Messages

91

Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!

« on: May 09, 2012, 09:35:49 AM »

The reason why they didn't put their best foot (or players) forward was because of the role that fatigue plays particularly at this time of the season - (e.g. prioritize your objectives and rest men for bigger games as is necessary)... just because the guys who were on the field were not tired themselves, doesn't mean that the TEAM didnt lose because of fatigue...Fatigue as you say likely played a big part in the coach's selection decisions.

I was making a general point that your post reminded me of, which is why I quoted it.  I wasn't taking issue with what you said.  The "people" that I'm talking about are the fools on various football pundit shows (e.g. ESPN press pass etc...), whose sentiments are often echoed in these very threads. 

92

Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!

« on: May 09, 2012, 08:39:59 AM »

You're absolutely right, and Everybody (including the commentators yesterday) needed to recognize that and get over it.  Trying to go hard for 4th place at this stage (yesterday) is more a waste than anything.

Easy to say that when yuh arse get wash. 

When Barca and Real run eachother into the ground 2-3 days after their CL first legs and before and their CL return legs, EPL pundits buss up dey mouth and bawl how teams in Spain cyar handle back to back tough games because dey league too soft...Now it doh make sense for Chelsea to go all out 10-11 days before a final - better to save their legs and focus on one match....

Who gives a shit about what EPL pundits say?  If Barca and RM still playing against each other before and/or after CL first and second legs, it means more than likely they are still competing for the La Liga title.  Chelsea suffering from fatigue (as was evident on Saturday) and have injury woes and (as far as I am concerned) their only hope for a CL spot next year is to try and win the spot outright on May 19th.  There was more to risk (injury) yesterday than there was to gain so what sense would it have made?  How sure are you that Jose or Pep (or ANY other coach, in any other league) wouldn't have done the same or similar in the same situation?

*wasn't it evident enough to you that neither the Chelsea coaching staff nor the players really cared about yesterday's game?* 

Easy jed....Not saying anything about Jose or Pep and I'm not saying that Chelsea cared or didn't care.  I'm actually agreeing with you on the fatigue factor - just pointing out a double standard, and how people only appreciate the fatigue factor when it in dey own backyard (and when yuh get yuh arse cut too!!!)

Otherwise it's a bunch of huffing and puffing...

93

Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!

« on: May 09, 2012, 08:17:47 AM »

You're absolutely right, and Everybody (including the commentators yesterday) needed to recognize that and get over it.  Trying to go hard for 4th place at this stage (yesterday) is more a waste than anything.

Easy to say that when yuh arse get wash. 

When Barca and Real run eachother into the ground 2-3 days after their CL first legs and before and their CL return legs, EPL pundits buss up dey mouth and bawl how teams in Spain cyar handle back to back tough games because dey league too soft...Now it doh make sense for Chelsea to go all out 10-11 days before a final - better to save their legs and focus on one match....

94

Football / Re: Lionel Messi Thread.

« on: May 09, 2012, 07:30:51 AM »

Besides Ronaldo, very few players play their best in a World Cup in the modern game.

And even that was when he was past his best.  Post-surgery Ronaldo was not the same player.

95

Football / Re: Lionel Messi Thread.

« on: May 08, 2012, 10:43:18 AM »

Not to hijack the thread. The funny thing about Zizou is that during WC 1998 he was being highly criticized (by media, especially French media) for his poor performances in the games.  So much so he crack and get a Red vs Saudi Arabia. Came back for the Italy game and still was not at his best against both Italy and Croatia (decent 1st half, but not majestic). Then came the final and the rest is history. History will remember Zidane at the WC for the final, but the truth of the matter is he did not dominate that WC and show his true talent.

I've made this point to many people and they tell me I talkin' mess.

Zidane only played well in WC 2006 (particularly the knockout phase), until he butt down Materazzi.

96

Football / Re: The Stretford End- Home of the Champions

« on: May 07, 2012, 12:19:03 PM »

I think the commentator this weekend said that the last time City won the title they beat Newcastle on the last day, and Man U lost to Sunderland...Not an exact repeat but pretty darn close for the superstitious ones out there. 

Study if Man U had to beat QPR at home to seal the deal, there'd be no question about it - goes to show how far a reputation goes. 

97

General Discussion / Re: Trini horse in the Kentucky Derby Saturday

« on: May 04, 2012, 07:29:08 AM »

trini owned or trained..Apparently it is a sprinter..Horse not used to the distance, dunno why he throwing the poor horse in this race..Expected to be in the front early and then fade

First time for anything.  Hopefully it's been well prep'ed and the jockey can pace him through it. 

98

Football / Re: 2012 Manchester Derby (Manchester City v Manchester United).

« on: May 03, 2012, 02:33:04 PM »

As much as i like city and wants them to win the title, i believe that they will blow it! as much as i hate the way that united gets special favors by the refs and sir alex always crying like ah damn baby, i believe they will clinch the title, bc city is not really a cohesive unit like united and still prone to making simple mistakes.

give credit to agguero, tourre and tevez though, them men is trouble, but i can't help but think city will choke coming down the stretch.

They've performed better down the stretch than Man U so far.  If anyone has choked it's Man U. Man U blew the 8 point lead in 3 games. 

Anything can happen...but I think so far the choker title is being awarded to the reds...

99

Football / Re: La Liga Season 2011-2012

« on: May 03, 2012, 07:20:06 AM »

Congratulations to Real Madrid, good season overall  Many people are very critical of Benzema and Higuain, yet both players have a phenomenal strike rate (games played, goals scored). Real have 3 players in the top five in scoring in La Liga, amazing and one of the major contributions to them winning the league.   

Imagine Higuain wasn't even a regular starter this season too...

100

Football / Re: La Liga Season 2011-2012

« on: May 03, 2012, 07:19:25 AM »

Barataria, the word for today is congratulations... Say it. 

No, no, no - the number for the day is 32 - League Championships.

 

101

Football / Re: Who is better? Messi versus Ronaldo...The stats!

« on: May 02, 2012, 04:11:57 PM »

Who have more girls?

102

Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!

« on: May 02, 2012, 04:10:46 PM »

Between Ba and Cisse no team in the world have a chance with them two up front

Let's not get carried away.

103

Football / Re: La Liga Season 2011-2012

« on: May 02, 2012, 04:09:56 PM »

Barataria, the word for today is congratulations... Say it. 

104

Football / Re: 2012 Manchester Derby (Manchester City v Manchester United).

« on: May 01, 2012, 12:24:59 PM »

Smalling shoulda stayed tighter - he got cocky and tried to get the ball in front of his marker (and missed) instead of just staying tight and goal side and putting him off by pressure.  De Gea might have come for it also but I think he was crowded out and the ball was whipped in at a pace that woulda made it tough...

If it wasn't that goal, there woulda been others.  Only one side was winning that match yesterday. 

105

Football / Re: 2012 Manchester Derby (Manchester City v Manchester United).

« on: May 01, 2012, 07:38:57 AM »

I thought in the second half that Mancini made a mistake to take off Tevez and bring on De Jong like a typical Italian manager with that fragile 1-0 lead but Man United never took the initiative. By the time Valencia and Young came on they did not have enough time to get into the flow of the game to make an impact, and then strangely enough the Man Utd players heads started to drop late in the game when usually they does come at teams hard.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing - Tevez came off early for real - but you could see he not 100% match fit.  I tell a partner - Silva and Tevez coming off in the 2nd half if City still sitting on a nervous lead (Mancini ALWAYS takes Silva off in the last 10 -15 mins when sitting on a lead in a tight match) - and ah say the earlier they come off, the better for Utd because City will drop deep and United will sneak in something scrappy - was right about the subs, wrong about the United response. 

Yaya boy!!! waaaay!!! Man was dusting off challengers like flies yes lol.  He, Silva and Kompany carry the side for most of the season. Silva drop off a bit and Yaya like he tell Silva "doh study it, yuh have Euros this Summer relax yuh self - just gimme de ball and I go handle it..."

106

Football / Re: 2012 Manchester Derby (Manchester City v Manchester United).

« on: April 30, 2012, 03:19:10 PM »

City horsed Man U around the field all day except for the first 10 mins - wasn't even a balanced game.  If not for some careless ball handling in the final 1/3rd the game coulda easily been about 3-0...  I think Fergie was caught in two minds between going for the win, and playing for a point - His line up wasn't really definitive either way, and Man U just looked lost for the most part of it... Did Hart even have a save to make?

Kompany is a beast....Yaya and Aguero were ridiculous too. 

107

Football / Re: The Stretford End- Home of the Champions

« on: April 30, 2012, 07:40:30 AM »

JDB -  Sneijder is overrated.  Guy has kicking technique to burn, but his game not that varied...pivot and big diagonal ball over the top - that's his game.  Guy had his 15 mins where things were real clickin' for him (Mourinho last season at Inter, and into the World Cup Summer) and I will not lie, I didn't want Madrid to let him go but the fella overrated... He knows how to pop up in the right places as an impact player, but he not a steady creative threat....watch him close.... he's bleh.

Baines is a next one - good going forward - shaky coming back.  If allyuh want a Dani Alves kinda wing back (who is a really a deep lying winger) then fine...I eh know if United set up to play like that though...

108

Football / Re: John Terry Thread.

« on: April 27, 2012, 08:35:53 AM »

Caveman lol...total caveman.

I love how he had to backtrack on what happened with Sanchez - His first explanation was so ridiculous, I'm surprised he wasn't spoofed more for it.  Blatant liar lol

109

Football / Re: Champions League Thread, 2011/2012

« on: April 26, 2012, 07:34:45 AM »

Another great game of football...

Breathtaking end to end stuff in the first half then the second half took on a more chess-like complexion..

I felt Bayern's goal put Real Madrid in an awkward position in the second half because they could have gone for the winner but then that would have left them exposed at the back and a Bayern goal would have meant that Real would have had to score 2 to win.

It seemed to me at some point in the second half that Real purposely withdrew from pressing and just tried to hit Bayern on the break. Like they were more concerned with conceding than scoring and they ceded the initiative to Bayern. I understand why, but I would have liked to see them go for the killer goal. Especially since as the match progressed, tiredness would become a factor just coming off a gruelling Clasico.

Bayern wing play is something else though, i does still be amazed at the consummate ease with which Robben could get around his marker (although i have to say Marcelo did an excellent job on him using his pace to compensate). Ribery is a next terror on the left, them fellas not giving yuh ah moments rest once the ball spread wide.

Beating Bayern on their home ground will be a real difficult prospect but personnel-wise i think Bayern is a better matchup for Chelsea.

Can't wait.

For all Mourinho's "genius", sometimes he's a f*cking coward.  His cowardice messed up a routine draw at the Allianz by making awful subs, backing off and inviting pressure and eventually conceding.  Last night he was outcoached.  Jupp realized that we have no real creative ball handling midfielder, so he pressed the midfield high and with numbers.  Gustavo dominated us, and his persistent niggling fouls were perfectly executed everytime we shook clear with a lil room.  After we scored our holding middle dropped too deep as well - another signature element of Mourinho's cowardice.  All in all Bayern was better than us, and deserved to win the tie.  If we played a purer game we woulda come out of the Allianz with at least a draw and last night's win woulda been enough.  Hats off to Bayern though - they figured us out and prepared better for the match.  Their midfield in particular was almost flawless yesterday especially on the defensive end.

110

Football / Re: Champions League Thread, 2011/2012

« on: April 25, 2012, 08:05:07 PM »

Damn great game but disappointing - had everything... Ramos even decided to play a different sport by kicking a field goal in the end...couldn't ask for more. Still think that Mourinho messed it up in the first leg - shoulda come out of that match with a draw instead of sitting back on the away goal, inviting pressure and eventually conceding...The win today shoulda been enough to take us through...At the end of it all, the better side in the match up won...so it goes. 

111

Football / Re: Barcelona petition FIFA to declare possession more important than goals

« on: April 25, 2012, 12:40:15 PM »

Talk about sour loosers....

It's a joke

112

Football / Re: Chelsea, Madrid and Inter have shown T&T how to play vs Central America

« on: April 25, 2012, 12:37:43 PM »

Do not forget United are the team to show the blueprint ..Semi in 07/08 , Barca did not score over 2 legs

Alot of that was down to Quieroz and it is no surprise that after he left that season we were well beaten over the next 2 times we met them and I could understand why Fergie went a bit for it (especially in 2011) as it was a final and sometimes you gotta give it a go in a final but he is terrible at tactics and Phelan our assistant is 10 times worse...

But since Quieroz's blueprint Chelsea, Inter and Madrid have tweaked and customized for their personell to use it against them

and to the point of the post..agreed but sometimes it not so easy..it requires 100% concentration...a thing alot of trini players do not have..this is instilled from ages 5-18 before they turn pro..keeping the lights on under intensity and massive pressure for 95+ minutes when the ball is on and off the field

It aint' so easy folks

You also need some luck.  The difference between Chelsea drawing(winning) last night, and losing by a lot was one goal.  There was a brief moment after 2-0 when it looked like it could get really bad for Chelsea....They had to open up and Barca had two plays that cut through them like a hot knife through butter....  If Ramires didn't score and allow them to go back into the defensive shell, or if Barca netted one more time, the whole bunker down experiment woulda looked like a colossal failure.  That Ramires goal was so so pivotal it's not funny....  Sometimes it's a game of inches. 

113

Football / Re: 2012 Champions League Thread (Chelsea v Barcelona).

« on: April 25, 2012, 11:10:24 AM »

Yeah they lil reactionary at the moment - that always happens in the heat of the moment.

There is so much pressure on them to win all the time because of the standard they set for themselves particularly with the style of football that they play - it real unique... Fact is though, yuh can't win all the time, and when yuh watch how dem two legs play off, Chelsea was just destined to win... 2-0 down and short a man, in Camp Nou and they still managed to pull it off?!?!... Barca hadda forget overthinking and analysis and say that's just how the cards does get deal sometimes. 

114

Football / Re: Question about Champion League.

« on: April 25, 2012, 10:56:30 AM »

So we all know how Newcaslte NOT backin' in the final. 

115

Football / Re: 2012 Champions League Thread (Chelsea v Barcelona).

« on: April 25, 2012, 10:51:14 AM »

When you miss a penalty, hit the post, and fall asleep defensively (on Ramires' goal), yuh can't blame the lack of a plan B.  Even with Chelsea locked up tight, Barca had enough chances to still come out of that game on top...especially in the first leg of the tie.  In this match there was nothing wrong with a lack of a plan B so to speak.  Lack of a plan B didn't cause Busquets to hoof the ball over the bar on a routine volley inside the box, lack of a plan B didn't cause Cech to pull off some really big saves....When a side lock up that tight yuh could have 100 plans, it go be real hard... I would say that the difference between this Barca and a Barca that might have been able to unlock Chelsea more effectively was individual dribbling.  Sometimes the passing just doesn't do the job but usually Messi and Iniesta can ghost by players and cause defenses to lose their shape, even when a side park the proverbial bus...but that wasn't working out - Iniesta seems to be a lil off his game, and Messi was always double covered and had no where to go...

Even the offside goal last night, by the letter of the law, Alves was offside, but it was very marginal...7 out of 10 times (esp if the linesman was on the other side of the field) that's a goal. 

There's alot of "fortune" in football that tactics and analysis have no answer to. 

116

Football / Re: Barcelona petition FIFA to declare possession more important than goals

« on: April 25, 2012, 10:34:05 AM »

And it is time we correct that wrong. Because Cesc is suffering."

This is the best part for me.

117

Football / Re: 2012 Champions League Thread (Chelsea v Barcelona).

« on: April 25, 2012, 07:23:24 AM »

Real smelling de Trophy now but dem Germans eh going down so easy. Dey going an play dull football too so dat dey could play at home in de Final. Dis game go be good too.

Good too?  This game will be better than the Barca game! (in pure footballing terms).... Bayern will not play dull I doh think - it not in their DNA - too many ballers in that side and their manager is a football purist - not a Mourinho/Di Matteo type... They might be a little more conservative as they have a lead and they on the road, but I expect them to still come out and play football and of course Madrid will too because we need to win.  The first leg was a great match and this one might be even better.  Can't wait. 

118

Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!

« on: April 24, 2012, 07:25:10 PM »

Way to scrap it out Chelsea. At 2-0 the money started to swing the other way....

On to the big clash tomorrow.

119

Football / Re: Condolences Thread

« on: April 24, 2012, 11:30:49 AM »

condolences TT - Very sorry to hear this. 

120

Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!

« on: April 24, 2012, 11:18:02 AM »

haha Ryan dem photo posts win! lol.