Soccer/Football Around The World Thread - Page 3

Awesome. I'd take that.

I wholly agree with you about Drogba's schoolboy antics being deplorable and why the "conspiracy theory" business is nonsense, Rusty.

Yeah scott, Drogba's game was rumbled by the smorgasbord of pundits we sampled the other night, too. Boy needs to wind his neck in. I see where you're coming from about Barca. I think they're certainly there for the taking and United will know it as well as they will. My brother called it - last Saturday's mauling is more a reflection of the sheer poorness of Real than ant outstanding work on Barca's part.

I share similar bemusement at the Shearer/Barton situations. Despite his canonization into the football "elite" with his punditry work, I remain convinced the former is a thug, much like the latter. To paraphrase Roy Keane (a genuinely promising young manager) - I didn't rate him as a player, I don't rate him as a manager, and I don't rate him as a person.

Fair play to Genoa. You can't whack a good underdog story.

Even further away from the Premier League, I'll hopefully be watching the Irish Cup Final tomorrow. Come on, the wee Crues! By the way scott, you left me hanging in the Ireland thread with the chanting. What's the deal? Back in our Seaview halcyon days, you were most vocal in your support.

It's all worth it now: the Hatchet Men have triumphed! Let the glory flow through you.

A massive win for the Shirts today. However, there's still much to be done.

Absolutely. He was almost anonymous against us.

I, too, refuse to fall under the "brave Shearer" spell, Russ. All the best adjectives for that boy incorporate alliteration: slippery Shearer, sickening Shearer, sullen Shearer, and so on.

Here, here. That's great news.

As for Reading, maybe a little bit of complacency crept in, Russ?

For some reason, the complacency thing sprang to mind right off the bat. It made a lot more sense to me then than it does now!

What's everyone think of the Football Writers patting Stevie G on the back? Quite a United back-log queuing up behind him...

I didn't see Burnley's goals, but I'd be interested to see the Sheffield Utd game. I've no real preference between the two other than that, if Burnley were to go up, young Paterson would be in the Premiership: the more N'Irish squad players getting Premiership football the better. Similarly, I hope young Brunt(y) can get himself a wee move in the likely event of West Brom's top flight departure.

I know what you mean about (Sir David of) Healy, Scott. He's Premiership class, but I can't see him getting treated any differently if he does move elsewhere. Championship might be the only thing for it, as you say (much as it would pain me to see him step back.)

Tremendous result for United tonight. Once Tevez equalized (love the cheeky finish, by the way), the belief was evident. Not to sound like those I most abhor, but credit to Wigan for digging in and going for it so much. They'll feel hard done by. If for nothing else, Carrick's winner fairly burst Tyler and Gray's bubble. They were clearly enjoying the potentially delicious set-up a draw in tonight's game would've left for the weekend.

By all accounts, we're not letting him go easily. Fergie said after the Wigan game that talks are ongoing (just earlier today, in fact) and he hopes things are moving forward. He wants him to stay, the man himself clearly wants to stay, the fans really want him to stay... he's a wee star, no question.

Just discovered this. Interesting. I presume it's just the usual agent nonsense ("it has always been my client's dream to play for *insert club here.*") If it's not, though, I'd rather keep Carlos than bring in someone like him, undoubtedly talented though he is.

My feeling towards Anderson is the same as many United fans (including my brother) - he's a class act. Coming on all the time, impressing, endearing himself. No level-headed United fans I know (or have heard/read) are turning on him. He's been very consistent lately, but I do agree with you about his performance tonight. Same for Scholes. Both were oddly understated.

Oh man, Russ. That was one of the single greatest match-watching experiences of my life:

"My my... Dwight Yorke must have slept well last night!"

I take your meaning, Scott. Would those other strikers (Benzema, Huntelaar, et al...) take to the club in the way that he did, though? And have the United attitude and work ethic? Maybe. It's a lot harder to find guys like Tevez now. Makes me think that, given all the chancers out there, he might be more of a find than we realize.

For me, Tevez isn't worth 30 odd million. Then again, for me, 30 + shouldn't be paid out for anyone less than a Maradona/Cruyff/Best-level talent. I love the guy, but there's no way any more than 15-20 max should be touted for him.

What's today's 365 poll?

"So who will win it next season?"

The options?

United,
The Scouse,
Chelsea, and
Arsenal

It's not just film fans who are getting ahead of themselves these days, then?

I'm the same as Russ when it comes to the Bundesliga, Scott. Watched it briefly around '01/'02 on Sky, so I'm no expert. Love an open league, though (despite the drawbacks it's yielding presently.)

Oh, yes. That day's ingrained. Also, it's from back when I was actually quite fond of Andy Gray.

My brother's probably delighted about Millwall's progress. He hates Leeds.

Cheers, Russ! I can half-remember some Rangers ones, too, from VHS tapes of games I didn't see first-time 'round. They mostly go like this:

And Rangers get things underway. Durrant... out wide to Hateley. Hateley... Hateley... HATE-LEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!!! Sensational! With just 6 seconds gone Mark Hateley nets his 30th goal of the season!

That was probably around December.

No drinks; my bets are hedged! And I don't even want to think about the last part of that sentence.

That you are. Scott is, indeed, a scholar of world football.

That's what I'm talking about! Get in, you wee dancer.

It actually went in surprisingly fast for me, Eddie. Not fast, just not slow. It felt so open... possibly where my reaction stemmed from. The kind of game you just wish you could take by the scruff of the neck yourself and finish, you know? We looked like scoring so often, too; shame we didn't hammer them. It would've been the perfect cap to see Wenger sink bank into the tunnel while Walcott and his ilk trudge off, demoralized. No harm done - she's ours for another year!

To answer your earlier question, Russ, any excitement I might have felt should Arsenal have won today would have been purely knee-jerk. Then, it would've gave way to a "this is gonna' be desperate" pessimism for the remainder of that potential run-in. That sounds better in prose than it every could have in reality.

By the way, the Hateley thing is an in-joke I have with my brother. He didn't score after 6 seconds (at least, that I can recall) in a particular game; that's just our way of satirizing a stack of footage where he, essentially, terrorized Scottish defences for years by scoring almost at will. It's like when a defender adds five yards to that freak-wonder goal he once scored every time he's in the pub. It started out at about a minute or two.... You and Sky Sports both about the drama!

"It only takes a moment!"

They would've loved it, loved it, if they beat us.

Part of me still expects Newcastle to sneak to safety so - even though I think you're probably right, Russ - I'll posit that they get a controversial win at Villa. West Brom to lose or draw at Blackburn, and West Ham to beat Boro.' We should still beat Hull. So West Brom, Hull, and... Boro' to drop, then.

Lastly, I'm finally gonna' have the beer. Enjoy the moment, United fans! The Scouse's bragging rights are destroyed.

Me too. All this talk is really making me miss Eurogoals. I love my Champions League Round-Ups and what have you, but that's really just dipping my toes in the paddling pool.

Very cool that you remember that. I recall watching that game so vividly. Tea in my lap with a forkful of (possibly) bacon, I paused; "it's Beckham, he could do it." A rare moment of insight for me! Must have been a great moment to be English.

Since we're sharing favourite YouTube football moments... (try to hold back your surprise, Scott!)

Northern Ireland - 3, Spain - 2. I've said it before... that was one of the best nights of my life. Listen to the roars of the Green and White Army. If you don't feel a tingle - or anything - while watching that, you're missing out! Don't know how many times I've seen this and it still gets me when David completes his hat-trick.