witness The Iron Gerbils post match interview on the pitch on Sunday? I nearly threw up in my mouth, it was practically an orgy.

I think it will be a few years before we see how FFP works out really. In the short term it won't have much effect other than maybe curtailing spending which won't affect the teams already at the top too much.

Raymond Van Der Gouw is a former United keeper, he was Schmeichel's number 2 and I think was there for a few years after he left. He was also a Dutch international I think.

Barca have started already saying they won't pay big money for Bale and RVP but its ok because players want to play for them. I can't take another summer of them, thank god for the Euro's.

I can see Chelsea or City splashing out for Eriksen probably but I agree he will most likely end up in Spain, PSG or maybe Bayern.

[MordinKrios]

On the Euro's, who do you think will win? Spain again? I fancy Russia and France to have decent runs. Dzagoev to have a great tourney and move to liverpool. France's striker force of Remy, Benzema, Gamerio, Menez to start firing?

Oh, and a player I have been loving recently and for me one deserves I move to a bigger EPL team is Sessengnon. class act. Head and shoulders above the other Sunderland players. If spurs, Liverpool even United with their Midfield had a bit of sense - snap him up. Top player.

On Bale and RVP to other clubs I can see a long drawn out saga about RVP ala Nasri or Fabregas but don't reckon Bale will go. Not if Barca have Sanchez, Pedro, Messi, Villa, Afelay and top youth in Tello, Carmona and Dos santos. But I may be wrong.

[Druss99]

I'm feeling Germany or Holland for reasons I can't quite define. Germany looked good at the World Cup with a young side that will have matured more and they have Klose if he hasn't retired from international football.

Sessengon has looked excellent, I heard Liverpool linked with him in January and him saying he will decide on his future at the end of the season. He looks like a Spurs or Arsenal transfer to me. I'm not 100% sure what his best position is, alot like Dempsey. I suspect it might be attacking midfield.

Barca have been talking about the pair of them for a few months now just a few words here and there. I suspect todays comments are the start of the full on offensive. Maybe they are eyeing Bale for left wingback.

[MordinKrios]

Oh, not the bloody germans haha! They have a tough group mind. Mueller hasn't been firing this season I think? But Ozil is just class. Mats Hummels is a player who I have kept an eye on since my early FM days. Top centre back. Gotze may be the breakout ozil was the world cup. Who knows. Good shout though.

On Sessengnon, I think you are right, an advanced midfield role looks ideal. He is given quite free roam at Sunderland but he has the technical ability to do it. Quick feet, great pace, good brain. And even though he is African, he will never have to leave as Benin are the Conference of the African teams .

Bale at the left wingback! Would be such a waste I think. Its true it is their weakest position, but that isn't his position for me. His role vs Inter Milan last season was the best for me.

Oh and on transfers did you hear West Ham bid for Torres. Outrageous! Who next? Loan bid for Andy Carroll?

Oh and who do you all support by the way? I'm a loyal bantam! Bottom of League 2 till i die! (I hope not)

[OBakaSama]

Wolves have been up that long? Hm....escaped my attention.

I have my doubts about Spain given the schedule of their main players at Barcelona and their age now.I think they will probably be thereabouts. Not sure about the other teams meself though I don't feel France to be a potent force for some reason. Personally I'd like to see a team pull a Greece as it were; that would be fun.

Transfer shenanigans already? Hm....well....guess that's the way Barcelona conducts business now-a-days. You think they actually pay clubs peanuts?

Just read that Blanka has apologized. Wonder what happens next. Maybe him, or probably his advisers, finally realized they couldn't get their way by having him throw a strop like he usually does.

Anyway...after the FA Cup last weekend at least we'll be back to the league this week (not sure if I was surprised that Norwich even made it to this round, or unsurprised that we went out). Welcoming Man Utd to Carrow Road on Sunday I believe. Hm.......

EDIT (because I type so blooming slowly): I support Norwich (well....armchair support). Hovering around the bottom or bottom bottom, Mordin? The latter would imply relegation.... Did read about West Ham's transfer bids. Surprised they didn't try to get Messi on loan.

Modifié par OBakaSama, 21 février 2012 - 11:21 .

[Druss99]

I'm still mentally conditioned to think of Spain as big tournament bottlers. I haven't been following much form during the qualifiers I usually leave that until just before the tournament starts.

Bale started out as a leftback, I'd rather have him on the left wing. Barca keep making noises about him, so they probably either want him as part of their front three, where they have alot of options already or to perform the Dani Alves role on the left. It's only a matter of time before they try actual peanuts, then its on to demanding the other team give them the player and cash for the peanuts. Very special peanuts they are because Barca are more than a football club ofcourse.

I'd like to see Mancini hold out for a personal apology, then put a collar, leash and muzzle on Blanka before taking him for a walk. Its only a matter of time before he is up to something else and causing disharmony. I wouldn't take the chance when challenging for the league.

I somehow lost interest in the FA Cup...not sure why...also I'm a Man United fan...still not sure why I lost interest in the FA Cup...

I missed that about West Ham, when did all these bids take place?

[OBakaSama]

Hm...that's a big bottle....

I can think of another player who might actually need a muzzle....*cough* Still seems that Blanka has his supporters in the squad, or at least willing to forgive him. Am now waiting, possibly with baited breath, for when Mancini does pick him to play again.

I tend to lose interest if the coverage isn't on the BBC myself. For some reason I just generally find ITV's coverage to be...lacking in something.

The news of those bids West Ham apparently put in were revealed over the last couple of days or so. I guess it was for the recent transfer window. Oddly those articles seem to be missing....

[OBakaSama]

Is anyone getting the feeling that no-one really wants to take the vacancy at Wolves? Alan Curbishley has said 'no' twice (first due to a difference in vision for the club, and second when Wolves went back to him), and now Walter Smith has rejected the opportunity as well. Is it because of this being a temporary appointment until the end of the season?

Having read this I get the feeling that they, Porto, don't get the Hulk reference....

[MordinKrios]

If Wolves had ANY sense they would sign Lee Clark. Fantastic young manager. If I were a betting man, I would bet they will approach him.

I also prefer BBC coverage, ITV is just lacking in something, and they always do odd throwback videos.

And Bradford, we are just above the drop but I am confident of staying up.

[OBakaSama]

It just feels like that Wolves are approaching anyone and everyone which seems to be a really shoddy way to do things. (What happened to Steve Bruce in all of this?). Just thinking (uh-oh)...when Bryan Gunn was the manager of Norwich and we got hammered and it looked like we were heading down again Norwich went to the manager whose team hammered us in the league. On that note I would like to suggest Roy Hodgson for the Wolves vacancy.

I have to admit I haven't really followed the FA Cup since terrestrial coverage moved to ITV.

Keep the faith.

[Druss99]

I still don't think Wolves can get a better manager than McCarthy with their budget and ambitions. Any appointment would most likely have been just to give the team a shot in the arm to help them avoid relegation. Its become kind of an hilarious mess, the odds on them re-hiring Big Mick? Anyone who takes it is heavily risking having a relegation on their CV.

ITV coverage is kind of souless, their commentators tend to be kind of annoying too, though not quite to Motson standards. The biggest problems I have with ITV are the highly annoying promo things they do before and after ad breaks and the habit of showing people in the stands when the ball is in play.

Maybe Hulk being incredible is really important in the culture of Portugal. I hope they go through with it for comedy value.

Pearce's first England team is out, I think they should give him the job immediately for dropping Lampard(assuming he isn't injured).