Mjolnirs
Footballguy
Congrats and enjoy.It's your last win of the year.Forza Inter!5 straight, sealed by a Milito goal.
Congrats and enjoy.It's your last win of the year.Forza Inter!5 straight, sealed by a Milito goal.
Hard to believe this will happen with Drogba still in the fold. Here is the ESPN linkIt also doesn't look like Torres is long for Liverpool. Chelsea looks to be putting together a 40million pound package with 3 other players.
I don't know enough about these guys Jose Bosingwa, Nicolas Anelka, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Salomon Kalou and Paulo Ferreira to tell if this would be a good move for Liverpool. I do like the idea of a big wad of $$ and 3 players though.Hard to believe this will happen with Drogba still in the fold. Here is the ESPN linkIt also doesn't look like Torres is long for Liverpool. Chelsea looks to be putting together a 40million pound package with 3 other players.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id...ers&cc=5901
midfield is a strength for Germany, they have bigger concernsi know Ballack is germany's captain, but is he still one of their best players? Are they dead without him?
I'd have to think Boswinga and Carvalho, would be top two choices...not sure who would be the third, but a lot would depend on who'll be leaving Anfield this off season. Deco is getting older and has shown this his lack of size and pace is making him ineffectual in the premier league. He has a deft touch, but not a difference maker any more. Anelka is getting older now, and he's absent from the attack far too often for my liking. He reminds me a lot of Carew at AV in that they seem to make a difference one game, and then you hardly notice them the next 5. Anelka's salary is pretty high too, I think with Liverpool's money woes, they will be hesitant in taking on an older, probably over paid striker.I don't know enough about these guys Jose Bosingwa, Nicolas Anelka, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Salomon Kalou and Paulo Ferreira to tell if this would be a good move for Liverpool. I do like the idea of a big wad of $$ and 3 players though.Hard to believe this will happen with Drogba still in the fold. Here is the ESPN linkIt also doesn't look like Torres is long for Liverpool. Chelsea looks to be putting together a 40million pound package with 3 other players.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id...ers&cc=5901
Does anyone have an idea of which 3 Chelsea players would help the most?
This is all total speculation of course and most of it is complete fiction. For fun, though, Ive described each of the players in order of interest I think Liverpool would have:1) Kalou - Kalou probably has the most potential of the bunch - a young, extremely fast, striker with good ball control that really came on over the second half of the year. Hes not the best player of the group right now, but he may be the best down the road. Boatloads of potential and has really come on. He also starts along Drogba for the Ivory Coast. Still only 24.I don't know enough about these guys Jose Bosingwa, Nicolas Anelka, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Salomon Kalou and Paulo Ferreira to tell if this would be a good move for Liverpool. I do like the idea of a big wad of $$ and 3 players though.Hard to believe this will happen with Drogba still in the fold. Here is the ESPN linkIt also doesn't look like Torres is long for Liverpool. Chelsea looks to be putting together a 40million pound package with 3 other players.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id...ers&cc=5901
Does anyone have an idea of which 3 Chelsea players would help the most?
This will give Bastian Schweinsteiger his chance to really shine. This was Ballack's last WC. Schweinsteiger is only 26 and has 79 caps with 19 goals for die Nationalmannschaft.They should be fine.i know Ballack is germany's captain, but is he still one of their best players? Are they dead without him?
They should be okay, whoever his replacement will be, might not be as offensive orientated but should do fine. I would like to see Löw gives Hitzelsberger a call. For the team it means a lot less jelling during the game. Quiet a few players were anoyed by Ballacks management style. Should be much quieter now.This will give Bastian Schweinsteiger his chance to really shine. This was Ballack's last WC. Schweinsteiger is only 26 and has 79 caps with 19 goals for die Nationalmannschaft.They should be fine.i know Ballack is germany's captain, but is he still one of their best players? Are they dead without him?
A lot of people crying in that video.More soccer craziness, this time from Turkey. Apparently during the Fenerbahce game yesterday, the stadium PA announced that Bursaspor had lost their match, meaning that if Fenerbahce held on their their draw, they won the league. The crowd starts celebrating. One problem...Bursaspor didn't lose and they won the league. When the Fenerbahce supporters find out, they react in the most reasonable way, rioting, ripping out chairs and setting parts of the stadium on fire. Pretty poor performance compared to some South American riots.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI6805g77yA...layer_embedded#!
Photos:
http://galeri.haberturk.com/galeri/index/402180/1/1#galeri
Native > congrats to us on the double! Despite the crushing disappointment in europe, two trophies is a great year no matter how it happens.go blue, celery etc., etc.
Its been a great year CM.I was watching that game. VeryMello said:More soccer craziness, this time from Turkey. Apparently during the Fenerbahce game yesterday, the stadium PA announced that Bursaspor had lost their match, meaning that if Fenerbahce held on their their draw, they won the league. The crowd starts celebrating. One problem...Bursaspor didn't lose and they won the league. When the Fenerbahce supporters find out, they react in the most reasonable way, rioting, ripping out chairs and setting parts of the stadium on fire. Pretty poor performance compared to some South American riots.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI6805g77yA...layer_embedded#!
Photos:
http://galeri.haberturk.com/galeri/index/402180/1/1#galeri
when it ended and the fans rushed the field and there was confetti everywhere. Now it makes sense.They immediately cut away to show Bursaspor celebrating, so I didn't get to see any of the rioting, which is pretty much the point of watching Turkish soccer.On goal differential no less...Interesting story about the Israeli title.
Not sure I agree with the whole "halving the points" idea - kinda like the Nascar "Chase for the Cup" or whatever it's called - but it's still crazy nonetheless. Imagine winning the title on a goal in the 93rd minute of the final game of the season, while playing a man down....

Add me to Flamengo. They were my first favorite sports team when I lived in Brazil at 5 years old. When I was in Bolivia a couple months ago I got myself a jersey.Brazil
Flamengo - Abrantes
Good god.Villa to Barcelona
In retrospect, should have been the move instead of Ibra. Hopefully Ibra can be more effective on the wing than at CF for Barca. The CF in Barca's style needs to be a clinical finisher, Ibra isn't.
Villa to Barcelona
In retrospect, should have been the move instead of Ibra. Hopefully Ibra can be more effective on the wing than at CF for Barca. The CF in Barca's style needs to be a clinical finisher, Ibra isn't.
Very happy with this signing.Good god.Villa to Barcelona
In retrospect, should have been the move instead of Ibra. Hopefully Ibra can be more effective on the wing than at CF for Barca. The CF in Barca's style needs to be a clinical finisher, Ibra isn't.
Scoring goals... shouldn't be whatever it is that might hold them back next year.Villa to Barcelona
In retrospect, should have been the move instead of Ibra. Hopefully Ibra can be more effective on the wing than at CF for Barca. The CF in Barca's style needs to be a clinical finisher, Ibra isn't.
One of my favorite players. Even bought a Valencia jersey because of him (and because that bat looks really cool). This is truly awesome.ok no disrespect to any Phili natives or Union fans, but damn, have you ever seen a rejection like this?
http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/38524...ry_reunion.aspx
"Reflecting on his ambitions for the future and the offer laid out on the table by the Philadelphia Union, Pires stated:
“It does not please me. I do not want to be difficult, but left to take my family away, I'd rather do it in a beautiful city. Otherwise, I will put an end to my career.
Responding to suggestions that a deal could be done which would see him link forces with Henry again, Pires responded more positively: "I wish him to go there. That is a beautiful city."
Do you think Pires has ever even been to Philly?he probably has no idea that the NY Red Bulls play in Jersey eitherok no disrespect to any Phili natives or Union fans, but damn, have you ever seen a rejection like this?
http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/38524...ry_reunion.aspx
"Reflecting on his ambitions for the future and the offer laid out on the table by the Philadelphia Union, Pires stated:
“It does not please me. I do not want to be difficult, but left to take my family away, I'd rather do it in a beautiful city. Otherwise, I will put an end to my career.
Responding to suggestions that a deal could be done which would see him link forces with Henry again, Pires responded more positively: "I wish him to go there. That is a beautiful city."Do you think Pires has ever even been to Philly?

Maradona ran over a reporter's legJust saw that. That guy is a mess. Yelled at the guy afterward too (though he probably deserved it). Sportscenter says he did this on the way to a news conference to announce the Argentina roster. Then they never tell us the roster!Maradona ran over a reporter's leg
I like the guy and hope he doesn't end up at West Ham. Only because I hate the Hammers.Ipswich has a friendly with the hooligans and I expect some damage to Portman Road.Native said:Avram Grant steps down from Portsmouth. The fans really loved him there after he stuck by them through a difficult season. Lots of nice comments at the bottom of the article.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11674_6164980,00.html
I wouldn't mind moving Torres as he ALWAYS seems to be dinged up. That being said I will not be happy if it's to Chelski. Tom Hicks and co. suxor btw.I like the guy and hope he doesn't end up at West Ham. Only because I hate the Hammers.Ipswich has a friendly with the hooligans and I expect some damage to Portman Road.Native said:Avram Grant steps down from Portsmouth. The fans really loved him there after he stuck by them through a difficult season. Lots of nice comments at the bottom of the article.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11674_6164980,00.html
BTW Native, thanks for the player breakdown a page back. It looks like(so far) Rafa and Torres are sitting though. I need some 'Pool changes to make me feel good. This current crap is not going to get it done.
Carragher did come out and say Gerrard and Torres can be replaced. Gerrard no. Torres sure.
i have shed a tear of joy, but never sadness.as a union fan, screw pires. you may not like our city, but like someone else said, have you ever been here? and you would never have to actually step foot in the city since the team will be playing 20 miles away in Chester now. Now, Chester is another story. Just an awful crime-ridden city.A lot of people crying in that video.More soccer craziness, this time from Turkey. Apparently during the Fenerbahce game yesterday, the stadium PA announced that Bursaspor had lost their match, meaning that if Fenerbahce held on their their draw, they won the league. The crowd starts celebrating. One problem...Bursaspor didn't lose and they won the league. When the Fenerbahce supporters find out, they react in the most reasonable way, rioting, ripping out chairs and setting parts of the stadium on fire. Pretty poor performance compared to some South American riots.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI6805g77yA...layer_embedded#!
Photos:
http://galeri.haberturk.com/galeri/index/402180/1/1#galeriI consider myself to be a fanatical sports fan but I dont believe Ive ever cried because of a sports result.
Actually, for the very first time ever, the game will be shown OTA on Fox. Not FSC, but the national OTA channel of Fox itself starting at 2:30pm.What channel is televising the UEFA Champions League match on Saturday? Typically ESPN but someone said FSC?
Actually, for the very first time ever, the game will be shown OTA on Fox. Not FSC, but the national OTA channel of Fox itself starting at 2:30pm.What channel is televising the UEFA Champions League match on Saturday? Typically ESPN but someone said FSC?
Pretty cool.

Thanks TF. Pool are in loads of trouble - their finances are probably more worrisome than their performance on the field at this point.I like the guy and hope he doesn't end up at West Ham. Only because I hate the Hammers.Ipswich has a friendly with the hooligans and I expect some damage to Portman Road.Native said:Avram Grant steps down from Portsmouth. The fans really loved him there after he stuck by them through a difficult season. Lots of nice comments at the bottom of the article.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11674_6164980,00.html
BTW Native, thanks for the player breakdown a page back. It looks like(so far) Rafa and Torres are sitting though. I need some 'Pool changes to make me feel good. This current crap is not going to get it done.
Carragher did come out and say Gerrard and Torres can be replaced. Gerrard no. Torres sure.
Paul Abell/Associated PressPRINCETON, N.J — Oguchi Onyewu participated in full training with the United States soccer team Thursday, but he had a hitch in his stride as he ran sprints and seemed to be favoring one leg slightly. If reporters noticed this, though, Onyewu said he had not. “I don’t feel it,” he said. “I feel fine; I’ve been doing a lot more extensive running than that. I was just doing more fitness at the end.” The World Cup opener for the United States is June 12 against England. The 6-foot-4 Onyewu, an imposing presence on the back line, has not played in a match since Oct. 14, when he ruptured the patellar tendon in his left knee during a World Cup qualifying match against Costa Rica. Onyewu did not make it onto the field before his club season with A.C. Milan ended, but he said he had trained with the Italian team for two months, working on fitness, positioning and his touch on the ball. His sprinting and cutting were secure and confident, Onyewu said, adding that he did not think he would be too rusty after the seven-month match layoff. “Thankfully, I’m at the point right now that I can compete,” Onyewu said. “I’ve been training regularly. I’m game fit right now.” His first action since the injury will most likely come in a friendly Tuesday against the Czech Republic in East Hartford, Conn., or May 29 against Turkey in Philadelphia. “I don’t think right now if you watch training you can say I’m behind anyone else in terms of my speed of play or anything like that,” Onyewu said. He did, however, seem sensitive to doubts expressed on Internet message boards and in newspaper articles that he could return as the same player. “I’m going to go out there and agree with them,” Onyewu said. “I won’t come back how I was. I’m going to come back stronger. I’m going to use this year to prove that.” But until Onyewu plays a match, it will be impossible to tell whether he is fully recovered. Charlie Davies also insisted he felt fit enough to play in the World Cup, but Coach Bob Bradley thought otherwise. Of course, Davies did not have a familiar sports injury, but rather sustained fractures to his leg, elbow and face during a car accident in October that left one person dead. There was no clear timetable for his return. When Onyewu had surgery, doctors said he would be back in cleats in six months. So far, he has been right on schedule. After Onyewu practiced for the first time with the national team on Wednesday, Bradley cautioned that because the drills have a fast tempo and are in a compressed space, “sometimes as a player coming back from time off, it’s almost more difficult than a regular game.” Bradley said of Onyewu: “You can see moments where maybe to release a pass takes a split second too long, but we’re always confident those are the kind of training sessions that get players back where they need to be quickly.” The unsettled back line received more encouraging news Thursday, when Carlos Bocanegra (abdominal strain) and Chad Marshall (hamstring strain) participated in full drills. Jay DeMerit (abdominal strain) did partial training but said he felt better each day. Last June, Onyewu and DeMerit played obstructively in central defense as the United States defeated Spain, then the world’s No. 1 team, at the Confederations Cup in South Africa. DeMerit said he thought it would take two matches for Onyewu to regain his full sharpness. “It’s little things like marking men and having mental sharpness that comes along with games,” DeMerit said. “We have to find that relationship again and make sure we’re on the same page.” Goalkeeper Tim Howard said that Onyewu seemed fine and that “all his movements are good.” Onyewu’s injury occurred in the 83rd minute of the United States’ final World Cup qualifying match. He backpedaled, attempting to head a corner kick, when he thought he had been kicked in the hamstring by a Costa Rican opponent. “I could have sworn until I saw the video that somebody kicked me,” Onyewu said. “I was looking for the referee. I thought I got fouled.” When he looked down, though, Onyewu saw that his left kneecap had migrated upward to his thigh. He started waving to the bench for the trainer. “I immediately knew it was going to be a long time before I’d get back on the field,” he said. The rehabilitation was painful at times and stressful, Onyewu said, forcing much self-evaluation. “It’s not easy watching your team play and knowing you’re not capable of doing that just yet,” he said. Yet Onyewu said he was fortunate that he had not had any setbacks in training, that he did not push his body too hard too quickly. The last mental hurdle to overcome was to feel confident that he could jump and land safely. Something that once seemed so natural had led to his injury. In the back of his mind, Onyewu said he asked himself, “Do I want to do it?” His doctors said that the tendon had been reinforced by surgery and fully healed. Finally, jumping became second nature again. “Once you don’t think about it anymore, it’s in the past,” Onyewu said. Although he did not play again for A.C. Milan after the injury, Onyewu did make news when the club announced this week that he had signed a contract extension, agreeing to play for free in the 2012-13 season. “This season has been lost with me, in terms of the playing,” Onyewu said. “It was just a sign of good faith that the club was able to stick by me.” In return, he said, “I wanted to show my dedication back to them.”
PRINCETON, N.J. — He prefers bass fishing in the United States to carp fishing in England. Otherwise, Clint Dempsey, a young man from East Texas, is quite comfortable in southwest London. A season at Fulham that included an injury scare ended with an embrace, not a knee brace, as Dempsey delivered one of the Premier League team’s most celebrated goals and became the first American to play in a European club soccer championship. As he joins the United States’ preparations for the World Cup, Dempsey finds a familiar formation in the 4-4-2 and an accustomed style of compact defense and judicious movement forward. “It’s similar to Fulham, not much of a change for me,” he said. Still to be determined is whether Dempsey will play forward or attacking midfielder in the World Cup, now that Charlie Davies is unavailable, not having fully recovered his form after a serious automobile accident last October. The cunning Dempsey would prefer to play on the left side of midfield, so he can dart inside and shoot with his right foot. If he is going to play up top, he said he would be fine either at target forward or withdrawn forward. “If we’re moving the ball really well, I like being in midfield, because you get the ball on the half turn,” Dempsey said. “But if it’s a game where we’re not keeping good possession, I’d rather be up top, because at least you’re getting more balls coming your way, so you can try to do more with them.” At 27, Dempsey will carry more responsibility into this World Cup than in 2006, when he scored against Ghana as the Americans exited unceremoniously after the first round. He has developed into the team’s most daring, audacious player. At the Confederations Cup in South Africa last June, Dempsey scored in consecutive matches against Egypt, Spain and Brazil. He was awarded the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third-best player behind Kaká and Luis Fabiano of Brazil. “I feel confident I can go out there and get the job done, coming off another good season at Fulham,” Dempsey said. If there has been any complaint about Dempsey with the national team, it is that he plays the way Landon Donovan once did — inconsistently. “I think it’s unfair,” Dempsey said. “If you look at my goals per game, it’s up there with one of the best on the team. Looking at major competitions, what have I done? Last World Cup, I scored a goal. At the Confederations Cup, I had three goals and one assist. I’ve been able to score goals in World Cup qualifiers. Playing midfield most of the time, I was able to put up those numbers. So, I mean, I don’t know what more you want from me.” Much is expected from top players around the world, and there will always be subjective and conflicting evaluations of their performances, said United States Coach Bob Bradley. “It goes with the territory,” Bradley said. “As a player, you have to be above all that, that outcry. You’ve got to have confidence in who you are; you’ve got to have a sense as to what you bring to your team. Clint’s an important player for us. At times he gets put under the spotlight.” Dempsey’s playing style might best be described as Tex-Mex, given that he grew up in Nacogdoches, Tex., and by junior high was playing in the so-called Mexican league against workers in their mid-30s who had come to the United States from Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala. “It was good to play against older guys, sink or swim,” Dempsey said. “That’s where you become a man. You get elbowed in the face, you’ve got to get up. You’re not going to get all the calls.” He also watched South American games from Argentina, Brazil and Colombia, admiring the way players moved the ball creatively and were not afraid to take on others, to take chances. “Keep the ball on the ground, move players out of position so you can create chances for yourself,” Dempsey said. “You can’t run and gun growing up in the Texas heat. It’s more about keeping possession and making the other team tired.” His gambling style went on full and dramatic display at Fulham in March. Two months earlier, Dempsey had sustained a knee injury and feared that his participation in the World Cup was in jeopardy. But the injury was less severe than first believed, for which Fulham’s fans will forever be grateful. On March 18, in the Round of 16 of the Europa League tournament, Dempsey chipped a blind shot from 20 yards over the head of the Juventus goalkeeper and inside the far post, giving Fulham a 4-1 victory and advancement by 5-4 on aggregate goals. “What the heck?” Dempsey said after the match, describing what he had thought to himself. “Nine times out of 10 you probably won’t make it, but sometimes you’ve got to take a risk.” Dempsey scored nine goals in league and cup competitions for Fulham. Earlier this month, Dempsey played in the Europa League final, the first American to reach a European club championship, as Fulham lost to Atlético Madrid. Yet his most cherished moment remains his goal in the 2006 World Cup, when he ran onto a pass in the penalty area, scored against Ghana and danced at the corner flag. “That was the best moment of my life,” Dempsey said. “It wasn’t always my dream to play for Fulham. It was always my dream to play in a World Cup and score a goal. To actually realize a dream, that’s the best thing on earth.” He would love nothing more than to score in another World Cup, especially against England on June 12. The Fulham staff had wished him good luck. “Except the first game,” he said.
May 20, 2010 8:53:00 PM
French midfielder Franck Ribery will put pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him at Bayern Munich for another five seasons, thus ending seemingly ceaseless speculation about his future, according to German publication Bild.
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder, who will sit out the UEFA Champions League final against Inter at the Bernabeu due to suspension, will instead put pen to paper on a new deal that will see him become the highest earner in the clubs history with an annual salary believed to be in the region of €10 million.
Ribery had been linked with a move to a number of Europe's top clubs this season, most notably Real Madrid in Spain and English Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester United.
Reports from Spain earlier this year even went as far as suggesting that Ribery's agent, Alain Migliaccio had agreed terms with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez but those claims now appear well wide of the mark.
It is understood that Ribery's representatives Migliaccio and Jean-Pierre Bernes met with a Bayern contingent, that included Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, on Thursday at the team hotel in Madrid to thrash out the terms of the new deal.
Despite enduring a season besieged by injury, off-field controversies and transfer speculation it now appears that Ribery's long-term future has finally been clarified and he will sign a four-year extension that will keep him at the Bavarian outfit until he is 32.
Pumped for this match.Inter 3 - 1 BayernSorry mjolnirs.Bump for the Champions League crowd.