What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (2 Viewers)

great game but the teams were spent. Some of the early injuries I think affected the overall fitness of the teams.

Still hard for MLS to complain about that type of final.

Now imagine that same game with Seattle in the final. What an atmosphere that would have been :thumbup:

 
Bummed about the Galaxy losing. I have to say RSL was probably the better team, certainly during the second half and OT even if their goal was one where the ball bounced the right way for them. I can't believe that Donovan airmailed that PK like he did. That's what will bug me the most about this match. Never in a million years would I thought he would have hit that kind of shot.

 
Steve Tasker said:
Anyone see Spurs/Wigan? Spurs won 9-1? Seriously?
Click to expand...
Wigan players offer ticket refund after 9-1 loss

(AP) – 27 minutes ago

WIGAN, England — The outcome was so embarrassing that Wigan's players want to refund the cost of tickets to their fans.

Wigan was routed 9-1 by Tottenham on Sunday, matching a league record for most goals scored by a team in a game. Jermain Defoe had five of Tottenham's eight goals in the second half at White Hart Lane .

"We feel that as a group of players we badly let down our supporters yesterday, and this is a gesture we have to make and pay them back for their tremendous loyalty," Wigan defender Mario Melchiot said.

"As a group of professionals, we were embarrassed by the way we performed. We feel it was below our standards and this is something we feel we owe to the fans."

Wigan declined to say how many of its fans were at the game — likely to be fewer than 1,000 — but said the amount the players would pay would be a "five-figure sum."

Although Wigan does not have a huge following and averages about 17,000 fans for home games, those who made the 350-mile round trip to north London and back had a grim day.

Ipswich is the only other team to concede nine goals in a Premier League game, against Manchester United in 1995. Defoe matched the record of five goals in a game by Man United's Andy Cole (against Ipswich) and Newcastle's Alan Shearer (against Sheffield Wednesday in 1999).

What's more, Wigan's lone goal, by Paul Scharner with the score 3-0, looked dubious because he controlled the ball with his arm before scoring.

"We have to draw a line under the game, focus completely on training this week and bounce back on Saturday (against Sunderland)," said Melchiot, a 33-year-old Dutch defender. "We are professionals. We will take it on the chin and move on, but it's important that we do not take our supporters for granted."

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Click to expand...
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...E5VSaAD9C5CMRG0
 
Raids Expose Soccer Fixing Across Europe

By ROB HUGHES and ERIC PFANNER

Published: November 20, 2009

BOCHUM, Germany — European law-enforcement officials said Friday that they had arrested the leaders of a far-reaching gambling cartel that is thought to have conspired to influence the outcome of 200 soccer games in nine countries across the continent.

Announcing that 17 people had been arrested — 15 in Germany and 2 in Switzerland — prosecutors said they might have uncovered only the tip of a scandal in which gamblers are accused of bribing players, officials and trainers. The police said they seized more than a million euros (about $1.48 million) in cash and other assets after more than 50 raids Thursday in Germany, Britain, Switzerland and Austria.

Among the games under suspicion are three in the Champions League, the prestigious tournament for Europe’s best teams.

“Without question, this is the biggest betting scandal in the history of European soccer,” said Peter Limacher, the head of discipline for European soccer’s governing body.

Such a characterization was acutely grave, given that match-fixing scandals are not new to European soccer. The top leagues in Italy and Germany — which include some of the world’s elite teams — have had their own, less sprawling crises in recent years.

The latest investigation, which was led by the German police, suggests that the sport is riddled with even more corruption at nearly all levels than fans or officials may have suspected.

The police said the number of arrests could grow, though they thought the principals of the ring were in custody.

The German organized crime unit, based here in the Ruhr region near Düsseldorf, and the governing body for European soccer, known by its acronym, UEFA, refused to identify the suspects or to specify the games in question, saying that would jeopardize the case. A German soccer club, F. C. Würzburg Kickers, said one of its players had been arrested in the sweep. It said the player had been involved in a previous betting scandal.

Some of the evidence was uncovered through phone taps. Germany had set a precedent for this in 2005 when a referee, Robert Hoyzer, was caught fixing matches on behalf of a Croatian cartel. Months later, corruption in Italy’s top league was exposed: the chief executive and the general manager of Juventus, one of the world’s best teams, were accused of creating a network of officials, owners, referees and journalists to influence refereeing assignments and thus the outcome of league games.

In addition to the three Champions League matches under suspicion, the investigators said Friday that they had evidence involving 12 matches in the Europa League, another inter-European competition.

However, the investigation has not uncovered evidence of match fixing in any of the top-flight leagues in England, Spain, Italy or France. The stars of the sport, paid salaries upward of $5 million, are not likely to be susceptible to bribes, officials said. They emphasized that the marquee clubs like Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and A.C. Milan so far were not suspected of fixing games.

In Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, second-tier professional leagues are involved, the police said. In Austria, Bosnia, Hungary, Turkey, Slovenia and Croatia, games in the top leagues as well as secondary leagues are included.

Germany and Turkey are the two countries with the most games in question, with 32 and 29 involved. Officials said it appeared that only soccer matches, and not other sporting events, were involved.

Mr. Limacher said that there was no evidence that the ring had fixed matches before this year and that he did not want to speculate about the possibility. About a year ago, the governing body disclosed that it had found evidence of suspicious betting on 26 soccer games. At the time, it said that the games were in Eastern Europe and involved only obscure teams playing at relatively low levels.

The scale of the corruption outlined Friday appeared to come as a surprise to UEFA. As late as Monday, William Gaillard, an adviser to the organization’s president, Michel Platini, insisted in an interview that he knew of no cases beyond those that had been reported to the European police last season. And he said he thought it unlikely that any would surface beyond lower-level matches, predominantly in Eastern Europe.

On Friday, law enforcement officials described evidence of at least 10 million euros, or about $14.8 million, in illegal gains by the gambling cartels.

“But that is surely just the tip of the iceberg,” said Friedhelm Althans, the Bochum police chief. He said that in some cases, the games did not end as the plotters had hoped — or they might have pocketed even more.

To influence players, coaches or referees to fix a game, officials said, money may not always be the most important factor. It is possible that some of the gamblers were able to catch a player in a compromising situation, they said, and bribe him to pay for silence by throwing a game.

Apart from the current investigation, there is evidence that betting cartels based in Asia have been involved in fixing matches at a much lower level than the top professional soccer leagues. Some obscure games have attracted millions of dollars in betting, officials said, suggesting that the groups have been seeking to fly under the radar by focusing on games involving only part-time professional players.
Click to expand...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/sports/s...p;th&emc=th
 
Unbelievable MLS cup... wow.

Favorite image from the game- Andy Williams missing out on that Millionth minute amazing feed by Mathis (he's still got it) and too spent to get up from his back until the final whistle. Had to figure he'd miss his PK too...

 
El Floppo said:
Unbelievable MLS cup... wow.Favorite image from the game- Andy Williams missing out on that Millionth minute amazing feed by Mathis (he's still got it) and too spent to get up from his back until the final whistle. Had to figure he'd miss his PK too...
Click to expand...
Ya, what a pass....it seemed to happen in slow motion too...awesome.
 
El Floppo said:
Unbelievable MLS cup... wow.Favorite image from the game- Andy Williams missing out on that Millionth minute amazing feed by Mathis (he's still got it) and too spent to get up from his back until the final whistle. Had to figure he'd miss his PK too...
Click to expand...
Billy Mitchell said:
LHUCKS said:
Any other thoughts on who should play with Jozy up top in 2010?
Click to expand...
One of EJ, Twellman, Wolff, or Mathis IMOETA - forgot about Kamani Hill...add him to the mix
Click to expand...
My GB Billy Mitchell was way ahead of you on Mathis....
 
More on the game-fixing scandal:

Game-Fixing Scandal Makes Many Poor Performances Suspect

By ERIC PFANNER

Published: November 23, 2009

PARIS — After F.C. Thun, a second-tier professional soccer club in Switzerland, was routed by 5-1 in April by a rival, Yverdon, officials were scratching their heads trying to figure out why their team had lost so badly.

The poor showing was particularly surprising for a team that in 2005 had advanced deep into the Champions League, a competition for the elite teams of Europe.

“Many players didn’t perform like we know them,” Markus Stahli, the president of F.C. Thun, said in a telephone interview Monday.

A possible reason has emerged: the game may have been rigged.

As details trickle out in a match-fixing scandal described as the biggest in European soccer history, the Thun-Yverdon game is one of about 200 under investigation in Switzerland and eight other countries for possible manipulation linked to an international betting ring.

F.C. Thun said Monday that it had suspended one of its players, Pape Omar Faye, after he told club officials he had been questioned by the police in connection with the investigation. Other players might have been involved as well. The Neue Zurcher Zeitung, a Zurich newspaper, reported that F.C. Thun players received a total of about $22,000 to ensure that their team was defeated by four goals.

Stahli said Faye insisted that he had been questioned as a witness rather than as an active participant in the plot.

“He said he was told to play not at 100 percent, but only at 50 to 80 percent,” Stahli said.

Since announcing Friday that 17 people — 15 in Germany and 2 in Switzerland — had been arrested, the German police, who are leading the investigation, have yet to charge anyone or to detail their suspicions. But hints about the investigation have emerged from teams like F.C. Thun, as well as others in Switzerland and Germany that have disclosed suspensions of players who have been questioned.

UEFA, the main governing body for European professional soccer, said it planned a crisis meeting Wednesday at its headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, with officials of national soccer leagues in the nine countries involved in the criminal investigation: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.

A UEFA spokesman said German organized-crime investigators had not yet provided UEFA with a full list of the matches or the individuals who are suspected. The police have said that players, coaches, referees and other officials, along with suspected gamblers, are being investigated.

Among other things, the police appear to be looking into whether officials of UEFA itself might have played a role in match rigging.

“It is part of the investigation,” said a UEFA spokesman who requested that he not be identified. “We don’t have any names.”

One way in which officials of soccer organizations could have been involved — if that turns out to be the case — is by tipping off gamblers about which referees were scheduled to officiate specific games. This information is usually disclosed only shortly before games to help prevent interference; in some cases, even the referees do not know until the day before a match.

In what appeared to be a separate investigation, the Italian authorities said Monday that they had arrested the president of Potenza S.C., a club in the southern state of Basilicata that plays in the third division of Italian professional soccer, and eight others in connection with allegations of match fixing. According to Italian news media reports, a number of Italian matches are also under investigation.

FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, said Monday that it planned an emergency meeting of its executive committee on Dec. 2 to discuss the allegations of match rigging, as well as other recent incidents that have undermined confidence in the game.

These include a hand ball by the French national team captain, Thierry Henry, that was not called and led to France’s scoring a goal against Ireland and qualifying for the World Cup.

So far, the suspected conspiracy uncovered by the German police appears to be more impressive for its breadth than for the caliber of soccer involved. Although UEFA has said that several matches in the Champions League, the top-level inter-European club competition, are suspected of having been manipulated, a spokesman said Monday that these were early qualifying games. In Germany, which is at the center of the investigation, only games below the top-tier Bundesliga are suspected of having been rigged.

Some previous match-fixing scandals took place at higher levels, like the one in Italy in 2006 that resulted in several clubs, including Juventus of Turin, being relegated from the top Italian league, Serie A.

In addition to F.C. Thun, another Swiss club, F.C. Gossau, said Monday that it had suspended a player, midfielder Mario Bigoni. F.C. Gossau’s president, Roland Gnagi, said Bigoni had acknowledged that “not everything ran cleanly” during a 4-0 loss to Lugano in May.

In Germany, several second-tier teams, including V.F.L. Osnabrück and F.C. Würzburger Kickers, have said players are under suspicion.

Although soccer leagues have beefed up efforts to monitor the potential for match fixing, the opportunities for foul play have grown, in part because of a proliferation in sports betting. No longer do bettors simply wager on the outcome of a game; all sorts of arcane aspects of a match — the first player to receive a yellow card or who will take the first corner kick — can also be the subject of bets. Such things are easier for a single player to influence than the outcome of a match.

In Thun, a small city in the foothills of the Bernese Alps, Stahli, the club president, said he feared that several players might have been involved in a conspiracy. Referring to the 5-1 defeat against Yverdon, he said, “I think a result like that cannot be made by just one single player.”

Indeed, the team’s goalkeeper, Sascha Stulz, said after the match that he had felt “quite alone at the back.”

Stahli said he planned to ask all of the team’s players to sign a written statement that they had not been involved in any match-rigging activity.

“Sometimes, our coach said he couldn’t help himself — he couldn’t understand why the team was performing so badly,” Stahli said. “Probably now, in a retrospective manner, it is easy to see that there was something wrong. But at the time, it was not obvious.”
Click to expand...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/sports/s...p;th&emc=th
 
Completely forgot the Champions League starts back up today and tomorrow. Inter Milan-Barcalona is on Foxsports at 2:30

 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you really think about it, it wouldn't be THAT unbelievable if some of the real Champions League minnows were to fix their games.

Say you're a "bigshot" from the Faroe Islands or Andorra. B36, perennial contender in the Faroes, has a home seating capacity of 5,000 people. EB, who won the league last year, have a home seating capacity of 1,000. 1,000! I would imagine that these type of teams would get a much bigger payday from a "fixed result" payout than they would if they were to win the game.

Let's be honest....these teams aren't good. They consistently get crushed by weak competition, who go on to get crushed by slightly better competition. Say, for example, B36 needs to lose by 7 goals so that some oddsmakers/mob bosses/whoever can make some money. If the team plays their asses off, realistically.....they're going to lose by like 4 or 5. So why not take a bribe to fall on your sword and let a few more goals in? Is the payout for reaching the 2nd qualifying round really more than a payout to just get crushed? Some TV revenue (not much, because no one really wants to watch you play), some gate receipts from your 3,000 seat stadium....and then what?

As a fan of the sport and a player myself, obviously I hope the allegations aren't true. But I can't really say I'd be shocked if some minnow teams from minnow leagues were to take payouts and get crushed in the early-round Champions League qualifiers - games that they were realistically probably going to get crushed in even if they didn't take the payout.

Faroe Islands were just an example cause I've read quite a bit about the league...I'm a :own3d: like that....the same story could be told for a number of other small European leagues.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Steve Tasker said:
If you really think about it, it wouldn't be THAT unbelievable if some of the real Champions League minnows were to fix their games.Say you're a "bigshot" from the Faroe Islands or Andorra. B36, perennial contender in the Faroes, has a home seating capacity of 5,000 people. EB, who won the league last year, have a home seating capacity of 1,000. 1,000! I would imagine that these type of teams would get a much bigger payday from a "fixed result" payout than they would if they were to win the game.Let's be honest....these teams aren't good. They consistently get crushed by weak competition, who go on to get crushed by slightly better competition. Say, for example, B36 needs to lose by 7 goals so that some oddsmakers/mob bosses/whoever can make some money. If the team plays their asses off, realistically.....they're going to lose by like 4 or 5. So why not take a bribe to fall on your sword and let a few more goals in? Is the payout for reaching the 2nd qualifying round really more than a payout to just get crushed? Some TV revenue (not much, because no one really wants to watch you play), some gate receipts from your 3,000 seat stadium....and then what?As a fan of the sport and a player myself, obviously I hope the allegations aren't true. But I can't really say I'd be shocked if some minnow teams from minnow leagues were to take payouts and get crushed in the early-round Champions League qualifiers - games that they were realistically probably going to get crushed in even if they didn't take the payout.Faroe Islands were just an example cause I've read quite a bit about the league...I'm a :nerd: like that....the same story could be told for a number of other small European leagues.
Click to expand...
:moneybag: You bring up a good point. I'm not much of a sports gambler so I didn't think about it from that perspective but I could certainly see how it would have merit. Does it really matter in the big picture like you said? Heck no, since they would have been beaten anyway. I could see how a considerable, likely difference making portion of a team could be affected by a couple thousand bucks as they think "what's the harm? We're going to lose anyway, why not make a few bucks?".
 
Senor Schmutzig said:
Steve Tasker said:
If you really think about it, it wouldn't be THAT unbelievable if some of the real Champions League minnows were to fix their games.Say you're a "bigshot" from the Faroe Islands or Andorra. B36, perennial contender in the Faroes, has a home seating capacity of 5,000 people. EB, who won the league last year, have a home seating capacity of 1,000. 1,000! I would imagine that these type of teams would get a much bigger payday from a "fixed result" payout than they would if they were to win the game.Let's be honest....these teams aren't good. They consistently get crushed by weak competition, who go on to get crushed by slightly better competition. Say, for example, B36 needs to lose by 7 goals so that some oddsmakers/mob bosses/whoever can make some money. If the team plays their asses off, realistically.....they're going to lose by like 4 or 5. So why not take a bribe to fall on your sword and let a few more goals in? Is the payout for reaching the 2nd qualifying round really more than a payout to just get crushed? Some TV revenue (not much, because no one really wants to watch you play), some gate receipts from your 3,000 seat stadium....and then what?As a fan of the sport and a player myself, obviously I hope the allegations aren't true. But I can't really say I'd be shocked if some minnow teams from minnow leagues were to take payouts and get crushed in the early-round Champions League qualifiers - games that they were realistically probably going to get crushed in even if they didn't take the payout.Faroe Islands were just an example cause I've read quite a bit about the league...I'm a :coffee: like that....the same story could be told for a number of other small European leagues.
Click to expand...
:( You bring up a good point. I'm not much of a sports gambler so I didn't think about it from that perspective but I could certainly see how it would have merit. Does it really matter in the big picture like you said? Heck no, since they would have been beaten anyway. I could see how a considerable, likely difference making portion of a team could be affected by a couple thousand bucks as they think "what's the harm? We're going to lose anyway, why not make a few bucks?".
Click to expand...
Fine. But I don't think the Faroe Islands is what they're talking about. It's second tier German and Swiss teams that are being accused. More troubling is the talk about refs being involved.
 
Christo said:
Senor Schmutzig said:
Steve Tasker said:
If you really think about it, it wouldn't be THAT unbelievable if some of the real Champions League minnows were to fix their games.Say you're a "bigshot" from the Faroe Islands or Andorra. B36, perennial contender in the Faroes, has a home seating capacity of 5,000 people. EB, who won the league last year, have a home seating capacity of 1,000. 1,000! I would imagine that these type of teams would get a much bigger payday from a "fixed result" payout than they would if they were to win the game.Let's be honest....these teams aren't good. They consistently get crushed by weak competition, who go on to get crushed by slightly better competition. Say, for example, B36 needs to lose by 7 goals so that some oddsmakers/mob bosses/whoever can make some money. If the team plays their asses off, realistically.....they're going to lose by like 4 or 5. So why not take a bribe to fall on your sword and let a few more goals in? Is the payout for reaching the 2nd qualifying round really more than a payout to just get crushed? Some TV revenue (not much, because no one really wants to watch you play), some gate receipts from your 3,000 seat stadium....and then what?As a fan of the sport and a player myself, obviously I hope the allegations aren't true. But I can't really say I'd be shocked if some minnow teams from minnow leagues were to take payouts and get crushed in the early-round Champions League qualifiers - games that they were realistically probably going to get crushed in even if they didn't take the payout.Faroe Islands were just an example cause I've read quite a bit about the league...I'm a :nerd: like that....the same story could be told for a number of other small European leagues.
Click to expand...
:goodposting: You bring up a good point. I'm not much of a sports gambler so I didn't think about it from that perspective but I could certainly see how it would have merit. Does it really matter in the big picture like you said? Heck no, since they would have been beaten anyway. I could see how a considerable, likely difference making portion of a team could be affected by a couple thousand bucks as they think "what's the harm? We're going to lose anyway, why not make a few bucks?".
Click to expand...
Fine. But I don't think the Faroe Islands is what they're talking about. It's second tier German and Swiss teams that are being accused. More troubling is the talk about refs being involved.
Click to expand...
I still think the concept is sound though. Realistically, it's all about the money regardless if it's a few thousand bucks for a Faroe Islands game or tens of thousands for a Div. 2 game.
 
Philadelphia Union Expansion Draft:

Jordan Harvey (D), Colorado Rapids

Andrew Jacobsen (M), D.C. United

Brad Knighton (G), New England Revolution

Sebastien Le Toux (F), Seattle Sounders FC

Stefani Miglioranzi (M), L.A. Galaxy

Alejandro Moreno (F), Columbus Crew

Dave Myrie (D), Chicago Fire

Shea Salinas (M), San Jose Earthquakes

Shavar Thomas (D, Chivas USA

Nick Zimmerman (M), New York Red Bulls

In addition, they've apparently traded some allocation money to Real Salt Lake for GK Chris Seitz.

A couple of OK players here, but they're going to need some help to be competitive next year

 
Christo said:
Senor Schmutzig said:
:goodposting: You bring up a good point. I'm not much of a sports gambler so I didn't think about it from that perspective but I could certainly see how it would have merit. Does it really matter in the big picture like you said? Heck no, since they would have been beaten anyway. I could see how a considerable, likely difference making portion of a team could be affected by a couple thousand bucks as they think "what's the harm? We're going to lose anyway, why not make a few bucks?".
Click to expand...
Fine. But I don't think the Faroe Islands is what they're talking about. It's second tier German and Swiss teams that are being accused. More troubling is the talk about refs being involved.
Click to expand...
Christo said:
More on the game-fixing scandal:

So far, the suspected conspiracy uncovered by the German police appears to be more impressive for its breadth than for the caliber of soccer involved. Although UEFA has said that several matches in the Champions League, the top-level inter-European club competition, are suspected of having been manipulated, a spokesman said Monday that these were early qualifying games. In Germany, which is at the center of the investigation, only games below the top-tier Bundesliga are suspected of having been rigged.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
:hifive:
 
So happy I switched my fantasy captain from Cesc to Rooney late yesterday!

Classico tomorrow on ESPN Dep - hoping all the stars are fit and they put on a show.

 
Has anyone ever heard of, or watched Devann Yao? He is a trialist at Ipswich Town and apparently is going to be offered a contract.

I've read a few articles on him tonight, but that's about it. He bounced around Europe throughout his teens. Is currently 19.

Any insights?

ETA: Best article so far and apparently a contract has been offered at this point.

http://www.thisisamericansoccer.com/tias-s...-of-devann-yao/

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I was talking to my buddy about how good Wayne Rooney has been and we got going and he declared Rooney was not in the top 15 players in the world right now. And he said Rooney was not even the best player on Man.U (not sure who he thought was better after the fact). I am a huge Liverpool fan but watch all the games on TV I can including Man. U so I feel that he is way off on this. I tired to find a sight that ranked players but no luck so I figured I would take it here. If anyone has a link to a spot that would help in this discussion please tell me otherwise give me your top 10 or 20 best footballers in the world as of NOW. Some names that I thought of right away were Messi, Kaka, and Fabergas of course in no particular order. How about Ribery, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Etoo, Ibrahimovic, Anelka, Torres, Drogba(yuk), Xavi, Villa, and Terry? Others? Looking forward to thoughts on this. Luis Suarez? :shrug:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
if i could add one player to the US national team, there is no doubt in my mind that it would be Wayne Rooney.

I don't know enough about the sport to rank guys against each other (let alone rank guys at different positions against each other) but if I'm starting a team, he's my guy. He's tremendously skilled and never quits. He could play anywhere on the pitch.

In terms of pure god given ability, i think Ronaldo is the best. When he's on, its just magical to watch. But Rooney's got that blue collar work ethic that just makes him impossible to hate.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
TLEF316 said:
if i could add one player to the US national team, there is no doubt in my mind that it would be Wayne Rooney. I don't know enough about the sport to rank guys against each other (let alone rank guys at different positions against each other) but if I'm starting a team, he's my guy. He's tremendously skilled and never quits. He could play anywhere on the pitch. In terms of pure god given ability, i think Ronaldo is the best. When he's on, its just magical to watch. But Rooney's got that blue collar work ethic that just makes him impossible to hate.
Click to expand...
I feel the same. He is all around goodness. Ronaldo is a great one way player but flops too much and plays no D. Rooney is nasty both ways. Garrard is the best at his best imo. I really wish he and Torres would be healthy a bit more. Rooney also doesn't ever seem to miss a match.
 
Rooney is a great player.

He has two really good things going for him this year:

1) CRonaldo is gone and that make him the centerpiece again. He is a great finisher and knows how to distribute from winger spots.

2) He is finally grown up. He was as much of a cry-baby primadonna as Cronaldo 2-3 years ago. He has shaken that off it looks like.

I would be hard pressed to name 15 players ahead of him at this time.

If I could take one player and jam him into the US squad it would be Maicon. Takes care of the right back spot and delivers scary service into the forwards almost at will.

 
PIK95 said:
If anyone has a link to a spot that would help in this discussion please tell me otherwise give me your top 10 or 20 best footballers in the world as of NOW. Some names that I thought of right away were Messi, Kaka, and Fabergas of course in no particular order. How about Ribery, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Etoo, Ibrahimovic, Anelka, Torres, Drogba(yuk), Xavi, Villa, and Terry? Others? Looking forward to thoughts on this. Luis Suarez? :shrug:
Click to expand...
I wouldn't include Villa, Ibra, Eto'o or Drogba (only bc he doesn't always try) in the top 15 or so. All are very good but you have way too many attacking players in this list. If you are talking about the top 15 best footballers, I would include Vidic and Puyol for sure. I also think you have a glaring omission in Iniesta. Assuming we leave out keepers, in no particular order:MessiRonaldoXaviIniestaKakaTorresVidicMaiconAnelka (before this year I would never have thought this but he has been Chelsea's best player IMO)Fabregas---- (top 10), the further we go the more subjective it gets and I would bet there is a LOT of disagreement but my listEssienLampardPuyolRiberyRooneyI have too many attacking players too though. I'd have to give it real thought to come up with a better list. This is off the top of my head so I'm probably leaving out some obvious player(s).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
PIK95 said:
I was talking to my buddy about how good Wayne Rooney has been and we got going and he declared Rooney was not in the top 15 players in the world right now. And he said Rooney was not even the best player on Man.U (not sure who he thought was better after the fact). I am a huge Liverpool fan but watch all the games on TV I can including Man. U so I feel that he is way off on this. I tired to find a sight that ranked players but no luck so I figured I would take it here. If anyone has a link to a spot that would help in this discussion please tell me otherwise give me your top 10 or 20 best footballers in the world as of NOW. Some names that I thought of right away were Messi, Kaka, and Fabergas of course in no particular order. How about Ribery, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Etoo, Ibrahimovic, Anelka, Torres, Drogba(yuk), Xavi, Villa, and Terry? Others? Looking forward to thoughts on this. Luis Suarez? :unsure:
Click to expand...
Man Utd fan who watches every game.Rooney has been very ordinary this year. Very. Tries hard to be sure and runs his heart out but watch him carefully next time, especially the quality at the end. It's not all his fault, he's just not a striker and is being forced to play out of position in the formations they are playing at the moment. Part of it is he's playing either with Berbatov who needs the same space as him or Owen who is utterly useless, forcing him up the pitch when he's much better a bit withdrawn. His game needs space to operate, he's wasted in the box.Scored a hat trick against Portsmouth and actually managed to be pretty anonymous. 2 pens and a gift from Giggs.Your friend is right, here are a list of players who have been consistently better than him this year:FletcherEvraGiggsValencia
 
magichat said:
PIK95 said:
I was talking to my buddy about how good Wayne Rooney has been and we got going and he declared Rooney was not in the top 15 players in the world right now. And he said Rooney was not even the best player on Man.U (not sure who he thought was better after the fact). I am a huge Liverpool fan but watch all the games on TV I can including Man. U so I feel that he is way off on this. I tired to find a sight that ranked players but no luck so I figured I would take it here. If anyone has a link to a spot that would help in this discussion please tell me otherwise give me your top 10 or 20 best footballers in the world as of NOW. Some names that I thought of right away were Messi, Kaka, and Fabergas of course in no particular order. How about Ribery, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Etoo, Ibrahimovic, Anelka, Torres, Drogba(yuk), Xavi, Villa, and Terry? Others? Looking forward to thoughts on this. Luis Suarez? :shrug:
Click to expand...
Man Utd fan who watches every game.Rooney has been very ordinary this year. Very.

Tries hard to be sure and runs his heart out but watch him carefully next time, especially the quality at the end. It's not all his fault, he's just not a striker and is being forced to play out of position in the formations they are playing at the moment. Part of it is he's playing either with Berbatov who needs the same space as him or Owen who is utterly useless, forcing him up the pitch when he's much better a bit withdrawn. His game needs space to operate, he's wasted in the box.

Scored a hat trick against Portsmouth and actually managed to be pretty anonymous. 2 pens and a gift from Giggs.

Your friend is right, here are a list of players who have been consistently better than him this year:

Fletcher

Evra

Giggs

Valencia
Click to expand...
This I disagree with. I am LMAO that I am disagreeing with a Man. U fan about who the best player is. I agree with you on one point as I thought Rooney was fairly ordinary yesterday despite the hat trick. The funny thing is as Im writing this I'm thinking he still finished all 3 and got the trick. Most wouldn't, lol. So much is expected and taken for granted with him. All that running he does forces the other teams into mistakes quite often. As a Liverpool fan I wish Torres did that more. I actually would trade Torres for Rooney in a second as Torres is always hurt, doesn't play both ways, and he can't really create for himself too much this year (might be injuries). I love Torres but Rooney is better. Gerrard, when healthy and playing HIS game, is similar with the intangibles and winning to Rooney. We so miss Xabi Alonso. Also, I think Rooney is great in the box and his head seems to find and finish any ball that is near him. You Man. U fans are SO spoiled, lol.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
prefontaine said:
PIK95 said:
If anyone has a link to a spot that would help in this discussion please tell me otherwise give me your top 10 or 20 best footballers in the world as of NOW. Some names that I thought of right away were Messi, Kaka, and Fabergas of course in no particular order. How about Ribery, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Etoo, Ibrahimovic, Anelka, Torres, Drogba(yuk), Xavi, Villa, and Terry? Others? Looking forward to thoughts on this. Luis Suarez? :thumbup:
Click to expand...
I wouldn't include Villa, Ibra, Eto'o or Drogba (only bc he doesn't always try) in the top 15 or so. All are very good but you have way too many attacking players in this list. If you are talking about the top 15 best footballers, I would include Vidic and Puyol for sure. I also think you have a glaring omission in Iniesta. Assuming we leave out keepers, in no particular order:MessiRonaldoXaviIniestaKakaTorresVidicMaiconAnelka (before this year I would never have thought this but he has been Chelsea's best player IMO)Fabregas---- (top 10), the further we go the more subjective it gets and I would bet there is a LOT of disagreement but my listEssienLampardPuyolRiberyRooneyI have too many attacking players too though. I'd have to give it real thought to come up with a better list. This is off the top of my head so I'm probably leaving out some obvious player(s).
Click to expand...
That wasn't my list as I was just throwing some nominations out there but I agree Iniesta is top 5. Vidic has the potential to be up there but is not there yet imho. Lampard, I woulda had on last year but just doesn't seem to nearly as effective since the national team stuff has picked up. Essian is great but Im not sure that high. Torres (and Gerrard) are top ten material easy but have been banged up and very inconsistant this season. I could ALMOST argue Benayoun or Carragher have been better this nightmare of a season but Torres does have ten goals. Liverpool is a mess unfortunatly. Arsenal is loaded imo and Fabregas is in my top 5 probably. Emmanuel Adebayor has looked vg as usual in limited action for Man. City but the guy who might make my list is Craig Bellamy. Dude is a jerk but a BEAST. Carles Puyol is worthy as is Ribery. Any thoughts on Karim Benzema?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice win over Everton today (though the match reports read as if it was a fluke). Also good to see Chelsea taking it to Arsenal.

 
PIK95 said:
magichat said:
PIK95 said:
I was talking to my buddy about how good Wayne Rooney has been and we got going and he declared Rooney was not in the top 15 players in the world right now. And he said Rooney was not even the best player on Man.U (not sure who he thought was better after the fact). I am a huge Liverpool fan but watch all the games on TV I can including Man. U so I feel that he is way off on this. I tired to find a sight that ranked players but no luck so I figured I would take it here. If anyone has a link to a spot that would help in this discussion please tell me otherwise give me your top 10 or 20 best footballers in the world as of NOW. Some names that I thought of right away were Messi, Kaka, and Fabergas of course in no particular order. How about Ribery, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Etoo, Ibrahimovic, Anelka, Torres, Drogba(yuk), Xavi, Villa, and Terry? Others? Looking forward to thoughts on this. Luis Suarez? :thumbdown:
Click to expand...
Man Utd fan who watches every game.Rooney has been very ordinary this year. Very.

Tries hard to be sure and runs his heart out but watch him carefully next time, especially the quality at the end. It's not all his fault, he's just not a striker and is being forced to play out of position in the formations they are playing at the moment. Part of it is he's playing either with Berbatov who needs the same space as him or Owen who is utterly useless, forcing him up the pitch when he's much better a bit withdrawn. His game needs space to operate, he's wasted in the box.

Scored a hat trick against Portsmouth and actually managed to be pretty anonymous. 2 pens and a gift from Giggs.

Your friend is right, here are a list of players who have been consistently better than him this year:

Fletcher

Evra

Giggs

Valencia
Click to expand...
This I disagree with. I am LMAO that I am disagreeing with a Man. U fan about who the best player is. I agree with you on one point as I thought Rooney was fairly ordinary yesterday despite the hat trick. The funny thing is as Im writing this I'm thinking he still finished all 3 and got the trick. Most wouldn't, lol. So much is expected and taken for granted with him. All that running he does forces the other teams into mistakes quite often. As a Liverpool fan I wish Torres did that more. I actually would trade Torres for Rooney in a second as Torres is always hurt, doesn't play both ways, and he can't really create for himself too much this year (might be injuries). I love Torres but Rooney is better. Gerrard, when healthy and playing HIS game, is similar with the intangibles and winning to Rooney. We so miss Xabi Alonso. Also, I think Rooney is great in the box and his head seems to find and finish any ball that is near him. You Man. U fans are SO spoiled, lol.
Click to expand...
LOL, but I can disagree with a Pool fan on almost anything ;-)I wouldnt trade Rooney for Torres either, but I'd love to trade someone for him. Torres is exactly the type of player we need up there, and exactly the sort of player Rooney needs to complement. Youre spot on about the space he creates for others with his movement, thats a lot of what made Ronaldo so succesful the last three years. Would you trade Rooney for Gerrard?

Dont get me wrong, I love me my Wayne Rooney and I guess your post was about his standing amongst world players rather than form, but I really dont buy the argument that he's stepped into the Ronaldo breach this year. If anything he's been one of the frustrating players to watch especially the last month or so.

Man Utd's structure and play has changed totally this year, thats what has covered for Ronaldo imo.

 
Soccer magazine Four Four Two does a top 100 ranking every year...

This was this year's list FWIW:

100. Ronaldo

99. Santon

98. (Javier) Zanetti

97. Gomez

96. Akinfeev

95. Giggs

94. Chygrynskiy

93. Palacios

92. Van Nistelrooy

91. Gonzalez

90. Eduardo

89. Misimovic

88. Cazorla

87. Navas

86. Raul

85. Van der Sar

84. Gallas

83. Ronaldinho

82. Del Piero

81. Chamakh

80. Mutu

79. Bosingwa

78. Gignac

77. Gilardino

76. Cech

75. Huntelaar

74. Dzeko

73. Pepe

72. Zhirkov

71. Clichy

70. Milito

69. Grafite

68. Tevez

67. Cassano

66. Srna

65. Van Persie

64. Motta

63. Fabiano

62. Melo

61. Modric

60. Chiellini

59. Lahm

58. Reina

57. Robinho

56. Tymoschuk

55. Cambiasso

54. Totti

53. Pirlo

52. Senna

51. Pique

50. Higuain

49. Ballack

48. Sneijder

47. Carvalho

46. Ramos

45. Silva

44. Berbatov

43. Kanoute

42. Anelka

41. Diarra

40. Robben

39. (Yaya) Toure

38. Adebayor

37. Gourcuff

36. Alonso

35. Buffon

34. Terry

33. Evra

32. Pato

31. Aguero

30. De Rossi

29. Benzema

28. Cole

27. Mascherano

26. Henry

25. Alves

24. Diego

23. Cesar

22. Vidic

21. Forlan

20. Fabregas

19. Ribery

18. Essien

17. Maicon

16. Casillas

15. Arshavin

14. Drogba

13. Ibrahimovic

12. Ferdinand

11. Lampard

10. Rooney

9. Eto’o

8. Kaka

7. Gerrard

6. Torres

5. Villa

3= Iniesta

3= Xavi

2. Ronaldo

1. Messi

I think it's actually a really solid list (and an excellent magazine BTW), and I think Rooney at #10 is pretty spot on as well

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

El Floppo
Official US Women's soccer thread: ***Update- Christen Press retires
70 71 72
Replies
4K
Views
291K
El Floppo
El Floppo
SIDA!
The Official Thread for Official Threads - MASTER LIST
Replies
1
Views
436
mquinnjr
mquinnjr
Ramsay Hunt Experience
***Official Soccer Discussion Thread***
1020 1021 1022
Replies
51K
Views
1M
titusbramble
titusbramble

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top