The Gator
Footballguy
Not in the segment I heard. I think they were more taking about getting MLS to the point of promotion and relegation in 10-15 years.
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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter jpeace121
- Start date
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I had always hoped that MLS would treat all DP salaries as close to 0 against the cap to promote depth. With the DP's taking up a pretty hefty amount of the cap, it is almost impossible to have DP's and any sort of depth.El Floppo said:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
If I think about it too much I may stop watching the sport
I have always thought that soccer was the second most corrupt sport after boxing so I don't like to think about it too much.
Native
Footballguy
otello
Footballguy
Messi's injury starts war of words
by Tomas Ujfalusi
Jose Mourinho leaned forward and revealed his deepest fears. "I'm worried," he said, "that someone will give Cristiano Ronaldo an hostia." An hostia is the communion wafer at the heart of the Eucharist or Holy Communion -- the consecrated bread, the host, the body of Christ. But, fear not: Mourinho wasn't scared of some unscrupulous priest forcibly converting Ronaldo to the Catholic faith; he was scared of some unscrupulous defender forcibly converting him into a heap of broken bones and bruised muscles, writhing on the ground. For hostia in Spanish also means a blow, a whack, a thump.
It was the Real Madrid coach's news conference just before the second game of the season. Ronaldo had been caught on the ankle in Week 1 at Mallorca. He had continued for the 90 minutes -- the challenge occurred in the third minute -- but afterward Madrid informed journalists that he could be out for a couple of weeks. As it transpired, he was out for 14 days -- conveniently enough, exactly the same number of days as international duty lasted. Absent as two more poor results cost Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz his job, he was fit again as Madrid prepared to face Osasuna.
Not that Mourinho said he was entirely relaxed; not, he said, that Ronaldo was entirely fit. He said he feared a recurrence of Ronaldo's injury and insisted that the Portuguese attacker was "too honest." Ronaldo, he said, "has a British attitude, an attitude of fair play. He takes the hits and doesn't go down. He is too honest. He doesn't go down and because of that the referees don't protect him. I'm worried that someone will give him an hostia."
So was the Madrid press. Never mind the fact that it looked like a pretty unexceptional tackle or that Ronaldo had not and would not miss a single minute for Madrid. Never mind either the fact that last year Ronaldo was actually only the 24th most-fouled player in La Liga. After the Mallorca game, the sports daily Marca accused Madrid's opponents of going for the Portuguese player and specifically homing in on his weaknesses. Its cover ran a target on Ronaldo's ankle -- the same one that had kept him out for six weeks last season -- and the headline: "Objective: Ronaldo." It claimed that, like a boxer who sees a cut by his rival's eye, opponents were deliberately aiming for the same part of Ronaldo's body.
The fact that, a solitary game into the season, there was no evidence to suggest as much -- and if teams did start targeting Ronaldo's ankle, you could make a case for saying it was because Marca had helpfully informed them of his weakness -- made no difference. They were scared Ronaldo would get an hostia, too. A campaign was launched. Campaign? More like a moral crusade. Ronaldo was an entertainer the game should not be deprived of, an endangered species. Anyone who went near him was demonized, malicious intent read into every tackle. Forget the other players; Marca declared that Spain had to protect Ronaldo.
But Ronaldo did not get an hostia. Lionel Messi did. It happened late in a game against Atl�tico Madrid last Sunday. Messi was stretchered off after Tomas Ujfalusi stamped down on his ankle. Photos showed the ankle doubled right over and when Messi took his sock off, his ankle had already swollen up. Fortunately, tests the next day showed that Messi had only minor ligament damage and would be out of action for about 10-15 days.
"The images speak for themselves," Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola said afterward. "Now you [journalists] have a responsibility to write about it."
So write about it, they did -- and in some cases with classic spin. When Ujfalusi got a standard two-game ban, the pro-Madrid Marca considered the case closed, arguing that the defender should not be "demonized" -- a reaction that contrasted remarkably with the publication's attitude toward Souleymane Diawara and Patrick Mtiliga when they were involved in clashes with Ronaldo last season. Marca ran comments from Atl�tico president Enrique Cerezo saying that Ujfalusi is a "clean player" and on the Czech's message of apology to Messi.
Meanwhile, although the defender appeared genuinely upset and sorrowful in his news conference Monday, the Barcelona-based El Mundo Deportivo was still furious. The sanction was, it said, "ridiculous -- another kick for Messi." On Tuesday, columnist Luis Racionero moaned: "The only thing this Kafkanian maggot should do is shut up and disappear. The competition committee should kick him out of the league, but that putrid committee packed with Madridistas is delighted for people to destroy Messi."
Racionero was among the least rational, but he was not the only one setting into a familiar role, even though immediately after the event they had all been a little scandalized. The image of the challenge, after all, hardly let them react in any other way. It had been a genuinely nasty "tackle." Barcelona had, in Guardiola's words, played "brilliantly," but it was Messi's injury that dominated the media. It was as if the game had been forgotten -- as if the crunch of Ujfalusi studs wiped out the previous 89 minutes. "Hunted!"; "The essence of the game, kicked!"; "Brutal" ran the headlines in the Barcelona-based Sport. El Mundo Deportivo called it "Messicide," while the Madrid-based newspaper AS led on "Aaaaayy!"
At Marca, the cover read "Chilling" in cracked-up letters like a bone shattering. Inside, its editorial tried to claim that when it had campaigned to protect Ronaldo it meant Messi too -- and all the league's artists. (There was no mention of the rest of the league's players; maybe they don't need protection.) "It's time," Marca said, "for measures to be taken," time for the "impunity" to end. There should be zero tolerance. Oddly enough, they forgot what they said before last year's cl�sico, when they called on Madrid to stop Messi "by civil means or criminal ones."
But if Marca '"forgot," Barcelona's Guardiola did not. No one was claiming that it was actually Marca's fault that Ujfalusi had fouled Messi, but the gulf between messages was revealed. Insisting that "all players must be protected, not just Messi and Ronaldo," Guardiola nonetheless pointed out: "People cannot talk about stopping players by civil means or criminal ones."
Marca editor Eduardo Inda was furious. Accidentally on purpose using the feminine form of the word "mad" to accuse Guardiola of having "gone loca, I mean loco," he lost his cool. What came next would have been a brilliant demonstration of irony -- if only that had been what he intended.
"In classic fascist style, Guardiola has put a target upon me, with falsehoods, half-truths. If anything happens to me, we will know who to blame," railed the man whose newspaper drew a target on Ronaldo's ankle and called for Messi to be stopped by all means necessary.
by Tomas Ujfalusi
Jose Mourinho leaned forward and revealed his deepest fears. "I'm worried," he said, "that someone will give Cristiano Ronaldo an hostia." An hostia is the communion wafer at the heart of the Eucharist or Holy Communion -- the consecrated bread, the host, the body of Christ. But, fear not: Mourinho wasn't scared of some unscrupulous priest forcibly converting Ronaldo to the Catholic faith; he was scared of some unscrupulous defender forcibly converting him into a heap of broken bones and bruised muscles, writhing on the ground. For hostia in Spanish also means a blow, a whack, a thump.
It was the Real Madrid coach's news conference just before the second game of the season. Ronaldo had been caught on the ankle in Week 1 at Mallorca. He had continued for the 90 minutes -- the challenge occurred in the third minute -- but afterward Madrid informed journalists that he could be out for a couple of weeks. As it transpired, he was out for 14 days -- conveniently enough, exactly the same number of days as international duty lasted. Absent as two more poor results cost Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz his job, he was fit again as Madrid prepared to face Osasuna.
Not that Mourinho said he was entirely relaxed; not, he said, that Ronaldo was entirely fit. He said he feared a recurrence of Ronaldo's injury and insisted that the Portuguese attacker was "too honest." Ronaldo, he said, "has a British attitude, an attitude of fair play. He takes the hits and doesn't go down. He is too honest. He doesn't go down and because of that the referees don't protect him. I'm worried that someone will give him an hostia."
So was the Madrid press. Never mind the fact that it looked like a pretty unexceptional tackle or that Ronaldo had not and would not miss a single minute for Madrid. Never mind either the fact that last year Ronaldo was actually only the 24th most-fouled player in La Liga. After the Mallorca game, the sports daily Marca accused Madrid's opponents of going for the Portuguese player and specifically homing in on his weaknesses. Its cover ran a target on Ronaldo's ankle -- the same one that had kept him out for six weeks last season -- and the headline: "Objective: Ronaldo." It claimed that, like a boxer who sees a cut by his rival's eye, opponents were deliberately aiming for the same part of Ronaldo's body.
The fact that, a solitary game into the season, there was no evidence to suggest as much -- and if teams did start targeting Ronaldo's ankle, you could make a case for saying it was because Marca had helpfully informed them of his weakness -- made no difference. They were scared Ronaldo would get an hostia, too. A campaign was launched. Campaign? More like a moral crusade. Ronaldo was an entertainer the game should not be deprived of, an endangered species. Anyone who went near him was demonized, malicious intent read into every tackle. Forget the other players; Marca declared that Spain had to protect Ronaldo.
But Ronaldo did not get an hostia. Lionel Messi did. It happened late in a game against Atl�tico Madrid last Sunday. Messi was stretchered off after Tomas Ujfalusi stamped down on his ankle. Photos showed the ankle doubled right over and when Messi took his sock off, his ankle had already swollen up. Fortunately, tests the next day showed that Messi had only minor ligament damage and would be out of action for about 10-15 days.
"The images speak for themselves," Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola said afterward. "Now you [journalists] have a responsibility to write about it."
So write about it, they did -- and in some cases with classic spin. When Ujfalusi got a standard two-game ban, the pro-Madrid Marca considered the case closed, arguing that the defender should not be "demonized" -- a reaction that contrasted remarkably with the publication's attitude toward Souleymane Diawara and Patrick Mtiliga when they were involved in clashes with Ronaldo last season. Marca ran comments from Atl�tico president Enrique Cerezo saying that Ujfalusi is a "clean player" and on the Czech's message of apology to Messi.
Meanwhile, although the defender appeared genuinely upset and sorrowful in his news conference Monday, the Barcelona-based El Mundo Deportivo was still furious. The sanction was, it said, "ridiculous -- another kick for Messi." On Tuesday, columnist Luis Racionero moaned: "The only thing this Kafkanian maggot should do is shut up and disappear. The competition committee should kick him out of the league, but that putrid committee packed with Madridistas is delighted for people to destroy Messi."
Racionero was among the least rational, but he was not the only one setting into a familiar role, even though immediately after the event they had all been a little scandalized. The image of the challenge, after all, hardly let them react in any other way. It had been a genuinely nasty "tackle." Barcelona had, in Guardiola's words, played "brilliantly," but it was Messi's injury that dominated the media. It was as if the game had been forgotten -- as if the crunch of Ujfalusi studs wiped out the previous 89 minutes. "Hunted!"; "The essence of the game, kicked!"; "Brutal" ran the headlines in the Barcelona-based Sport. El Mundo Deportivo called it "Messicide," while the Madrid-based newspaper AS led on "Aaaaayy!"
At Marca, the cover read "Chilling" in cracked-up letters like a bone shattering. Inside, its editorial tried to claim that when it had campaigned to protect Ronaldo it meant Messi too -- and all the league's artists. (There was no mention of the rest of the league's players; maybe they don't need protection.) "It's time," Marca said, "for measures to be taken," time for the "impunity" to end. There should be zero tolerance. Oddly enough, they forgot what they said before last year's cl�sico, when they called on Madrid to stop Messi "by civil means or criminal ones."
But if Marca '"forgot," Barcelona's Guardiola did not. No one was claiming that it was actually Marca's fault that Ujfalusi had fouled Messi, but the gulf between messages was revealed. Insisting that "all players must be protected, not just Messi and Ronaldo," Guardiola nonetheless pointed out: "People cannot talk about stopping players by civil means or criminal ones."
Marca editor Eduardo Inda was furious. Accidentally on purpose using the feminine form of the word "mad" to accuse Guardiola of having "gone loca, I mean loco," he lost his cool. What came next would have been a brilliant demonstration of irony -- if only that had been what he intended.
"In classic fascist style, Guardiola has put a target upon me, with falsehoods, half-truths. If anything happens to me, we will know who to blame," railed the man whose newspaper drew a target on Ronaldo's ankle and called for Messi to be stopped by all means necessary.
Is there another player named Ronaldo who plays for RM? He can't be talking about Cristiano Ronaldo.
GoFishTN
Footballguy
Is there another player named Ronaldo who plays for RM? He can't be talking about Cristiano Ronaldo.
Texas Football
Footballguy
Completely agree, but you have to figure Hodgson is out before the sale of the team completes. If it ever does.I don't know the facts, but I thought I read that the club falls into the hands of Royal Bank of Scotland after X amount of time. I'm not sure of how the English loan system works. As far as I know there are no offers on the table since China pulled out. If friggin' China won't touch it who else is there. Come on Bill Gates...
bentley
Footballguy
RBS loans should come due in early October. There's talk of a brief extension if significant progress is being made on a new ownership group. Liverpool's board reports that they're working with "a small number" of buyers on a potential sale. Word on the Internet is that serious bidders are waiting until the loans are called to get the best deal on the club.All that is predicated on that fat ####### Hicks not managing to find funding to take control of the team by himself.
Texas Football
Footballguy
Thanks Bentley. Any idea what the sell range will be when its all said and done? I have dreams of winning the lotto and running a team. When Luton Town went into admin my brain started thinking this may actually be possible. We could pool together FBG and buy this up, right?
derek245583
Footballguy
God, I hate Chelsea.
Good win seeing as how nobody was healthy for City.
The announcers were harping on it and I thought it was very evident....City needs some speed up top. Some punch to the offense.
Good win seeing as how nobody was healthy for City.
The announcers were harping on it and I thought it was very evident....City needs some speed up top. Some punch to the offense.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Maybe a case of overlooking an opponent with a big game on the horizon. Maybe. But they better lace their boots on tight next week. Chelsea will be out for blood.
scoobygang
Footballguy
No Cesc. No Theo. Wilshere rested much of the match. No Vermalean.
I don't think it's a shock for a team starting Eboue, Diabi, and Squalucci to struggle.
Edit: I've been saying it for a year now, Clichy is a shell of the player he used to be. They should bench him if they can get Gibbs healthy.
I don't think it's a shock for a team starting Eboue, Diabi, and Squalucci to struggle.
Edit: I've been saying it for a year now, Clichy is a shell of the player he used to be. They should bench him if they can get Gibbs healthy.
Last edited by a moderator:
They still shouldn't lose to West Brom at home.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Anyone playing this fall?
Tough loss for us today....2-0, giving up both goals within the last 10 minutes. We had no subs, so I played the full 90 in the center midfield....drew rave reviews from my teammates
but we couldn't win it in the end.
This is the same club that we won the title with in the summer, but the fall league is bit smaller and more condensed with teams of varying skill levels, and we lost a handful of our best players who aren't playing for us this fall. Going to be a long season. We're 1-0-2 now....lost the first week 4-0 - I had to work on Saturday and missed the game - and won by forfeit last week.
I'm also playing with a different club indoors on Thursday nights. Level of play isn't quite as good as the BDSL leagues that I play in on Sat/Sun.
Tough loss for us today....2-0, giving up both goals within the last 10 minutes. We had no subs, so I played the full 90 in the center midfield....drew rave reviews from my teammates
but we couldn't win it in the end.This is the same club that we won the title with in the summer, but the fall league is bit smaller and more condensed with teams of varying skill levels, and we lost a handful of our best players who aren't playing for us this fall. Going to be a long season. We're 1-0-2 now....lost the first week 4-0 - I had to work on Saturday and missed the game - and won by forfeit last week.
I'm also playing with a different club indoors on Thursday nights. Level of play isn't quite as good as the BDSL leagues that I play in on Sat/Sun.
Eephus
Footballguy
OK, as long as we don't have to see shots of Bernie and Briatore smirking in the owners boxDon't want to get ahead of myself, but QPR's making a great run early in the season and may just be back in top flight football next year for the first time in 15 years.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Barça up 1-0 in San Mamés (Athletic Bilbao) after a red card against the home team. I was really looking for Barça NOT to get 3 points here.
Offa
Footballguy
Champions League is a bad excuse, since we had League Cup midweek which saw a reserve side play. Our poor results are mostly down to injuries to key players, I think.
bentley
Footballguy
Very cool. QPR is my second favorite English team. Should be interesting to seem the pass Liverpool on the way down.
GoFishTN
Footballguy
Well, honestly it's been more than just today.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
there's a zero percent chance that liverpool will get relegated.Very cool. QPR is my second favorite English team. Should be interesting to seem the pass Liverpool on the way down.Don't want to get ahead of myself, but QPR's making a great run early in the season and may just be back in top flight football next year for the first time in 15 years.
brewer
Footballguy
No excuses on the loss, poor display again from Arshavin, not a great effort from Chamakh and just general poor midfield play with the exception of Nasri who almost willed them to a point.And I was saying exactly the same thing about Gibbs being ahead of Clichy at this point. Now if he could only stay on the pitch instead of on the trainers table with the rest of the fragile Gunners.
Eephus
Footballguy
It's very unlikely but I would have said the same thing about the Magpies a few years ago.there's a zero percent chance that liverpool will get relegated.Very cool. QPR is my second favorite English team. Should be interesting to seem the pass Liverpool on the way down.Don't want to get ahead of myself, but QPR's making a great run early in the season and may just be back in top flight football next year for the first time in 15 years.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
The Gooners simply don't (and haven't for a while) have the depth to make it happen for them. Only super elite upper tier teams can sustain their level of play with 4 injured starters.
Eephus
Footballguy
they were playing WBA at home
A side that's missing firepower and creativity up front through should at least be able to tighten up on defense when necessary. Wenger knew he needed a keeper all summer. Almunia saved a penalty but gave one back later.
bentley
Footballguy
Should I have put some special formatting on that post to let you know it was schtick?there's a zero percent chance that liverpool will get relegated.Very cool. QPR is my second favorite English team. Should be interesting to seem the pass Liverpool on the way down.Don't want to get ahead of myself, but QPR's making a great run early in the season and may just be back in top flight football next year for the first time in 15 years.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
F'n Gator ruining the Arsenal result for me.....still haven't watched my gametape yet.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Oops.How you like them Bruins?Should I have put some special formatting on that post to let you know it was schtick?there's a zero percent chance that liverpool will get relegated.Very cool. QPR is my second favorite English team. Should be interesting to seem the pass Liverpool on the way down.Don't want to get ahead of myself, but QPR's making a great run early in the season and may just be back in top flight football next year for the first time in 15 years.
Let's not get personal, guy. We have a nice little thread going here.Oops.How you like them Bruins?Should I have put some special formatting on that post to let you know it was schtick?there's a zero percent chance that liverpool will get relegated.Very cool. QPR is my second favorite English team. Should be interesting to seem the pass Liverpool on the way down.Don't want to get ahead of myself, but QPR's making a great run early in the season and may just be back in top flight football next year for the first time in 15 years.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Kenwyne Jones just hit the crossbar twice on headers within 5 minutes of each other.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Looks like he missed this time.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
lol third time's a charm....he equalizes it with a header just 3 minutes later
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Sometimes, the most fun games to watch are the hard-fought battles between two average teams. That's why I like MLS!
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Hércules proving they are no pushovers as they are up 2-0 on Sevilla.
David Trezeguet with both scores. He's proving that he's still got it at age 32 and he's proving to be an inspired signing (for free) for Hércules.
I always love it when newly promoted teams become giant killers.
David Trezeguet with both scores. He's proving that he's still got it at age 32 and he's proving to be an inspired signing (for free) for Hércules.
I always love it when newly promoted teams become giant killers.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
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