Re: More Football Chat : Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:26 pm  

WTF has happened at Inter.

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:55 am  

Mark wrote:

WTF has happened at Inter.

Benitez?

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 5:02 pm  

Howard should have been off. Cole should have scored, but when he didn't make any contact with the ball it should have been a pen because of the Everton player scything into the back of him.

But we got exactly what we deserved today. Plod, plod, plod... all the way through the game. We're winning 1-0 against Everton and desperately need the win, Everton deserve to equalise but the ball comes back off the inside of and rolls along the goal line. Is that a signal that we've had a lucky escape and go up a couple of gears to secure the victory? Is it f***, it's more plodding.

Everton equalise, there's three minutes of normal time, plus seven minutes of injury time because Cech was down hurt. Do we go up a couple of gears to win the game and go back to the top? No, Everton look like they are the team who desperately want the win.

The only good thing today was JT coming back. Apart from that, nothing. I can't remember a time we really looked like scoring (well, JT hit the bar in the first half, but that's it.)

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 7:04 pm  

Another day of frustration for Everton. At times they are playing like a Champions League side. All they are lacking is someone to convert the chances they are making. 16 shots at goal today, away at Chelsea, and only manage to score 1. It's been like that all season.

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 7:09 pm  

Though Beckford scored today, perhaps their strikeforce is too weak? Saha has always been a sicknote and Yakubu doesn't get enough goals to propel a half-decent side towards the top 4.

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 7:32 pm  

Good comeback game from Rovers today after last weeks humiliation.Still no goals from the forwards today but i'll take the goals from anywhere if it means we stay up.

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 8:49 pm  

WBFOP wrote:

Ken Bates has been talking about this for a long time, back when he was still at Chelsea. And to be fair he is right.

FIFA use other people assets (players) to put on their tournaments, what if people denied them those assets?

I think the "assets" and supporters might have something to say about it if England decided to pull out of international football. The idea that all these other nations will pull out of FIFA because we have a sense of entitlement about the World Cup is laughable, the FA hacked off most of the other UEFA nations when they went back on the deal with Germany regarding 2006, which nearly cost Europe that World Cup, a bit more humility wouldn't go amiss from our Governing Body.

Ken Bates is just peeved because he won't get the value of his asset improved by having a World Cup pay for his stadium (or whoever it is that owns it) redevelopment.

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 9:00 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

UEFA and FIFA claim to be against billionaire backing of clubs. They've introduced new rules to curtail it.

But without the billionaire backing for Russia, and especially Qatar, their bids would have been laughed at. Qatar are building 9 new stadiums, which will be dismantled at the end of the WC and shipped around the world to make stadiums for 3rd world countries. Qatar only has a population of 1.7m people. The attendances for the SA WC were over 3 million.

I think England whining about corruption is a bit rich. We had the argument with Germany when they won the WC. This time we're supposed to have agreed to go after the 2018 if the US went after the 2022. And then there's our press, which IMO rightly highlight just how bent FIFA are.

The Qatar decision is bizarre and the plans sound like something out of some futuristic film, logistically I wouldn't be that surprised if it doesn't actually happen, though obviously they have the money to chuck at it. The legacy (which is what FIFA and the IOC seem to be interested in nowadays, nothing wrong with that) this tournament could leave in Russia is undoubted, but what it can do for Qatar is debatable.

It is undeniable that the voting system is completely outdated and needs a complete overhaul, though if England had won the bid nothing more would have been mentioned.

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 9:53 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

Howard should have been off. Cole should have scored, but when he didn't make any contact with the ball it should have been a pen because of the Everton player scything into the back of him.

I wouldn't have argued if Howard has gone but maybe Probert took the view that it was edge of the box, Distin was around covering and a penalty plus a yellow was sufficient. What Neville was thinking I've no idea, complete moment of madness. Didn't have a good enough view of the Cole one to give opinion but will see it on MOTD or Football First later.

*Edit* having seen it again Probert for the decision spot on. Not only was Distin covering Howard Anelka overhit the ball pushing it well away from himself, good chance he might not have even got there. Ancelotti was nice and honest after the game saying the decision was the right one not to send him off.

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

But we got exactly what we deserved today. Plod, plod, plod... all the way through the game. We're winning 1-0 against Everton and desperately need the win, Everton deserve to equalise but the ball comes back off the inside of and rolls along the goal line. Is that a signal that we've had a lucky escape and go up a couple of gears to secure the victory? Is it f***, it's more plodding.

I was amazed how you fell of the game once you were in front. The timing of the penalty meant you couldn't push on to grab a second before half time but Howard was rarely called on in the second half and we really pushed on and deserved out goal. I did think Rodwell's header was in when it hit the post but why you sat off so much in the second half I'll never know. I thought it was to be one of them afternoons and we'd never score but I've never seen us have so much possession at Stamford Bridge.

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

Everton equalise, there's three minutes of normal time, plus seven minutes of injury time because Cech was down hurt. Do we go up a couple of gears to win the game and go back to the top? No, Everton look like they are the team who desperately want the win.

Nice honest assessment too mate, I was gutted when 7 minutes was added on as I did think then you'd really push and dominate but as before it just didn't happen. We could've snatched it ourselves in the end, overall I'm delighted with another point at SB, five draws in five years for us their now, with our recent form and performances a point was a really good result.

Re: More Football Chat : Sat Dec 04, 2010 10:00 pm  

Asim wrote:

The Qatar decision is bizarre and the plans sound like something out of some futuristic film, logistically I wouldn't be that surprised if it doesn't actually happen, though obviously they have the money to chuck at it. The legacy (which is what FIFA and the IOC seem to be interested in nowadays, nothing wrong with that) this tournament could leave in Russia is undoubted, but what it can do for Qatar is debatable.

It is undeniable that the voting system is completely outdated and needs a complete overhaul, though if England had won the bid nothing more would have been mentioned.

How the Qatar bid have convinced Fifa they can build open air,yet climate controlled stadia is baffling. Can they really be built without a roof?