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1
Football / Honeymoon over for Soca Warriors coach Maturana
« on: September 14, 2008, 09:53:35 AM »
Honeymoon over for Soca Warriors coach Maturana
By PETER O’CONNOR Sunday, September 14 2008 Newsday


ALTHOUGH we in the Caribbean welcomed our
respective Olympic Medallists, during the past
week, there was little else about which to
boast—Shivnarine Chanderpaul being our one exception.

It was a gloomy week for Caribbean football, as
none of the five nations in the CONCACAF
semi-final round achieved what they needed.

In the matches played last week Saturday and on
Wednesday night, only TT came away with a
point—and a solitary point at that. Jamaica,
Cuba, Haiti and Suriname all lost twice, and all
will find it difficult to win enough points in
the final three matches in order make the final
round of six countries in 2009.

We too now have our work cut out for us, as we
sit, with Guatemala, on four points, and still to
play Guatemala in Guatemala City (October 11th),
USA here (October 14th) and Cuba (here November 19th).

It is unlikely that Cuba will present a challenge
to any of the teams at this stage, but hopefully
they will rise against Guatemala in Havana, and
set the Central Americans back.

The United States should defeat Cuba and
Guatemala in the USA and stay on top of the
group—which now suits us, and we should hope that
the Americans win both these encounters. However,
The Americans do have a habit of dropping their
standards, and using reserves, once they have qualified.

However, whatever happens between the Americans,
Cubans and Guatemalans in their encounters, we
must win ours, and this includes beating
Guatemala in their home, and the Americans and
Cubans here at Hasely Crawford Stadium. What are
our chances of this? First, let’s go back to our last two matches.

The two points lost in the final minute against
Guatemala will hurt us until we pull back points
which we may not have expected. While most of us
were satisfied with the Soca Warriors’
performance—it was an excellent game of football,
our failure to score remains a weakness. However,
my greatest disappointment was the absence of all
the so-called fans of the Soca Warriors.

Those who came, with the huge National Flag and
their painted faces, were reasonably vociferous,
but there were less than 10,000—in a stadium
seating 24,000. So where were you, Mr and Mrs Soca Warriors fan?

You, “Soca Warrior till ah dead”, let an
important home qualifier pass without your
attendance and support. But you going South
Africa, right? Yeah! At the end of the Final
Round we go see you (sic), looking for your ticket and claiming your loyalty.

In June, while you all complained about the price
of the friendly against England, you filled the
stadium to see Beckham, not to support TT. So
when you have a World Cup qualifier but without
Beckham, you have no time for the Warriors. Thanks a lot folks!

I tried to watch the replay of this match on C-TV
on Sunday afternoon. I accepted that, since it
was not live, they would interrupt for
advertisements (although FOX and ESPN—first world
broadcasters— do not interrupt soccer re-runs!).

However, C-TV suddenly, without announcement or
apology, indeed without even acknowledgment, cut
from the football to run an old Discovery Channel
re-run, cancelling the last six minutes of the
match! What is wrong with you guys at all?

I could not watch any of the match against the
United States, but I tried. I only saw distorted
and broken images for a while, then a blank and
silent screen stating “temporarily off the air” for C-TV.

As I seek to discover where the fault lay—C-TV,
FLOW, or my set—I am calling upon TTFF to ensure
that those to whom broadcast rights are given,
they “deliver” the match, in full, uninterrupted, and on time.

Roj (Roger James)

2
Football / Manchester United 1 Liverpool 0 Final!!!!
« on: March 03, 2007, 08:42:28 AM »
SMALLS WHERE YUH BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :beermug: :beermug: :beermug: :beermug: :beermug: :beermug:

3
Football / Chelsea drop points while United stay at the top
« on: December 26, 2006, 11:01:21 AM »
Chelsea 2 - Reading 2 HAHA SUCKERS!!!!!!!!!


Manchester United 3 - Wigan 1!


HAPPY FRAKKING NEW YEAR RED DEVILS!!!!

 :devil: :devil: :devil: :beermug: :beermug: :beermug:

4
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Well thats just PRIME!!!!!
« on: December 23, 2006, 06:02:29 PM »

5
Football / Red Day - The Re-Match
« on: November 18, 2006, 03:42:38 PM »
Alright this might be late or there might be another thread like this but I have to kno:


WHO GOIN TO THE RE-MATCH TOMORROW!!??

6
Football / Anyone hear from Leo?
« on: June 24, 2006, 05:00:06 PM »
Don Leo was suppose to make his descision on whether he would stay on as Head Coach of the Warriors yesterday but no word has been heard. Is he staying or is he movin on?

7
Football / Big Magician is a VIP on the FIFA World Cup website
« on: June 22, 2006, 04:35:49 PM »
WOI!! Big M did it again!!! the man is a VIP along with Ato in the World Cup website. Here is an excerpt:

Gary Hector, Singer/Songwriter


Singer, guitarist and songwriter Gary Hector is the main creative force behind Jointpop, a rock 'n' roll band formed in 1996, disbanded briefly in 2004, and reformed in 2005. His music is a distinctive blend of styles, drawing as much on Trinidad’s indigenous music form, calypso, as it does on classic and modern rock, punk, funk and reggae.


He is also a fanatical follower of Trinidad and Tobago's national team and, after watching the final match of their first-ever FIFA World Cup™ adventure end in a gallant, undeserved defeat to Paraguay, he told FIFAworldcup.com of his pride in the Soca Warriors.

How do you feel after the elimination of you team?
I’m absolutely proud of my team, of my country and the people. I’ve absolutely no regrets. The country itself has been very proud of everything. I think we showed the world what we can do as a football team, and also as a people, just by having a good time.
It was a long trip getting back to our hotel after the game. We drove all night. Personally, I wasn’t in any sad mood or anything. I wish the game could have gone better, yes, but you know, I think it was a great effort by the boys. We were outclassed in the end. Everybody was realistic enough.
I wrote a song for the team about five years ago. It was not specifically about this team, about this qualification, but it was just a song about our national football team for all times, with the dream to one day get to the World Cup. And the dream came true.
My only regret is that I didn’t see more of one of our players. Russell Latapy only played last night for 23 minutes, and my only regret is that I didn’t see more of him. He’s my favourite player of all time.

read the rest here http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060622/1/81kg.html

8
Football / T&T Graded on the Soccer365 Forums
« on: June 12, 2006, 08:38:19 AM »
Ladies and GentleWarriors I tell you I have never been soo emotional since Saturday when the Warriors took to the field in the World Cup for the first time but this just takes the cake. We have been rated as the most exciting match to watch in the Tournament here are some of what they have to say:

Sweden vs. Trinidad and Tobago: A
Not many 0-0 draw earn an A grade, but this match was truly magnificent to watch. Anyone questioning T&T's place in this tournament may have legitimate points, but I know I will be cheering for them in their next two matches. Defensively, obviously Hislop was the hero and Sancho played a very solid match as well filling in for Andrews. I don't rule out them earning a result against Paraguay if they play with two strikers and give Stern John more help up front. He and Glen could do some damage together. Sweden was not bad, and really should have won, but Shaka "The Wall" Hislop denied them time and time again.

T&T and Sweden was just a great "upset", high drama, little team that could.


The best match has been the T&T match. Im not a T&T fan, but ill admit I had a few tears swell up at the end of the game.
+
Sweden and T&T - A+ I had chills

but this one is my favourite:

Trinidad and Tobago vs Sweden - A (most entralling game of the tornament yet, i watched this game with my mom and gf who aren't big soccer fans, but they got totally into the game, TnT have the heart of lions, I hope they upset Eng. Sweden deserve their props too, it was a decent game for them. I can see them easily defeating England. This game also shows, that sometimes a scoreless match can be the most exciting)

here is the link to the thread http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=367211

9
I kno this might be moved to the Entertainment section but i have to post up the 'Trivia' part of the Article in the Football section

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jointpop

Trivia

In the credits to all of jointpop’s releases, Gary Hector appears under the name Mick Richardson.

jointpop are huge football fans, and recorded a tribute song for the Trinidad and Tobago national football team, entitled “Little Giants”, which they promised to play live only when the team made the World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago finally qualified for their first ever World Cup in late 2005, but the band is yet to make good on their promise.

And they did at Cascadia for their 10th Anniversary :beermug: :beermug:

10
Football / WORLD CUP FOOTBALL - LIST OF TV RULES
« on: April 25, 2006, 11:01:29 AM »
Rules for Wives and Girlfriends:
 

1.  From 9 June to 9 July 2006, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the World Cup, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.

2.  During the World Cup the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).

3.  If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don't mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me. If you decide to stand nude in front of the TV, make sure you put clothes on right after because if you catch a cold I won't have time to take you to the doctor or look after you during the World Cup month.

4.  During the games, I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat. You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell from the second floor....it won't happen.

5.  It would be a good idea for you to keep at least 2 six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on, and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6.  Please, please, please (!!) if you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, it’s only a game", or "don't worry, they'll win next time". If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called "words of encouragement" will only lead to a break up or divorce.

7.  You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during halftime but only when the commercials are on, and only if the halftime score is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying "one" game, hence do not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to "spend time together".

8.  The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if I have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see them again. Many times.

9.  Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because:

a)  I will not go,

b)  I will not go, and

c)  I will not go.

10.  But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

11.  The daily World Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this...why don't you change the channel to something we can all watch??" the reply will be: "Refer to Rule #2 of this list".

 :beermug: :beermug: :beermug: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: 8) 8) 8) 8)


11
Football / Who saw the Warrior Nation on Total Football?
« on: April 09, 2006, 09:16:42 PM »
Who watched Occonorg, Jefferz and the rest on tonight's episode of Total Football?

12
Football / VOODOO WARRIORS?
« on: March 27, 2006, 09:30:43 PM »
VOODOO WARRIORS?
British tabloid gets mischievous
Lasana Liburd
Tuesday, March 28th 2006
   
   
The Daily Star, a British tabloid, claimed to be scared that black magic might influence England's 2006 June 15 World Cup fixture with Trinidad and Tobago and it was not referring to the "Little Magician", Russell Latapy.

The Star's front page read "Witch docs put hex on Becks" while the "exclusive" story claimed that Trinidad and Tobago "voodoo witch doctors" were using magic incantations to derail England's chances of success in Germany this June.

"The crafty Caribbeans have sacrificed cockerels in secret rituals," wrote Daily Star reporter James Wickham. "And they have told followers to bury birds' heads near the homes of England's star players.

"The aim is to give the Trinidad and Tobago team an edge in their crunch group clash with England in Nuremberg on June 15."

The Daily Star-which is not one of Britain's more respected sources of news-further suggested that T&T successfully used voodoo in their 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Mexico in 1973 when the Mexicans supposedly "hit the woodwork 14 times and saw seven players suffer freak injuries".

Wickham claimed to have unearthed a Trinidadian supporter who admitted the bizarre plot.

"I have paid for seven, all kinds," said 'Robert'.

"It's not personal and they will not go on beyond the World Cup. If the England players dig around their homes they may even find some heads of chickens."

The claims of freak occurrences in Trinidad and Tobago's emphatic win against Mexico are untrue as, almost certainly, are any notions of "Soca Warrior" supporters slaughtering chickens in the hope of unsettling Wayne Rooney and company.

The Star also claimed that "the voodoo curses are hot topics on unofficial internet message boards about the team", which is also unfounded.

T&T's Britain-based players were aware of the story but refused comment on it. Most laughed off the claims although there was some concern about British perception of Caribbean life.

Ashton Ford, Trinidad and Tobago British High Commission attaché on public affairs, culture and tourism, was not amused but said England's response to our World Cup qualification was generally very positive.

Ford did one interview yesterday with a London-based West Indian community radio station, Choice FM, but said that no one else called to enquire or complain about the Star's story.

"We dismiss it as nonsense," Ford told the Daily Express. "Our sportsmen are known as very disciplined people and ours teams have won several fair play awards.

"The majority of the (British) media has had good things to say about us."

The London High Commission will host a reception for the British and foreign media and culinary experts on April 10 called "Taste of T&T", which is meant to offer a more accurate view of T&T's culture.

Former calypso monarch, Tobago Crusoe, and Britain's reigning monarch, Helena B, will both perform while there will also be Indian song and dance, steelpan and costumed Poison girls on show.

It is uncertain whether Wickham might turn up for the festivities.

Ironically, the British government yesterday unveiled plans to officially launch 'Soca' yesterday.

In this case, Soca stands for the Serious Organised Crime Organisation, which will be mandated to tackle drug trafficking, money laundering and the smuggling of people for the illicit sex trade and slave labour.

There was nothing in the England Times article to suggest that either Trinidad and Tobago captain Dwight Yorke or his English counterpart David Beckham had anything to fear.

Voodoo? We dont need no Voodoo NEGRO PLEASE!!! If we goin to whup your ARSE we goin to WHUP YOUR ARSE FAIR AND SQUARE TRINI STYLE!

13
I just finished watching the Italy v Mexico 2002 World Cup match on tv6 and i watched the complete disrespect of the game by the Mexicans 5 minutes before the end of the match after Italy equalized which guaranteed them advancing to the next round. The commentator described the way the Mexicans hogged the ball for the rest of the game as horrible torturous and disrespectful, even the referee was appauling display by them and after he blew the final whistle he made the sign of the cross thanking god that he stopped them from continuing, the crowd booed at the Mexicans for the display.


Question: Do you think that they will do the same thing if they are in the same situation like 2002 and if that happens do you think they should be fined or cautioned for wasting time?

14
Football / The OFFICIAL GUIDE TO WORLD CUP 2006
« on: March 02, 2006, 01:50:54 PM »


The Official Guide to the FIFA World Cup Football 2006 in Germany is an exclusive FIFA approved publication. This book will provide background information to the FWC, introduce star players, and guide the buyers through all stages of the game. This is the ideal souvenir book for football enthusiasts.

Contents

History of FWC
Past World Cup Heroes
How they qualified
The 2006 Qualifiers
Star Players
The Draw
The Eight Groups
The Venues
World Cup Diary
Score Sheets
Dream Team Prediction

Its already on sale and it costs $75 GET YOUR COPY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

15
Football / Vale or T&T
« on: February 27, 2006, 09:03:32 AM »
Ok i saw this on the Vale Forums and there were some mixed reactions so I bringin it here:

Who should Me Mum play for T&T or Vale?

If there was a match between the Warriors and Vale who should he play for?

16
Football / Footcer's view on the WC Draw
« on: December 15, 2005, 04:42:46 AM »
http://footcer.blogspot.com/2005/12/i-really-still-do-blog-about-footcer-i.html

Oh cripes. I've been so neglective over here that I didn't even post my two reaction posts from LiveJournal on the World Cup draw. Even though it's been about week since the draw, here they are. This is part of my trying to catch up everywhere day:

DECEMBER 9

Looks like the comment that I made to kat_chan in the entry, "The Reward For Hard Work Means Nothing" (December 6, 2005) has proved to be the understatement of the newest footcer century.

Seriously, when I watched the draw this afternoon on espn.com, I got sick to my stomach.

Actually I'm not even kidding though my flu-like symptoms had very little to do with the draw, I didn't even make it halfway home before having to get off the train for an emergency bathroom break at the Clark and Lake stop. For anyone who's looking for the most disgusting toilet in all of Chicago, the second floor men's room at the Thompson Center would be a great place to start!

But back to the heartbreak in Leipzig.

I almost called it in the same entry referenced about when I said to americanrefugee in the same comment section, "The Czech Republic scare me to death. They're an impossibly hard team. They're my sleeper pick to make the semi-finals. People see them coming but it really doesn't matter. Except for Romania, no one's been able to beat them and that Romania game was a fluke as the cokehead's first game back."

With how much I've been hyping the Czechs since the end of Euro 2004 as the best team in the world outside South America (and now their #2 FIFA ranking really helps out that uphill battle that I've been fighting) it was inevitable that the United States would draw them in the World Cup.

And I stand by my earlier words. The United States is seriously f**ked! We might as well start planning for 2010 now and hopefully another horrible performance won't be held against the United States by the fans who show up every four years.

That being said, I don't think the World Cup next summer is a complete loss. We can advance out of Group E. The problem is that I think we'll end up coming is second to the Czechs if we advance. Yeah, I know, Italy. But, see that's the match that I think we can sneak a nice 1-0 upset in.

The Czech Republic/United States group opener is going to be pretty rough because it's two of the best five goaltenders in the world in Petr Cech and Casey Keller. Cech has shown himself a little bit vulnerable in recent play for Chelsea. Sure Chelsea's only lost once but the days of the clean sheet run to start their season seems like a distant memory.

Now, having said the United States can advance to the round of 16, we are still f**ked!

Group F should be a cakewalk for Brazil and they would be the second round opponents for the United States barring a group trip-up of epic proportions putting them in second. So, the goal now is just to avoid embarrassment and lose to Brazil in the round of 16 like so many other teams have in the past who were a lot bigger names coming in.

Short of getting out of our group the United States should have two goals, or should I say two teams they need to finish ahead of: Japan and Australia. Basically, those are two teams in the same boat as us domestically so it would be nice to beat them place-wise in the World Cup internationally.

And for fate's sake, please no 32nd like in 1998! At least come away with 2 points!

All that I'm really pissed off about is Mexico's easy draw but it does mean one CONCACAF team should make some noise.

They have a fading Portugal team, a weak Angola side and Iran. It's pretty odd that CONCACAF's "top" team (at least according to the seedings) is in an almost identical group to the one that the United States was in back in 2002. The only team missing is Poland.

I like the chances of my fourth favorite team being in Group A with Germany, Costa Rica, and Ecuador. The CONMEBOL and CONCACAF representatives are jokes. So all they need to do is pull an upset of the home side and they can win the group.

And my third favorite team, Ukraine, has a pretty favorable group in the weakest one in the tournament Group H with Spain, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. The winner of this group gets second place in Group G in the round of 16 and that should be Switzerland. Ukraine could go really deep.

This is exciting!!! There's a possibility of a Czech Republic/Ukraine quarterfinal. Holy crap!

My second favorite team, Ireland, is, as everyone who followed the qualifiers knows, watching it from home. :)

So, without further Adu (yeah, it's cheesy that I said that but an interesting fact is he was born in Ghana and, therefore, still won't be playing for the United States this summer) here are my really, really, really, preliminary World Cup predictions:

GROUP A: 1) Germany (2-0-1), 2) Poland (1-0-2), 3) Costa Rica (1-1-1), 4) Ecuador (0-3-0)
GROUP B: 1) England (2-1-0), 2) Sweden (1-1-1), 3) Paraguay (1-1-1), 4) Trinidad & Tobago (0-3-0)
GROUP C: 1) Argentina (2-0-1), 2) Netherlands (1-0-2), 3) Ivory Coast (0-1-2), 4) Serbia (0-2-1)
GROUP D: 1) Mexico (3-0-0), 2) Portugal (2-1-0), 3) Iran (1-2-0), 4) Angola (0-3-0)
GROUP E: 1) Czech Republic (2-0-1), 2) United States (1-1-1), 3) Italy (1-1-1), 4) Ghana (0-2-1)
GROUP F: 1) Brazil (3-0-0), 2) Croatia (2-1-0), 3) Japan (0-2-1), 4) Australia (0-2-1)
GROUP G: 1) France (1-0-2), 2) South Korea (0-0-3), 3) Switzerland (0-1-2), 4) Togo (0-2-1)
GROUP H: 1) Spain (2-0-1), 2) Ukraine (1-1-1), 3) Tunisia (0-2-1), 4) Saudi Arabia (0-2-1)

The all important 32nd spot that someone has to get goes to the Soca Warriors. :)

And then the knockout phases...

Round of 16:

A1 v. B2 - Germany 2, Sweden 1
A2 v. B1 - England 2, Poland 1 (AET)
C1 v. D2 - Argentina 3, Portugal 1
C2 v. D1 - Netherlands 1, Mexico 1 (Holland on PKs)
E1 v. F2 - Czech Republic 1, Croatia 0
E2 v. F1 - Brazil 3, United States 0
G1 v. H2 - Ukraine 1, France 0
G2 v. H1 - South Korea 1, Spain 0 (AET)

Quarterfinals:

Q1: Argentina 1, Germany 0
Q2: Czech Republic 2, Ukraine 0
Q3: Netherlands 3, England 2
Q4: Brazil 5, South Korea 1 (yes, I am dead serious)

Semifinals:

S1: Argentina 1, Czech Republic 1 (Argentina on PKs)
S2: Brazil 2, Netherlands 1

3rd Place:

Netherlands 3, Czech Republic 2

Championship:

Argentina 2, Brazil 1

Of course there's always one or two sleepers who pull upsets. My dark horses to actually go against my own predictions are Croatia and Mexico.

Let the debate rage for the next six months. Just for the record, I finished in the 96th percentile of pick-'em in 2002 so I've got a resume to defend. ;)

---

DECEMBER 10

The reason that I no longer hang out on bigsoccer.com is because I got so sick of constantly having the same arguments about things like the world rankings and Euro-bias that I figured I didn't need the stress in my life. Not that the arguments aren't still in me as obvious by the fact that I got into a nice little war over on the community world_cup_2006.

You know I think every amateur footcer pundit is entitled to their own opinion but some push the edge of insanity. This one girl, _cereza pushed the bounds of sanity by making the following statement:

"I agree that C is harder,mainly because I consider Serbia a tougher team than Ghana or the USA. :/"

Now, it's fair to say a lot of teams are better than the United States, but Serbia is not one of them! The United States has proven that it can beat the second tier European teams at home (and tie them away) and Serbia would be no exception. Naturally I took this person's opinion down to European bias and told and fun ensued, mostly in the form of a Scot saying the following to me:

"If someone happens to think Serbia are better than USA, fair enough. You'll just have to deal with it. Easy group my ass. They did play against Belgium don't forget who had until this year qualified for 6 world cups in a row. Oh yes, they must be crap. By contrast, the CONCACAF is by a country mile the easiest qualifying zone. If the USA played in UEAFA, they would never qualify for a major tournament."

Just lovely. Here I thought we could shut them up by tying them with our C team (a 1-0 win for the United States' 2 starters and 9 subs could have done that). Obviously that's not true. But what I pretty much told this guy (and the complete response can be viewed in the link) is that past records really don't mean much and that regardless of how many times Belgium has qualified in a row this was a down year for them. I added that the problem with European amateur footcer pundits is they rely a lot on history and really don't bother looking at present form and player makeup.

Hence why they all just love to underestimate Ukraine (or for that matter the United States) and overestimate a team like Belgium.

I am just so sick of Europeans, who don't even - for the most part - get to view North American (or for that matter African) qualifiers think their continent is somehow better from top-to-bottom.

On a final footcer point, check out kat_chan's entry on why the media is overblowing the fact that the United States is in a group of death in her entry, "Entitlement trolls, USA soccer edition" (December 10, 2005). She brings up a great point that part of the reason Group E is considered so hard is the overestimation of the Italy team.

---

DECEMBER 12

Anyway, what's really pissing me off is two conversations I'm having about the World Cup draw. The one with the Scot I've already mentioned and that's just degenerated into his saying that Kasey Keller would be the sixth best goalkeeper or lower in Serie A.

But, whatever. He does have a point that none of the bigger clubs have snatched him up. But I'm not pulling calling him one of the top five international goalies in the world out of my ass. I've seriously heard it said by at least five other sources. ESPN the Magazine named him the #1 goalkeeper in the world (at international, not club) which is just insane and was an attempt to get one American on the World XI they presented. But, seriously, England would kill for Keller over Robinson (and especially over James). And, frankly Scotland would too.

The other one is with this Canadian member of eastofprague (who knew all of my headaches could be traced back to that community). Anyway, this guy jumped in defending the idiot who said Serbia was a better team than the United States.

I don't even remember where this little war has gone to but I remember wanting to sing "Oh, Canada" to him. If there's one thing worse than an American footcer Eurosnob, it's a Canadian footcer Eurosnob.

And, yet in the whole thing, trying to stay neutral, I'm getting accused of being a provincial American.

For f**k's sake. It's like I can't win. From one side I get that I'm an American hating commie bastard and from the other side I get that I'm George f**king Bush or something. And, if there's one thing that I hate more than anything else it's having to defend my bonehead countrypeople who give us a bad reputation since they're indefensible.

Oh, this is a real winner comment from that second conversation though. tattoobelly had the following pearl of wisdom:

"I don't know, but I would like to state for the record that not ALL Americans are assholes, and in fact some of us don't care whether the U.S. does well in the World Cup or not; we just want to watch some good football."

Yeah, that makes you a good person. For cripes sakes, love your country's home team or root against them if you want to (I pull against USA Basketball for those who didn't know) but being indifferent to them is just obnoxious.

17
Jokes / George Carlin : The 7 words you cant say on Television
« on: December 10, 2005, 09:45:58 PM »
Here is the original Carlin comedy routine that caused the Fracas.

"I love words. I thank you for hearing my words. I want to tell you something about words that I uh, I think is important. I love..as I say, they're my work, they're my play, they're my passion. Words are all we have really.
We have thoughts, but thoughts are fluid. You know, [humming]. And, then we assign a word to a thought, [clicks tongue]. And we're stuck with that word for that thought. So be careful with words. I like to think, yeah, the same words that hurt can heal. It's a matter of how you pick them.
There are some people that aren't into all the words. There are some people who would have you not use certain words. Yeah, there are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven of them that you can't say on television. What a ratio that is. 399,993 to seven. They must really be bad. They'd have to be outrageous, to be separated from a group that large. All of you over here, you seven. Bad words. That's what they told us they were, remember? 'That's a bad word.' 'Awwww.' There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad Intentions.
And words, you know the seven don't you? Shit, Piss, f**k, c**t, Cocksucker, Motherf**ker, and Tits, huh? Those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that will infect your soul, curve your spine and keep the country from winning the war.
Shit, Piss, f**k, c**t, Cocksucker, Motherf**ker, and Tits, wow. Tits doesn't even belong on the list, you know. It's such a friendly sounding word. It sounds like a nickname. 'Hey, Tits, come here. Tits, meet Toots, Toots, Tits, Tits, Toots.' It sounds like a snack doesn't it? Yes, I know, it is, right. But I don't mean the sexist snack, I mean, New Nabisco Tits. The new Cheese Tits, and Corn Tits and Pizza Tits, Sesame Tits Onion Tits, Tater Tits, Yeah. Betcha can't eat just one. That's true I usually switch off . But I mean that word does not belong on the list.
Actually, none of the words belong on the list, but you can understand why some of them are there. I am not completely insensitive to people's feelings. You know, I can dig why some of those words got on the list...like cocksucker and motherf**ker. Those are...those are heavy-weight words. There's a lot going on there, man. Besides the literal translation and the emotional feeling. They're just busy words. There's a lot of syllables to contend with. And those K's. Those are aggressive sounds, they jump out at you. CocksuckerMotherf**kerCocksucker. It's like an assault, on you. So I can dig that.
And we mentioned shit earlier, of course. Two of the other 4-letter Anglo-Saxon words are Piss and c**t, which go together of course. But forget about that. A little accidental humor there. Piss and c**t. The reason Piss and c**t are on the list is that a long time ago certain ladies said 'Those are the two I am not going to say. I don't mind f**k and Shit, but P and C are out. P and C are out.' Which led to such stupid sentences as 'OK, you f**kers, I am going to tinkle now.'
And of course the word f**k. The word f**k, I don't really...well, this is some more accidental humor, but I don't really want to get into that now. Because I think it takes too long. But I do mean that. I mean, I think the word f**k is an important word. It's the beginning of life, and, yet it's a word we use to hurt one other, quite often. And uh, people much wiser than I have said, I'd rather have my son watch a film with two people making love than two people trying to kill one other. And I of course agree. I wish I know who said it first, and I agree with that. But I would like to take it a step further. I would like to substitute the word f**k, for the word kill in all those movie cliches we grew up with. 'Okay Sheriff, we're gonna f**k ya now. But we're gonna f**k ya slow.' So maybe next year I'll have a whole f**kin' rap on that word. I hope so.
Uh, there are two-way words, but those are the seven you can never say on television. Under any circumstances you just can not say them ever, ever ever, not even clinically. You can not weave them in the panel with Doc and Ed and Johnny, I mean it's just impossible, forget those seven, they're out.
But, there are some two-way words. There are double-meaning words. Remember the ones your giggled at in sixth grade? 'And the cock crowed three times.''Hey, the cock the cock crowed three times. It's in the bible.' There are some Two-way words, like it's okay for Curt Gowdy [mis-spelled in original transcription. -ed.] to say 'Roberto Clemente has two balls on him.' But he can't say, 'I think he hurt his balls on that play Tony, don't you? He's holding them. He must have hurt them by God.' And the other two-way word that goes with that one is prick. It's okay if it happens to your finger. Yes, you can prick your finger, but don't finger your prick. No, no."

 :notworthy: :notworthy: :wavetowel: :wavetowel: :cheers: :cheers: :chilling: :chilling: :applause: :applause:

18
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Comedian Richard Pryor Dies
« on: December 10, 2005, 04:42:01 PM »
LOS ANGELES - Richard Pryor, the caustic yet perceptive actor-comedian who lived dangerously close to the edge both on stage and off, died Saturday. He was 65. Pryor died shortly before 8 a.m. of a heart attack after being taken to a hospital from his home in the San Fernando Valley, said his business manager, Karen Finch. He had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system.

19
Football / World Cup Capsules
« on: December 02, 2005, 06:26:14 AM »
WC: World Cup Capsules
Associated Press


LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) - The 32 teams that qualified for the 2006 World Cup finals, listed alphabetically by region (FIFA world rankings in parentheses, odds set by British bookmaker William Hill):

EUROPE

Croatia (20)

Coach: Zlatko Kranjcar.

Key players: Dado Prso, Niko Kovac, Josip Simunic.

World Cup record and best finish: Third appearance; third place (1998).

Last appearance: Third round 2002.

World Cup odds: 50-1.

How qualified: Won European Group 8.

Extra time: Croatia's unbeaten record in qualifying should mean it will improve on its first-round elimination from 2002.

Czech Republic (2)

Coach: Karel Bruckner.

Key players: Pavel Nedved, Tomas Rosicky, Milan Baros.

World Cup record and best finish: First appearance (as Czechoslovakia: eight appearances, runner-up 1938, 1962).

Last appearance: Quarterfinals 1990.

World Cup odds: 20-1.

How qualified: Beat Norway in European playoffs.

Extra time: No team scored more goals in European qualifying than the European Championship semifinalists. Jan Koller, Rosicky and Baros are sure to trouble defenses.

England (9)

Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Key players: David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen.

World Cup record and best finish: 12th appearance; champion (1966).

Last appearance: Quarterfinals 2002.

World Cup odds: 7-1.

How qualified: Won European Group 6.

Extra time: An underachiever since winning its only title, England has the flair and spirit to trouble opponents, but a habit of faltering in the knockout stages.

France (5)

Coach: Raymond Domenech.

Key players: Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet.

World Cup record and best finish: 11th appearance; champion (1998).

Last appearance: First round 2002.

World Cup odds: 12-1.

How qualified: Won European Group 4.

Extra time: France struggled to qualify until veterans Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele returned to the team and is unlikely to be the force it once was.

Germany (16)

Coach: Juergen Klinsmann.

Key players: Michael Ballack, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Oliver Kahn.

World Cup record and best finish: 15th appearance; champion (1954, 1974, 1990).

Last appearance: Runner-up 2002.

World Cup odds: 8-1.

How qualified: Host.

Extra time: Germany should be boosted the way hosts usually are, but this team seems to lack the quality needed to emulate its runner-up spot from 2002.

Italy (12)

Coach: Marcello Lippi.

Key players: Francesco Totti, Alessandro Nesta, Christian Vieri.

World Cup record and best finish: 16th appearance; champion (1934, 1938, 1982).

Last appearance: Second round 2002.

World Cup odds: 8-1.

How qualified: Won European Group 5.

Extra time: Having disappointed at recent tournaments, the attacking power of Totti, Antonio Cassano and Luca Toni may spur Italy to rival its past deeds.

Netherlands (3)

Coach: Marco van Basten.

Key players: Ruud van Nistelrooy, Edwin van der Sar, Phillip Cocu.

World Cup record and best finish: Eighth appearance; runner-up (1974, 1978).

Last appearance: Semifinals 1998.

World Cup odds: 11-1.

How qualified: Won European Group 1.

Extra time: One of the few European nations to be a genuine contender, the Netherlands' young team may lack the experience needed to win the country's first title.

Poland (23)

Coach: Pawel Janas.

Key players: Maciej Zurawski, Kamil Kosowski, Jerzy Dudek.

World Cup record and best finish: Sixth appearance; third place (1974, 1982).

Last appearance: First round 2002.

World Cup odds: 80-1.

How qualified: One of two best European group runners-up.

Extra time: Poland qualified strongly from a weak group and, with a team of few stars, is unlikely to get past the first round.

Portugal (10)

Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Key players: Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco.

World Cup record and best finish: Fourth appearance; third place (1966).

Last appearance: First round 2002.

World Cup odds: 20-1.

How qualified: Won European Group 3.

Extra time: Portugal is going strong after reaching the 2004 European Championship final. It may lack the discipline to win, but with Figo and its own Ronaldo, it has the talent.

Serbia-Montenegro (47)

Coach: Ilija Petkovic.

Key players: Mateja Kezman, Dejan Stankovic.

World Cup record and best finish: First appearance (as Yugoslavia: nine appearances, semifinals 1930, 1962).

Last appearance: Second round 1998.

World Cup odds: 66-1.

How qualified: Won European Group 7.

Extra time: Although it won its qualifying group ahead of Spain, the team's failure to beat the more favored Spaniards suggests it might struggle against the big-name teams.

Spain (6)

Coach: Luis Aragones.

Key players: Raul Gonzalez, Xavi Hernandes, Carles Puyol.

World Cup record and best finish: 12th appearance; fourth place (1950).

Last appearance: Quarterfinals 2002.

World Cup odds: 14-1.

How qualified: Beat Slovakia in European playoffs.

Extra time: The most famous underachiever of all World Cup regulars, Spain looks to have the same mercurial talent and fragile mentality that frustrates fans every four years.

Sweden (14)

Coach: Lars Lagerback.

Key players: Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Fredrik Ljungberg, Henrik Larsson.

World Cup record and best finish: 11th appearance; runner-up (1958).

Last appearance: Second round 2002.

World Cup odds: 33-1.

How qualified: One of two best European group runners-up.

Extra time: Sweden often outperforms higher-ranked and favored nations at the World Cup and, with the likes of Ibrahimovich and Ljungberg, could do so again.

Switzerland (36)

Coach: Koebi Kuhn.

Key players: Alexander Frei, Philippe Senderos.

World Cup record and best finish: Eighth appearance; quarterfinals (1934, 1938, 1954).

Last appearance: Second round 1994.

World Cup odds: 80-1.

How qualified: Beat Turkey in European playoff.

Extra time: Having missed the past two tournaments and with no major stars, Switzerland will rely on the spirit it showed to beat Turkey in the playoffs to get it past the first round.

Ukraine (40)

Coach: Oleh Blokhin.

Key players: Andriy Shevchenko, Andrii Voronin.

World Cup record and best finish: First appearance.

Last appearance: First appearance.

World Cup odds: 50-1.

How qualified: Won European Group 2.

Extra time: Ukraine is not considered a serious contender for the title, but powered by Shevchenko's goals, it could upset a team or two at its first World Cup.


South America

Argentina (4)

Coach: Jose Pekerman.

Key players: Hernan Crespo, Juan Roman Riquelme, Carlos Tevez.

World Cup record and best finish: 14th appearance; champion (1978, 1986).

Last appearance: First round 2002.

World Cup odds: 13-2.

How qualified: Second in South American qualifying.

Extra time: Argentina has skill at all positions, and is believed to be one of the few teams that can beat Brazil.

Brazil (1)

Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Key players: Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka.

World Cup record and best finish: 18th appearance; champion (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).

Last appearance: Champion 2002.

World Cup odds: 11-4.

How qualified: Won in South American qualifying.

Extra time: The favorite yet again, the world's top-ranked team has the most talented players and is expected to have an easy time reaching its fourth straight final.

Ecuador (37)

Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez.

Key players: Agustin Delgado, Ivan Hurtado, Geovanny Espinoza.

World Cup record and best finish: Second appearance; first round (2002).

Last appearance: First round 2002.

World Cup odds: 125-1.

How qualified: Third in South American qualifying.

Extra time: Ecuador finished third in its qualifying group by earning the majority of its points playing at high altitude at home in Quito. It might struggle in low-altitude Germany.

Paraguay (30)

Coach: Anibal Ruiz.

Key players: Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Haedo Valdez, Nelson Cuevas.

World Cup record and best finish: Seventh appearance; second round (1998, 2002).

Last appearance: Second round 2002.

World Cup odds: 125-1.

How qualified: Fourth in South American qualifying.

Extra time: Without retired goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, the Paraguayans will find it difficult to reach the second round for the third straight time.


AFRICA

Angola (62)

Coach: Luis Oliveira Goncalvez.

Key players: Fabrice Akwa, Flavio Amado.

World Cup record and best finish: First appearance.

Last appearance: First appearance.

World Cup odds: 400-1.

How qualified: Won African Group 4.

Extra time: Angola qualified ahead of Nigeria, but it is not expected to make it out of the first round.

Ghana (50)

Coach: Ratomir Dujkovic.

Key players: Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah, Samuel Kuffour.

World Cup record and best finish: First appearance.

Last appearance: First appearance.

World Cup odds: 200-1.

How qualified: Won African Group 2.

Extra time: If Essien shines, the team could surprise some others, as Senegal, Nigeria and Cameroon did at past tournaments.

Ivory Coast (41)

Coach: Robert Nouzarat.

Key players: Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure, Aruna Dindane.

World Cup record and best finish: First appearance.

Last appearance: First appearance.

World Cup odds: 66-1.

How qualified: Won African Group 3.

Extra time: Led by Drogba, Ivory Coast is believed to be the African team with the best chance to repeat Senegal's quarterfinal performance from 2002.

Togo (56)

Coach: Stephen Keshi.

Key players: Emmanuel Adebayor, Sheriff Toure.

World Cup record and best finish: First appearance.

Last appearance: First appearance.

World Cup odds: 400-1.

How qualified: Won African Group 1.

Extra time: Possibly the biggest surprise of the African qualifying campaign, Togo will be an even bigger surprise if it makes it out of the first round.

Tunisia (28)

Coach: Roger Lemerre.

Key players: Karim Saidi, Silva dos Santos, Jose Clayton.

World Cup record and best finish: Fourth appearance; first round (1978, 1998, 2002).

Last appearance: First round 2002.

World Cup odds: 300-1.

How qualified: Won African Group 5.

Extra time: The African Cup champion has improved with Brazilian-born players Silva dos Santos and Jose Clayton and could reach the second round if it gets a favorable draw.


ASIA

Iran (19)

Coach: Branko Ivankovic.

Key players: Ali Daei, Mohammad Nosrati.

World Cup record and best finish: Third appearance; first round (1978, 1998).

Last appearance: First round 1998.

World Cup odds: 500-1.

How qualified: Second in Asian Group B.

Extra time: Iran's ranking more reflects the standard of teams it plays rather than the impact it can make at the World Cup. It might not finish last in its group, but is unlikely to do much better.

Japan (15)

Coach: Zico.

Key players: Hidetoshi Nakata, Naohiro Takahara.

World Cup record and best finish: Third appearance; second round (2002).

Last appearance: Second round 2002.

World Cup odds: 125-1.

How qualified: Won Asian Group B.

Extra time: With several players in Europe and a Brazilian coach with extensive World Cup experience, the Japanese could make it back to the second round despite playing without home-field advantage.

Saudi Arabia (32)

Coach: Gabriel Calderon.

Key players: Sulley Ali Muntari, Sami al-Jaber.

World Cup record and best finish: Fourth appearance; second round (1994).

Last appearance: First round 2002.

World Cup odds: 500-1.

How qualified: Won Asian Group A.

Extra time: The Saudis edged South Korea in their final qualifying group, but don't expect them to make waves in Germany.

South Korea (29)

Coach: Dick Advocaat.

Key players: Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo.

World Cup record and best finish: Seventh appearance; semifinals (2002).

Last appearance: Semifinals 2002.

World Cup odds: 300-1.

How qualified: Second in Asian Group A.

Extra time: The South Koreans struggled in qualifying and brought on Dutch coach Dick Advocaat after reaching the tournament for the seventh time. A return trip to the semifinals will be a tall order.


CONCACAF

Costa Rica (21)

Coach: Alexandre Guimaraes.

Key players: Paulo Wanchope, Danny Fonseca, Ronald Gomez.

World Cup record and best finish: Third appearance; second round (1990).

Last appearance: First round 2002.

World Cup odds: 500-1.

How qualified: Third in CONCACAF's final group.

Extra time: The Costa Ricans won their qualifying group four years ago, but a third-place finish this time shows their aging stars may be past their prime.

Mexico (7)

Coach: Ricardo Lavolpe.

Key players: Rafael Marquez, Jared Borgetti.

World Cup record and best finish: 13th appearance; quarterfinals (1970, 1986).

Last appearance: Second round 2002.

World Cup odds: 50-1.

How qualified: Second in CONCACAF's final group.

Extra time: Mexico goes into every World Cup thinking it has a chance to win it, but with few players with European experience it's not likely to happen this time.

United States ( 8 )

Coach: Bruce Arena.

Key players: Landon Donovan, Claudio Reyna, DaMarcus Beasley.

World Cup record and best finish: Eighth appearance; semifinals (1930).

Last appearance: Quarterfinals 2002.

World Cup odds: 80-1.

How qualified: Won CONCACAF's final group.

Extra time: The Americans need a favorable draw more than most teams, then must show they can win in Europe, where they are 1-8-2 under Arena.

Trinidad and Tobago (51)

Coach: Leo Beenhakker.

Key player: Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy.

World Cup record and best finish: First appearance.

Last appearance: First appearance.

World Cup odds: 750-1.

How qualified: Beat Bahrain in playoff.

Extra time: Short on players with major experience, anything other than three straight defeats will be a surprise.


OCEANIA

Australia (49)

Coach: Guus Hiddink.

Key players: Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell.

World Cup record and best finish: Second appearance; first round (1974).

Last appearance: First round 1974.

World Cup odds: 125-1.

How qualified: Beat Uruguay in playoff.

Extra time: Hiddink led the Netherlands to the semifinals in 1998 and South Korea to the last four in 2002. Taking the Aussies as far would be a minor miracle.

20
WHO FELT THE QUAKE!!???

21
Football / What was your favourite Soca Warriors Game or Games?
« on: November 28, 2005, 10:21:06 AM »
What was your fav match or matches that you attended? Mine was the 6-0 demolishing of Panama in the first round of the 2002 World Cup Quals.

22
Football / T&T v Bahrain 2nd Leg shown on Football Asia
« on: November 25, 2005, 03:16:45 PM »
I jus watched Football Asia on Fox Soccer Channel and they showed the 2nd leg between Trinidad and Bahrain.

Man i would do anything to relive that day over and over again. :) :)


IM A SOCA WARRIOR I SAY WIN OR LOSE IM A FIGHTER!!!

23
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Actor Pat Morita Dies at 73
« on: November 25, 2005, 02:41:45 PM »
Actor Pat Morita Dies at 73

LOS ANGELES - Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, has died. He was 73.

Morita died Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes, said his wife of 12 years, Evelyn. She said in a statement that her husband, who first rose to fame with a role on "Happy Days," had "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy."

In 1984, he appeared in the role that would define his career and spawn countless affectionate imitations. As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to     Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san," he taught karate while trying to catch flies with chopsticks and offering such advice as "wax on, wax off" to guide Daniel through chores to improve his skills.

Morita said in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press he was billed as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita in the film because producer Jerry Weintraub wanted him to sound more ethnic. He said he used the billing because it was "the only name my parents gave me."

He lost the 1984 best supporting actor award to Haing S. Ngor, who appeared in "The Killing Fields."

For years, Morita played small and sometimes demeaning roles in such films as "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and TV series such as "The Odd Couple" and "Green Acres." His first breakthrough came with "Happy Days," and he followed with his own brief series, "Mr. T and Tina."

"The Karate Kid," led to three sequels, the last of which, 1994's "The Next Karate Kid," paired him with a young     Hilary Swank.

Morita was prolific outside of the "Karate Kid" series as well, appearing in "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Spy Hard," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and "The Center of the World." He also provided the voice for a character in the Disney movie "Mulan" in 1998.

Born in northern California on June 28, 1932, the son of migrant fruit pickers, Morita spent most of his early years in the hospital with spinal tuberculosis. He later recovered only to be sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during World War II.

"One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 AP interview. "The next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted to an internment camp by an     FBI agent wearing a piece."

After the war, Morita's family tried to repair their finances by operating a Sacramento restaurant. It was there that Morita first tried his comedy on patrons.

Because prospects for a Japanese-American standup comic seemed poor, Morita found steady work in computers at Aerojet General. But at age 30 he entered show business full time.

"Only in America could you get away with the kind of comedy I did," he commented. "If I tried it in Japan before the war, it would have been considered blasphemy, and I would have ended in leg irons. "

Morita was to be buried at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters from a previous marriage.

24
Football / YORKE ON FOX SPORTS REPORT!!!
« on: November 24, 2005, 09:24:51 PM »
Who see Yorke on Fox Sports Report when they did the a report on the World Club Championships?

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