The football (soccer) thread

[ezodisy]

Yeah I agree. Chelsea have been chugging along quietly but steadily, I could see them winning the title this year. Second half of the season will be thrilling at both ends of the table.

Hatton won, fight stopped in round 11.

[ezodisy]

man this looks good. Arsenal against Barcelona might have been preferable, but ya don't complain when you've got near perfection.

Champions League holders Man Utd will play Inter Milan in the last 16, while Liverpool face Real Madrid, Chelsea play Juventus and Arsenal take on Roma.

[ezodisy]

Gerrard charged in assault probe

HA HA HA HA HA!

[springrite]

Gerrard charged in assault probe

HA HA HA HA HA!

Would have been funnier if it were C. Ronaldo. But still...

[ezodisy]

nah you can't beat the timing of this, just hours after he was talking up his title chances and how it's the best team he's played in. For someone who so desperately wants to win the league, and has a great chance this year, the timing could hardly be worse (or better for some).

[springrite]

nah you can't beat the timing of this, just hours after he was talking up his title chances and how it's the best team he's played in. For someone who so desperately wants to win the league, and has a great chance this year, the timing could hardly be worse (or better for some).

What is it about Liverpool? Remember the "let's give Michael a chance to win some trophy" sentiment and his subsequent transfer to Real (with the blessing of most of the Scousers). Then Liverpool won the CL without him. Michael got buried on the bench at Real, got the desperation transfer to Newcastle and went downhill from there.

Oh the curse of being the #1 guy at Liverpool FC.

[ezodisy]

well if you spend 24 hours inside like he did then they probably have something on you (CCTV and/or witnesses). I don't know what he's doing hanging around there anyway when he could be using his ridiculous and as ever with English footballers wholly undeserved riches to go pick up beautiful foreign leggy catwalk mistresses. I was down in Belgravia this morning for a rather tense agm and on the way back up Sloane Street caught sight of the hottest pair of legs I've seen in ages in these tight dark stripey black/green leggings with the perfect crossover walk which looked totally unaffected. Instead of hanging around with a bunch of deadbeats Gerrard should be trying to win the cup and picking up mistresses like that one who obviously was only interested in shopping and (spending) money but that can be forgiven. At least now we know what'll be pointed to as the turning point if Liverpool concede top spot.

[Peregrine]

[ezodisy]

the boy wears a thoooooooooooong
*clap* *clap* *clap*
On his knees in
prison all night long

The Clash - Rock the Casbah

[Peregrine]

 

I think this will get an airing today -
(To the tune of Robin Hood)

Steven Gerrard is our captain
Steven Gerrard is a red
Steven Gerrard plays for Liverpool
A Scouser born and bred...

[ezodisy]

the guy who got battered was probably asking for it by doing something stupid to provoke him, and I doubt Gerrard did much if anything anyway. Don't think it'll affect his season either. I'm really looking forward to thos champs league games next month

[springrite]

Enjoying the beating The Richest Club on the Planet is receiving AT HOME from Forest!

[ezodisy]

well you know all teams have players which even their own fans think are rubbish or near to it. It's just a wonder why that particular one (Lucas) gets played again and again because he doesn't score, doesn't create all that much, doesn't even bust a gut like Kuyt, just tends to give the ball away a whole lot. It's not quite the same team without Alonso is it?

[Peregrine]

well you know all teams have players which even their own fans think are rubbish or near to it. It's just a wonder why that particular one (Lucas) gets played again and again because he doesn't score, doesn't create all that much, doesn't even bust a gut like Kuyt, just tends to give the ball away a whole lot. It's not quite the same team without Alonso is it?

Lucas is a young lad and making a name for himself in a foreign country. He has had his fair share of dodgy games, but after a MoM against Newcastle (arguably shared with Gerrard) he's been on a bit of a roll, today's game excepted. He's come very highly rated from Brazil and if given the chance will become a top midfielder, but modern day Sky orientated fans strive for immediacy in everything and if they don't get what they want, react accordingly.

However, Alonso is a fantastic player and having a great season, but injured. I still think I'ld have played Lucas ahead of him in this game because Alonso is an artist and probably would have struggled against a physical side like Stoke. Whilst Lucas doesn't have the passing range of Alonso (who does?), he's decent, and along with the Masch' can put himself about a bit.

Hindsight as ever is a wonderful thing and a draw today is disappointing, but I'm just really chuffed at our position in the league and let's just see how it all pans out at the end eh?

[ezodisy]

Lucas is a young lad and making a name for himself in a foreign country.

Yeah dude so's my bricklaying friend from Poland. lol No doubt he's got talent to play at any PL club. Just saying that I don't see his merit in a starting roll, and even less in an off-the-bench change-the-game sort of roll. Carling Cup/FA/home to West Brom type of player maybe, second string, build up his game, earn a spot in the first team. Then again, it does beg the question of whether there's anyone better on the bench to replace him right now?

Alonso is quality and I think he's a tough player too, I've seen him fly into tackles many times and am pretty certain he would have done fine against Stoke.

Hindsight as ever is a wonderful thing and a draw today is disappointing, but I'm just really chuffed at our position in the league and let's just see how it all pans out at the end eh?

yeah that's all that matters. I said at the start of the season that I don't really see ManU taking it and so far they haven't really clicked. Should be an interesting run in, but I'm particularly looking forward to the CL games next month

[Peregrine]

Yeah dude so's my bricklaying friend from Poland. lol

Are you mocking me? 

Then again, it does beg the question of whether there's anyone better on the bench to replace him right now?

I think a midfield pool of Gerrard, Alonso, Masch and Lucas is more than sufficient...and IMO is the best in the league, but maybe I'm biased...

Alonso is quality and I think he's a tough player too, I've seen him fly into tackles many times and am pretty certain he would have done fine against Stoke.

He is tough and maybe I've done him a disservice, but I'm with Rafa on this and still think Lucas is good enough to fill his boots, albeit a different type of player.

yeah that's all that matters. I said at the start of the season that I don't really see ManU taking it and so far they haven't really clicked. Should be an interesting run in, but I'm particularly looking forward to the CL games next month

I am just really excited that we are in the mix at this stage of the season. I know you like to knock Liverpool, but I can only see it as a positive that we are competing and in turn making the Premier League more competitive. Oh how I yearn for days of yonder when we were winning the league regularly but had umpteen teams chasing us for the title at the beginning of a season. We now just look at the top four amd guess who's gonna' take it and even then, it's only really been yourselves and Chelsea over the past few years! God forbid it ends up like Scotland with two teams contesting top honours year in, year out.

[ezodisy]

I know you like to knock Liverpool

Well for me it's not so much the team as the manager. Honestly I would knock any team with Benitez, because I just don't like overly defensive types (which I think he is) and I especially don't like chaps who appear too petty to appreciate their talented rivals (Ferguson, Mourinho, Wenger, for all their venom you know there's an appreciation of each other deep down, whereas Benitez appears to despise them all, particularly F and M). If he wants to win the league he's going to have to gamble a bit more. Ferguson might be a cantankerous wino but one thing I like about him is that he's willing to gamble with fortune. After the Japanese trip a few weeks back, being held by Stoke away, he threw on his last striker and went for it and it paid off with a typical last minute Tevez goal. Keane might not be doing so well without a creative strike partner to feed off (Berbatov) but why leave him on the bench again? He's a scorer and Benitez needs to win these games, because 1 point against the other big 3 might be okay but against a team lower down it can only stand as a missed chance. I'm still surprised that decisions like that keep the fan base loyal to him, because to me they just don't make sense, if anything are just self-destructive. As a fan of an opposing team, however, I am not going to complain too loudly 

God forbid it ends up like Scotland with two teams contesting top honours year in, year out.

yeah that would be nonsense. Competition is everything and I hope it continues

[ezodisy]

problem with going on the attack too early is that on the counter you can be made to look like a dumbass. Luckily for Benitez the season still has a long way to run.

Next 5 pool league fixtures:

Liverpool v Everton
Wigan v Liverpool
Liverpool v Chelsea
Portsmouth v Liverpool
Liverpool v Man City

then off to Real Madrid. Not easy games at all, I think 9 or 10 points from that lot would be very good indeed.

[ezodisy]

Jose's last episode of I'm on Setanta Sports. What a shame, that was a bloody marvelous show

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article2126618.ece

[vandermolen]

Yeah I agree. Chelsea have been chugging along quietly but steadily, I could see them winning the title this year.

I doubt it and I speak as a long-suffering Chelsea supporter (ie from the early 1960s)