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31

Football / Champions League: Olympique Lyonnais vs Barcelona

« on: February 24, 2009, 06:07:05 AM »

Barcelona maybe favourites to win the Champions League, but the weekend's defeat by Espanyol has raised many questions as they prepare to visit Olympique Lyonnais.
Feb 23, 2009 1:11:45 PM
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Kick Off: 20:45 CET - Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - Stade Gerland, Lyon

Barcelona have a chance to put their first league defeat since the opening day of the season behind them when they travel to Stade Gerland on Tuesday evening to take on Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League.

The Blaugrana were surprisingly beaten in the local derby against Espanyol on Saturday, and have had to suffer the sound-bytes and celebrations coming from Madrid and the criticism closer to home.

Pep Guardiola and his players will welcome the opportunity to return to winning ways with an impressive display in France that would prove that the Blanc i Blau reverse was just a blip.

On the flip-side, anything other than a god display will see those hoping to for a Barcelona slip-up shout even louder that the bubble may have burst at Camp Nou as the pressure increases.

If this game had been played a week ago, then all the statistics and records would have meant that very few would have predicted anything other than Lyon having to sit back and try and do what they could to stop their visitors.

Barça have netted over 100 goals in all competitions this term and had only been beaten on the first day of the league season by Numancia before last weekend, and against Shakhtar Donetsk in the last Champions League group game, by which time they had already qualified.

32

Football / POsitives from our match against El salvador

« on: February 12, 2009, 03:28:33 PM »

 mods bear with mi. yes is another thread dealing with the game against Elsalvador. looking at the game that we should have won, drawing it feels to us like we lost it and many ppl very angry and diappointed about that.  there was some positives from the match. atleast i hope in your eyes you atleast saw something positive. so i will really like if it can have atleast 1 thread where we look at the positives of the game

33

Football / goal of the season candiate

« on: January 31, 2009, 02:40:58 PM »

http://www.tvgolo.com/football.php?subaction=showfull&id=1233430894&archive=&start_from=&ucat=42&


Napoli 2-2 Udinese
fabio's equaliser. ( the last goal of the game)that takes some skill

34

Football / Didier Drogba's Chelsea future is in serious doubt

« on: January 22, 2009, 04:46:54 AM »

CHELSEA NEWS
Out-of-favour Drogba flutters eyelids at OM

By Soccernet staff

January 21, 2009

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Out-of-favour Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has spoken of his "love" for former club Olympique Marseille but insists he is not trying to engineer an exit from Stamford Bridge.

GettyImages

Didier Drogba's Chelsea future is in serious doubt

The Ivory Coast striker moved to Stamford Bridge in 2004 for £23.8 million after spending just one season in Marseille where he was named France's player of the year.

Drogba has been hampered by injury this season and in his absence Nicolas Anelka has flourished: Drogba has scored just three goals in all competitions compared to Anelka's 17.

Drogba was also singled out for criticism following Chelsea's recent 3-0 capitulation at Manchester United and the 30-year-old has been left out of manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's last two squads, all of which has added to the speculation surrounding the Ivorian's future at the club.

Now Drogba has refused to rule out a return to the French side at some point in the future.

He told French newspaper La Provence: ''It clearly isn't the moment for me to talk about an eventual return to OM. I have a lot of respect for Chelsea and while I am with them, I can't say anything.

''The most important thing is knowing my attachment to Marseille is still intact. I have always said it. If something must come about, and I don't know under what conditions, OM are going to have to get in contact with Chelsea.

''But be careful, I am not opening the door to an eventual transfer, I am simply explaining the situation.''

The former Guingamp player revealed the depth of his feeling for Marseille, adding: ''It's hard to find the words to express the relationship which exists between the supporters, the Marseillais and myself. I still love this club - that will never change whatever happens. I still feel at home here.

''It (the Marseille adventure) is unfinished. The difficulty is knowing if one or another we can finish (this story), and finally write the last few chapters, which will maybe be the most beautiful. Nothing is impossible. I am very well placed to know that.''

Drogba also outlined his frustration with the injury which has disrupted his season but insisted he has fully recovered, saying: ''I have not played for two matches and I can't wait to return to my level and be consistent.

''Since May, I have stopped playing for four to six months. It is difficult but thank God I feel in great shape at the moment. I know what I am capable of. The real satisfaction is that (the knee) is completely fine.''

35

Football / phoenix beat joe public

« on: December 08, 2008, 07:19:38 PM »

didnt even know this game was played in tobago. 2 - 2 after normal time .phoenix 4-3 on pk

36

Football / Manchester derby

« on: November 30, 2008, 07:26:05 AM »

Robinho Aware Of Derby Significance
2008-11-28 16:09:00
buy adidas cleats

Manchester City star Robinho says he is ready to face Manchester United in the hotly contested Manchester derby.

The Premier League's record signing says he is aware of the significance, which will be the 150th meeting between the two sides.

Robinho said: "This is a game which rivals any derby in world football.

"Madrid v Barca is a huge rivalry and playing those games is extremely intense because you know just what it means to the fans. The pride of the club is at stake every time you play against Barcelona.

"Here, though, the derby match has another dimension because the two teams are here in the same city. And that means families and neighbours can be supporting opposing sides on the same day. I already know what this means to our fans.

"Everybody tells me everywhere I go. In the supermarket, in the street they stop me and say 'Robinho, you must beat United. This is our game. This is our day'. I understand them and I love the passion."


small  mag when last man u won this fixture?

37

Football / Sevilla vs Barcelona

« on: November 29, 2008, 03:26:50 PM »

Andrés Palop believes that FC Barcelona are the favourites to win the league this season. The Sevilla goalkeeper also said that playing against his former team-mates, Dani Alves and Seydou Keita will be strange.

sevilla-fcb33.jpgSpeaking to Sevilla’s official television channel, Palop stated that he sees the Blaugrana as the team most likely to win the championships because their level of play is above everyone else’s. “I believe that Barça will win the league because of the great football that they have been playing,” he explained. “Real Madrid will probably finish in second place, while we will be third and Valencia will be fourth.”

Alves and Keita

Looking ahead to the visit of Pep Guardiola’s team to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Saturday, Palop admitted that facing Alves and Keita for the first time since they left Sevilla will be an odd experience. “I am looking forward to facing them,” he said. “I always like taking on the best players in the world, even though it will be a bit strange to see them in a shirt that is not Sevilla’s. I hope that they do not have a good day on Saturday, but I wish them all the best from Sunday onwards.”

Xavi is the best

QM3D9761.jpgPalop was keen to highlight the quality of Barça’s star and picked out Xavi Hernández as one player to watch. “He is the alma mater of the team,” the keeper stated. “He is the complete player as he dominates games from the midfield. Of the great players that Barça have I think he is the best, without doubt.”


barca one up after 22 mins

where toppa and crew?

38

Football / La Liga Time Again

« on: August 27, 2008, 06:51:52 AM »

Well last year i was giddy with excitement and expectation at the inclusion of henry into an already potent side. We all know the result of that; yes, another areal madrid title. This year I am much more concervative .
 The best league in the world starts this weekend.Are you ready?




MADRID, Aug 26 (Reuters) - After a clear-out of several high-profile players, the appointment of a new coach and a series of astute signings Barcelona should have a good chance of stopping Real Madrid from winning a hat-trick of league titles.
Click here

Real took full advantage of Barca's woes to wrap up an easy victory in the last title race, but a second season without a trophy prompted a minor revolution at Barcelona.

Mild mannered Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard was jettisoned in favour of former Nou Camp favourite Pep Guardiola.

The ex-midfielder has limited coaching experience but possesses the sort of inside knowledge that should enable him to handle the fraught atmosphere that so often prevails at the Catalan club.

Out have gone the under-performing Ronaldinho and the unwanted Deco, together with the fading defensive talents of Edmilson, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta.

In have come the dynamic Daniel Alves and the assured Martin Caceres to bolster a shaky-looking back four, while Seydou Keita and Aleksandr Hleb have been brought in from Sevilla and Arsenal to add some much needed bite to the midfield.

Although he was initially seen as surplus to requirements by Guardiola, the explosive Samuel Eto'o earned a reprieve with a succession of impressive pre-season performances.

If he avoids a repetition of the injuries that have hampered his progress in the past two seasons, the Cameroon striker could prove to be one of Guardiola's most important players.

Even though they failed to hit it off last season, Eto'o, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry remain three of the most feared forwards in world football.

While Barca have concentrated on rebuilding both their squad and team morale, Real appear to have been distracted by their fruitless summer romance with Cristiano Ronaldo.

With the Portuguese winger deciding to stay at Manchester United, Real missed out on their man and also managed to put Robinho's nose out of joint following reports that they were prepared to use the Brazilian to raise funds for the deal.

As a result Robinho is angling for a move to Chelsea and the champions have reinforced their squad with just one recruit, Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart from SV Hamburg.

Real have a wealth of resources in midfield, with Spain international Ruben de la Red back after a successful loan spell at Getafe and Arjen Robben back fit following a series of injury problems last season.

Unless they make a late swoop for a new striker, however, they look short-staffed up front and dangerously over-reliant on Ruud van Nistelrooy and Raul for goals.

Villarreal, who pipped Barca to the runners-up spot last season, have made their usual raft of astute signings and are likely to challenge for the Champions League berths once again, but they will have to do without injured Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci for the early part of the campaign.

Sevilla have been in scintillating form in pre-season despite losing the influential Alves and Keita to Barcelona and Christian Poulsen to Juventus.

Last season the Andalucians' ambitions were dealt a hammer blow by the tragic death of Antonio Puerta and the departure of coach Juande Ramos, but with morale restored they should be battling for the top places in the table.

After a traumatic period on and off the pitch, Valencia will be hoping normal service can be resumed under new coach Unai Emery.

The club have managed to hang on to Spain midfielder David Silva, but they will need to do the same with prolific striker David Villa if they are to challenge for the top places.

Of the rest, Atletico Madrid will be looking to consolidate their position among the elite after a fourth-place finish last season.

39

Football / Unrepentant Rooney refuses to change style

« on: August 24, 2008, 05:39:44 AM »

Unrepentant Rooney refuses to change style

Updated: August 23, 2008, 9:59 PM UK

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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has no intention of changing his game for anyone.

Both Sir Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello have spoken out in recent days, claiming Rooney spends too much time doing jobs that are not strictly connected with his role as United's sharp-shooter.

During virtually every game, Rooney can be spotted chasing back to his own penalty area, making a lung-busting tackle to try and retrieve possession.

While Ferguson is content the deficiency is nothing major, he does feel Rooney's energy could be better utilised elsewhere.

Capello is of the same opinion and feels the 22-year-old should concentrate on terrorising opposition defences, but Rooney is content with the way he plays and does not believe any adaptation is required.

'I don't think I will ever lose my determination,' he said.

'It is something I have always had. If we are not winning I get frustrated. 'I don't like losing. If you are telling me that is wrong I won't believe you.'

Rooney clearly feels his all-action style is based upon a natural competitive streak that comes to the surface when situations are starting to turn sour.

However, it appears that does not extend to a burning desire to score at every opportunity.

Although it often appeared Cristiano Ronaldo thought of himself first and others later as he amassed his incredible 42-goal tally last season, Rooney was happy to include assists in his contribution to a United season that ended in glory at home and abroad.

'I am a team player,' he said.

'Everyone is saying I should score more goals. But we won the league and Champions League last season - if that happens again I would be delighted. 'I certainly don't have any banter with Cristiano about who scores the most goals.

'Maybe he has a chat with the manager about it but I don't.'

Rooney has kept his counsel on the furore that surrounded Ronaldo this summer.

After his well-publicised dismissal against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup, the Merseysider has patched up his relationship with the winger.

And he insists he would be delighted if, as expected, Ronaldo is eventually crowned world player of the year.

'Last season was unbelievable for Cristiano,' Rooney said.

'More than likely he will be named world player of the year and everyone at the club will be delighted for him. Hopefully he can score the same number of goals again.'

Not that Ronaldo will be available for Monday's trip to Portsmouth, or for at least another month afterwards as he continues to battle back from ankle surgery.

It means Rooney and Carlos Tevez will shoulder the attacking responsibility for United during the early weeks of the season, with untested youngsters Fraizer Campbell and Danny Welbeck providing the back-up if Ferguson fails in his attempts to land a new striker.

The pursuit of Tottenham forward Dimitar Berbatov is continuing but Rooney knows he will have more to do should Ferguson's search ultimately prove fruitless.

'There would be an extra burden if we did not sign another striker,' Rooney added.

'Carlos likes to drop behind a main striker, which is probably his best position, so maybe I would have to stay up a bit more. I would have no problem with that.

'But hopefully we can bring another forward in to strengthen the team. It would allow us to spread the matches out and make changes for certain games. 'But if that forward does not come in, I am sure we can deal with it.'

Rooney should at least be fitter at Fratton Park than he was last weekend against Newcastle, when he was pushed into service following a two-week break after picking up a virus in Nigeria.

Tevez's return is a welcome bonus, although neither Owen Hargreaves, who is nearing match fitness after having his pre-season wrecked by a tendinitis problem, nor Anderson, who is not due home until tomorrow after completing his stint at the Olympics with Brazil, is expected to be considered.

40

Football / Guatemala vs U.S.A

« on: August 20, 2008, 08:03:47 PM »

time to do some scouting. any links?

41

Football / INternational friendly

« on: August 20, 2008, 01:34:25 PM »

sweden vs france 1:1

aye ah didnt know all them games(33) was going on today,normally ah jus glimpse at the board and i know what taking place. like men still captivated by bolt's performance

42

Football / Fergie refuses to rule out shock Henry move

« on: August 11, 2008, 04:36:29 AM »

Sir Alex Ferguson still intends to buy a new striker this week - and has failed to rule out a shock move for Thierry Henry.
Click here

With Louis Saha written out of his plans and Wayne Rooney only just returned to training after picking up a virus in Nigeria, the Manchester United boss had only Carlos Tevez to call on for this afternoon's Community Shield win over Portsmouth at Wembley.

Tevez responded with a man-of-the-match display containing everything but a goal as United triumphed in a penalty shoot-out.

But Ferguson admits getting a forward in time for Sunday's Barclays Premier League opener with Newcastle is now a pressing concern.

'It has been pressing since the end of last season,' said the Scot.

'We like to operate with four strikers and we have not been able to do that.'

There is bound to be fresh speculation over a move for Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov, while Karim Benzema, David Villa and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have also been linked with Old Trafford over the last few months.

Henry's name has just been added to that list despite the 31-year-old's obvious link with Arsenal.

Tellingly, it was an issue Ferguson chose to skirt round rather than reject.

'There is a name every day,' he said.

'I can't answer the question because I don't have the right answer.

'It is possible I will sign someone this week. We are trying and we are looking at one or two options.

'Hopefully we will get something done.'

43

Football / Debt-ridden Spanish clubs fail to pay players

« on: July 22, 2008, 10:31:28 AM »

Updated: July 22, 2008, 2:15 PM UK

 MADRID, July 22 (Reuters) - Debt-ridden clubs in the top two Spanish leagues owe their players over 38 million euros ($60.50 million), according to the country's association of footballers (AFE).

 
AFE president Gerardo Gonzalez Movilla said that the economic crisis was hitting Spanish sides hard and the number of complaints by players against clubs had reached record levels.


He added that the decision of several clubs to go into administration meant that many players would not be paid the money they were owed.

'We have had more accusations than ever this year,' Gonzalez Movilla told sports daily AS. 'The added problem is that in previous years they would eventually get paid but not now.'

Last season players from Primera Liga side Levante threatened strike action over unpaid salaries and many other clubs in the top two divisions are experiencing serious financial difficulties.

One of the factors that has aggravated the problems has been the collapse of the Spanish property market. Construction magnates have traditionally been the biggest investors in Spanish clubs.

One such magnate, Real Mallorca president Vicenc Grande, agreed this week to sell his controlling interest in the club after his real estate company Grupo Drac filed for insolvency.

Gonzalez Movilla said the increasing financial problems of Spanish clubs meant they risked losing players to foreign leagues.

'If things carry on like this, the players will end up going to other leagues and no one will want to come here,' he said.

44

Football / Barca Preseason thread

« on: July 22, 2008, 10:13:51 AM »

At 10.00 local time, Barça’s Tuesday morning training session in Scotland got under way, but the players were already out exercising before that.


Pep Guardiola wanted the players to get some fitness training in even before the session was scheduled to start. There was no transport laid on from the hotel to the practice ground – the players were ordered to run there! thats what we talking bout

30 non-stop minutes

Once at the training ground, Guardiola divided the players into three groups, who did circuits without the ball, working on fitness and changes of direction.

There was no time for rest between exercises, the players went straight on to the next item. That meant that for 30 minutes, Guardiola made sure his players never stopped moving.

With the ball

The players were then divided into two groups, and for 20 minutes tried to keep possession of the ball. The idea was to get the ball off the opposing side.

The last ten minutes involved medicinal balls, with which the players did sit-ups and similar exercises in a more unusual way to what they are used to.

 Abidal missingÉric Abidal is having bother with his Achilles Heel in his left leg, and therefore might miss the late session. Eto'o, meanwhile, trained in isolation, because he has hurt his right thigh, and Oleguer also worked out alone having slightly hurt the quadriceps in his left leg.

45

Football / Barça Present Kit For 2008/2009

« on: June 25, 2008, 08:18:14 PM »

Ah miss mi stripes

46

Football / Euro 2008: Spain vs Italy

« on: June 22, 2008, 11:17:24 AM »

All the stats stacked against SPain. they havent beaten italy in a major competition in 88 yrs wow. all the other group leaders have been knocked out. hmmm

Spain, ball in your court

47

Football / Euro 2008: Portugal vs Germany

« on: June 19, 2008, 12:19:37 PM »

euro quaterfinals begin

48

Football / Rum Shop?

« on: June 18, 2008, 07:11:32 AM »

let me first start by saying and am not the most eloquent  nor will i ever be and as a concequence of that i am not the greatest writer you will meet or the greatest rallier of the troops but  please allow me to ask 2 questions. do we really like football in our country? Or are we using this site as an  upgrade to the rum shop talk ...E-rumshop perhaps.... It seems like a whole lot of hot air passing around and blowing all over the place. If one looks at the threads i have never have much to say on anything re Jack Austin Warner but i believe that you my "drinking pals" are well informed  and have tnt's best footballing interest at heart. if we say Mr warner is giving the tnt public a 6 for a 9 and we know better, shouldnt we take steps to inform the public?

Or are we going to have one persona in the rum shop and another out of it? we are not blatter we dont need concacaf votes. i am in no way dependent on any of mr warner's enterprises for finiancial survival or to put it another way" I doh eat by he".so i should not be afraid hi for who he really is.
 i jus glimpsed in a thread where someone was sulking about having suggested we put something in the media and no one supported him/her. hmmmm

i really think its time we made our voices heard, i think its time we inform the public

the ball is in our court. wat are we going to do?

49

Football / Spain vs sweden

« on: June 14, 2008, 09:51:27 AM »

allyuh making mi sound like the man who does sell nuts."allyuh buy nuts from mi nah"


spain  vs sweden

come on barcelona  ..........ah mean spain

50

Football / fallout of Spanish and English league 's success

« on: June 10, 2008, 10:23:00 AM »

from as long as i have known the Spanish and English international teams have always flattered to deceive. they are respect on the international scene but have nothing tangible to really show. Is the success of la liga and the epl  the reason for  the poor performance of these international teams? Or has the  high quality of these leagues given us ,the world public, a false belief that these teams are better that they actually are?

whats the reason that the English and Spanish keep failing time and time again at international tournaments?

51

What about Track & Field / Rabbits

« on: June 08, 2008, 03:31:10 PM »

whats allyuh take on that on the use of "rabbits" in track? right? wrong?

52

Football / England vs Usa

« on: May 28, 2008, 11:08:07 AM »

England and USA focus on 2010 World Cup

LONDON, May 27 (Reuters) - While most of their traditional rivals are preparing for Euro 2008, England face the United States on Wednesday already focusing on the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign later this year.

England were eliminated from the European finals last November and new manager Fabio Capello is using Wednesday's friendly against the U.S., next Sunday's against Trinidad & Tobago and August's friendly against the Czech Republic as preparation for the start of the qualifiers in September.

Wednesday's game against Capello's side is the first of three high-profile friendlies for U.S. coach Bob Bradley's team who are also using the match as preparation for their own bid to reach the 2010 finals in South Africa.

They face Spain on June 4 in Santander and four days later take on Argentina at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. They start their World Cup qualifying campaign against Barbados in California on June 15.

Wednesday's match should also be significant for U.S. striker Landon Donovan, who is poised to make his 100th appearance for the United States, just two months after his Los Angeles Galaxy team mate David Beckham made his 100th appearance for England against France in Paris.

Donovan is one of three U.S.-based players to make the squad for the game, which includes eight players with English clubs, including Tim Howard (Everton), Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey and Eddie Lewis (Fulham), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Benny Feilhaber and Eddie Lewis (Derby County).

Capello, who will be in charge of England for the third time after an opening 2-1 win against Switzerland in February and a 1-0 defeat by France in Paris two months ago, said on Sunday that he believed he could take England all the way to the World Cup final in 2010.

He believes that England, who provided both clubs for the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea last week, have enough talent to challenge for the World title. He may rest some of the eight players who appeared in the Moscow match which United won after a penalty shootout, however.

Owen Hargreaves, who was on the winning side for United last week, told a news conference at the England team hotel on Monday that the Chelsea and United players were old friends and had far too much respect for each other to let their club rivalry affect their preparations for the England matches.

'There are no ill-feelings towards each other, we are all friends,' he said. 'We've known each other for such a long time and spent so much time with each other away and at major tournaments, there is a great amount of mutual respect for each other.

Wednesday's match is the ninth meeting between the countries with England winning six and the U.S. twice: the first being their famous 1-0 win at Belo Horizonte in the 1950 World Cup finals in Brazil, one of soccer's greatest upsets.

53

Football / Premier League put positive spin on earnings

« on: May 13, 2008, 03:06:42 PM »

Premier League put positive spin on earnings

Figures released yesterday by the Premier League have given hope to those teams who are struggling to keep up with the elite.

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Premier League chiefs insist the financial gap between the top clubs and those at the bottom is closing despite Manchester United's record income from the season.

The champions earned £78million in television cash and prize money over the season, £50million more than bottom side Derby.

The equivalent figure last season, under the previous broadcast deals, was £40million - and it was just £30million in the 2005-06 season when earnings from the Champions League were not so high.

However, in percentage terms the smaller clubs have done better than the bigger ones.

United's income rose 25% compared to last season, while Derby earned £28.2million, a 56.5% increase on the £18million earned by Watford a year ago.

Premier League communications director Dan Johnson explained: 'The new broadcasting deals are closing the gap, because the biggest increases have been in the overseas contracts which are divided equally between the 20 clubs.

'Furthermore, the increase in money means a lot more to the smaller clubs because it is a much bigger percentage of their turnover.'

Johnson also pointed out that all clubs are now guaranteed a minimum of 10 payments for being featured in live games, whether or not they actually appear in 10 live matches.

That means all 20 clubs are guaranteed £4.6million in 'facility fees' plus a further £460,000 for each extra live game they are featured in.

For example, Newcastle were screened in 20 live league matches, meaning they earned £9.2million from facility fees. That figure is double the amount of the likes of Middlesbrough, Bolton and Wigan - who all featured in fewer than 10.

The Champions League continues to be the big divide with a huge gap between the four clubs in the elite European competition and the rest.

United earned at least £28.1million from Europe - and will top the £30million mark if they win the final - while Liverpool took in £18million.

By contrast, Everton, Tottenham and Bolton all earned less than £500,000 for their UEFA Cup campaigns even though they made it to the last 16 of the competition.

54

Football / Inter vs Millan

« on: May 04, 2008, 08:02:14 AM »

biggest match  in Italy

Inter Milan will retain their Serie A title if they beat a hungry AC Milan on Sunday in what has been billed as one of the most important city derbies ever. Milan, in fifth, are desperate for three points to aid their bid to overhaul fourth-placed Fiorentina, who visit strugglers Cagliari on Sunday. They are two points above Milan in the final UCL qualifying place with three games left.

0 -0  at half time

55

Football / The Cycles Of Success And Failure

« on: May 02, 2008, 04:53:58 AM »

In football today it seems increasingly difficult for one team to dominate Europe for very long. No team has won back-to-back European Cups since AC Milan in 1989 and 1990, while in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s it was quite common for one team to do this (Real Madrid 1956-1960, Benfica 61&62, Inter 64&65, Ajax 71-73, Bayern Munich 74-76, Liverpool 77&78, Nottingham Forest 79&80). Interestingly this has coincided with the new format of the Champions League and perhaps more importantly with the post Bosman-ruling era and the age of the millionaire footballer.

In modern football there seem to be a few basic ingredients to achieving success. Obviously you need to have talented players, but as we have seen with Madrid’s ‘galacticos’ and Barça’s ‘fantasticos’ it is not as easy as simply buying up the best players. In football it is also vital to have a high level of motivation, hunger and desire, confidence is also essencial, as is unity. When Barça were at there best in 2004 and 2005 these ingredients were all there, but as has happened at other teams it seems to be practically impossible to maintain them.

To understand why, we need to try and understand the modern footballer. Of course there are many different types of player but it seems that it is often more difficult for the foreign stars to stay focused on football. Once they have earned a few million the hunger can disappear. At Barça in recent years we have seen many Brazilians come and go, they usually seem to start brilliantly before fading out the longer they stay here. There have been suggestions that some of these players get distracted by the night life in Barcelona and this eventually affects their game.

It is probably true. If we take the case of Ronaldinho, he claims he behaves no differently now than when he arrived at Barça. No-one can blame him for being tempted by the girls and the parties, afterall you only live once and as a goofy teenager Ronnie probably had girls laughing at him more than anything else. How great it must feel when you achieve a bit of success and suddenly you have top models falling over each other to get near you. At first this makes no difference to your game but as time goes by and you don’t look after yourself so well you begin to lose that explosive speed you once had, you realise you can’t walk past opponents so easily and then your confidence starts to suffer. It can happen so easily to any of the top players and it is almost impossible to get back to the top unless you are very strong mentally and you are able to change your lifestyle completely, which sadly is not so easy to do.

It would be great if all players had a steady relationship and a good family life with parents who advised them well, etc. Unfortunately, it is more complicated for players who come from abroad. It is not just the Brazilians of course, we all know the case of Maradona while other talented youngsters like Patrick Kluivert found they couldn’t combine the lifestyle with a career at the top for very long.

So, what can a club like Barça do about it? Well they need to learn from their mistakes. I do not agree that it is a matter of having a stricter coach. Frank Rijkaard has always treated the players like adults and allowed them freedom in the personal lives. For three years the team played some fantastic football with Rijkaard, the problem is he didn’t know how to react to the players who began to abuse their freedom, he has also made the mistake of showing too much loyalty to the players who brought the earlier success. Rijkaard should make way for someone else now but more importantly the players who have lost their hunger for success should also go. In the future Barça should resist the temptation to offer long contracts to the foreign stars, unless it is clear that they are completely professional in their attitude.

This brings me to unity and team spirit. In any profession if you work hard it helps if you feel valued and appreciated. It must be hard for some players who always give 100% to see others, who earn a good deal more than they do, not giving it everything. And when I talk about giving 100% I am not just talking about on the pitch for 90 minutes, I am talking about giving 100% in their everyday lives, how they train, how they eat, how they rest. For a team to have unity players need to see that their team mates, especially the highest earners, are totally committed.

At Barça we have some tremendously talented players who do give their all for the team. There do need to be some big changes but I’m afraid I think the fans who are calling for Laporta’s head are making a mistake. First I believe he has done a pretty good job to turn the club around after the terrible Gaspart years, and secondly he has been voted in until 2010. I cannot see him resigning for a few protests, so for the sake of the unity I was talking about we should all support him and if things don’t improve he will get voted out in 2010. I also believe Txiki should stay for now, it is time for change but not for revolution. Rijkaard should be warmly thanked for doing a good job, he will be remembered in the future as one of the best Barça coaches in our history. Unfortunately, I am not crazy about any of the candidates being talked about, but if I have to choose I’d go for Pep Guardiola as I think he understands the club, he will continue with an attacking style which we all want to see, but he will also bring passion, hunger and desire back where we need it: in the changing room.

56

Football / wat are the odds on trophyless MANU?

« on: April 19, 2008, 11:28:01 AM »

its very possible ,more so the longer they stay in champions league contention

one thing 4 sure it will be damn hilarious

57

Football / SERIE A

« on: April 12, 2008, 01:26:31 PM »

AC Milan look set to face old rivals Juventus with a second-string defence in their Serie A match on Saturday. Kakha Kaladze is suspended while Alessandro Nesta is appealing a two-game ban. If Nesta loses the appeal, fifth-placed Milan may have to rely on back-up defenders Giuseppe Favalli, Daniele Bonera and Cafu alongside Paolo Maldini. Right back Massimo Oddo recently had knee surgery and left back Marek Jankulovski is injured.

ac milan 2 vs Juventus 2 at half time.

58

Football / Messi working with the squad

« on: April 10, 2008, 02:03:12 PM »

Messi working with the squad

www.fcbarcelona.cat

The Argentinian striker, who is still on his recovery programme, has trained normally with the rest of the team. The player was very active and even scored a goal in the game played to close the session.

After securing a place in the Champions League semi finals, the players returned to training on Thursday at La Masia. The squad was joined by Leo Messi, but many of the players that faced Schalke were missing due to minor injuries sustained the night before.

Messi 100%

The Argentinian striker took part in a full training session for the first time since going down with an injury having also been involved some of the last session before the game with Schalke. During training, Leo Messi looked back to his normal self, and scored one of the goals in the game played between those present, and which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Seven reserves
As Abidal, Henry, Zambrotta, Xavi, Iniesta and Valdés were all missing along with those with longer term injuries, seven members of Barça B were called upon to make up the numbers, namely Espasandín, Pau, Dimas, Toribio, Chico, Jeffren and Urbano.

Short session for starters

As usual on the day after a game, the players that started the match were not subjected to too much stress. Thuram, Touré, Puyol, Bojan and Eto'o jogged for a while, and then only Thuram stayed behind. The French defender stayed behind to work out with one of the fitness coaches.

The session ended with a short game. Wearing bibs were Pinto, Sylvinho, Edmílson, Ezquerro, Giovani, Dimas, Chico and Urbano, who faced the bib-less Pau, Milito, Gudjohnsen, Jeffren, Messi, Toribio and Espasandín.


 

59

Football / Barça Director Claims Some Players Are Separated From Team

« on: April 09, 2008, 02:36:31 PM »

Xavier Sala Martin who is the President of Barça’s economic commission made some highly revealing statements this morning on Radio Catalunya. Sala Matin suggested that some players are not really injured but that they have been separated and isolated from the team. He mentioned no names but suggested they were players who liked “to go out on the town” and were therefore accustomed to training less than their teammates.

Of the players who are currently ‘injured’ the most obvious targets for this claim are Ronaldinho and Deco. It is strange, certainly, that last week both players were said to have trained with their teammates and then the following day they were both said to be injured again. Whatever the case, Sala Martin’s statement will no doubt cause a great deal of debate. Some will say that at last the club has done something with the poorly disciplined players and perhaps the improved attitude of the players on Sunday (despite the poor result) was a result of this decision: it is very difficult to expect team spirit and unity to be high when the highest paid players are not pulling their weight.

Supporters of Ronaldinho will say it is the final straw of an endless campaign against the Brazilian. If he went out partying during his fantastic first three seasons at Barça, why shouldn’t he do the same now? Players need to let off steam and can’t be treated like children.

In my opinion there is an obvious difference between partying after a victory and partying every day when you have lost your form and the team is not winning. The stories and rumours have been bubbling under for a long time now and it now seems that the club has had enough of being accused of going soft on these players. I think the decision probably had to be taken but I’m not sure about the club’s way of communicating the decision. Does Laporta know Sala Martin was going to speak out? Why were the club’s doctors put under suspicion over the injuries? On Sunday Laporta speech was clearly aimed at part of the press and yet now the club is almost saying the press was right all along. It’s all been a bit of a mess, but hopefully the players will respond as a unit now. No doubt there will be some replies very soon to Sala Martin’s suggestions.

60

Football / Arsenal vs liverpool take 2

« on: April 05, 2008, 06:32:23 AM »

 crouch in the 41st  1 nil liverpool  both teams playing weakened teams  hence the reason crouch starting