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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (6 Viewers)

Djourou was hurt. He started the second half but couldn't make a go of it.I'm surprised Arsenal didn't do something to strengthen their defense during the transfer window. On the other hand, the club did announce an annual profit of around GBP55M, which is pretty impressive compared to Chelsea's GBP77M deficit. The stat of the week for me was Arsenal's entire starting XI from the midweek game cost the club only GBP40M in transfer fees.
Stats like that really help me appreciate what Arsene Wenger is able to do with the talent that the team has. Don't get me wrong, Arsenal are not hamstrung by finances or anything like that. But when's the last time that Arsenal brought in a huge splash transfer? I'd say that Arshavin in January 09 qualifies. But who else? When has Arsenal even really been linked with a big-name target?It always makes me wonder when I see people claiming that the team should dump Wenger. It's similar to Lindy Ruff here in Buffalo (if any of you are hockey fans). It's not the coach's fault - he'll be able to field a competitive team every year....give him a bigger budget and a bigger leash, and I think you'd see success.I recognize that it's a business, though, first and foremost (for most teams, anyway..).
 
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Djourou was hurt. He started the second half but couldn't make a go of it.I'm surprised Arsenal didn't do something to strengthen their defense during the transfer window. On the other hand, the club did announce an annual profit of around GBP55M, which is pretty impressive compared to Chelsea's GBP77M deficit. The stat of the week for me was Arsenal's entire starting XI from the midweek game cost the club only GBP40M in transfer fees.
Stats like that really help me appreciate what Arsene Wenger is able to do with the talent that the team has. Don't get me wrong, Arsenal are not hamstrung by finances or anything like that. But when's the last time that Arsenal brought in a huge splash transfer? I'd say that Arshavin in January 09 qualifies. But who else? When has Arsenal even really been linked with a big-name target?It always makes me wonder when I see people claiming that the team should dump Wenger. It's similar to Lindy Ruff here in Buffalo (is any of you are hockey fans). It's not the coach's fault - he'll be able to field a competitive team every year....give him a bigger budget and a bigger leash, and I think you'd see success.I recognize that it's a business, though, first and foremost (for most teams, anyway..).
Arsenal is most hamstrung by the fact they don't have a single player with a little steel in his spine.
 
Arsenal is most hamstrung by the fact they don't have a single player with a little steel in his spine.
I'd say that Wilshere does, but he needs to mature quite a bit. I haven't been this excited about a young Arsenal player in years.
He might be that player eventually. But I was thinking of someone with a little more experience and leadership ability. When I think of that type of player, I think of Roy Keane.
 
Arsenal is most hamstrung by the fact they don't have a single player with a little steel in his spine.
I'd say that Wilshere does, but he needs to mature quite a bit. I haven't been this excited about a young Arsenal player in years.
There's a faction of Gunners supporters who'd rather see Wenger trot out Martin Keown and Tony Adams but I think the game has evolved in the past decade. They're sure more interesting to watch with the side they have now.
 
Djourou was hurt. He started the second half but couldn't make a go of it.I'm surprised Arsenal didn't do something to strengthen their defense during the transfer window. On the other hand, the club did announce an annual profit of around GBP55M, which is pretty impressive compared to Chelsea's GBP77M deficit. The stat of the week for me was Arsenal's entire starting XI from the midweek game cost the club only GBP40M in transfer fees.
Stats like that really help me appreciate what Arsene Wenger is able to do with the talent that the team has. Don't get me wrong, Arsenal are not hamstrung by finances or anything like that. But when's the last time that Arsenal brought in a huge splash transfer? I'd say that Arshavin in January 09 qualifies. But who else? When has Arsenal even really been linked with a big-name target?It always makes me wonder when I see people claiming that the team should dump Wenger. It's similar to Lindy Ruff here in Buffalo (is any of you are hockey fans). It's not the coach's fault - he'll be able to field a competitive team every year....give him a bigger budget and a bigger leash, and I think you'd see success.I recognize that it's a business, though, first and foremost (for most teams, anyway..).
Arsenal is most hamstrung by the fact they don't have a single player with a little steel in his spine.
This.
 
Arsenal is most hamstrung by the fact they don't have a single player with a little steel in his spine.
I'd say that Wilshere does, but he needs to mature quite a bit. I haven't been this excited about a young Arsenal player in years.
He might be that player eventually. But I was thinking of someone with a little more experience and leadership ability. When I think of that type of player, I think of Roy Keane.
"Patrick Vieira's not walking through that door"
 
Arsenal is most hamstrung by the fact they don't have a single player with a little steel in his spine.
I'd say that Wilshere does, but he needs to mature quite a bit. I haven't been this excited about a young Arsenal player in years.
He might be that player eventually. But I was thinking of someone with a little more experience and leadership ability. When I think of that type of player, I think of Roy Keane.
"Patrick Vieira's not walking through that door"
* unless City are in town
 
Djourou was hurt. He started the second half but couldn't make a go of it.I'm surprised Arsenal didn't do something to strengthen their defense during the transfer window. On the other hand, the club did announce an annual profit of around GBP55M, which is pretty impressive compared to Chelsea's GBP77M deficit. The stat of the week for me was Arsenal's entire starting XI from the midweek game cost the club only GBP40M in transfer fees.
Stats like that really help me appreciate what Arsene Wenger is able to do with the talent that the team has. Don't get me wrong, Arsenal are not hamstrung by finances or anything like that. But when's the last time that Arsenal brought in a huge splash transfer? I'd say that Arshavin in January 09 qualifies. But who else? When has Arsenal even really been linked with a big-name target?It always makes me wonder when I see people claiming that the team should dump Wenger. It's similar to Lindy Ruff here in Buffalo (is any of you are hockey fans). It's not the coach's fault - he'll be able to field a competitive team every year....give him a bigger budget and a bigger leash, and I think you'd see success.I recognize that it's a business, though, first and foremost (for most teams, anyway..).
Arsenal is most hamstrung by the fact they don't have a single player with a little steel in his spine.
This.
I don't think that's true. I think Song and Wilshere have been mostly terrific this season as dual holding midfielders who take turns getting forward. I do think the team suffers greatly when either is out and they have to move to Diaby or Denilson. The frustration with Arsenal, IMO, is that I think they're two relatively cheap signings away. Something like Ryan Nelson and Mark Schwarzer for 25 million pounds total could do it.
 
I don't think that's true. I think Song and Wilshere have been mostly terrific this season as dual holding midfielders who take turns getting forward. I do think the team suffers greatly when either is out and they have to move to Diaby or Denilson. The frustration with Arsenal, IMO, is that I think they're two relatively cheap signings away. Something like Ryan Nelson and Mark Schwarzer for 25 million pounds total could do it.
I was this close to mentioning Song as well, but didn't. I think he's easier to overlook because he's not a flashy player and generally appears quiet on the field. Quiet can be a good thing or a bad thing, of course - there's a time and a place to be a vocal leader.I almost put Rosicky on this level too. When #### gets tough, he's one of the few players on the team who actually looks like a leader on the field. The problem with him is that he's been hurt a lot lately and frankly isn't the player he was in 2006.Regardless, no, there are no Roy Keane players on the Arsenal team...but there aren't too many players like that out there in general.
 
I think McBride holds the American born record for scoring in the EPL with 12 when he was with Fulham. Dempsey is on 9 now I believe.

Roy Wegerle I believe holds the record for an American international in the top division in England (I think it was 19 goals in 1990-1991).

 
I think McBride holds the American born record for scoring in the EPL with 12 when he was with Fulham. Dempsey is on 9 now I believe.

Roy Wegerle I believe holds the record for an American international in the top division in England (I think it was 19 goals in 1990-1991).
Speaking of Dempsey... perhaps his worst- or at least most uninvolved- game as a professional that I can remember. Seems like he might have gotten pushed deeper into the MF and wide (where he just doesn't excel) and that Dembele got all the touches in the position he normally gets.But of course he still comes through with a goal. Too bad it asked some questions of Friedel though.

eta- I can count on one hand the number of times Dempsey even got the ball, and his touch on those was off. I figured it would be him and not Duff getting subbed, as Duff was really involved on both sides of the ball for Fulham, but what do I know. I guess it's likely Dempsey was doing his job defensively off-camera.

 
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I don't think that's true. I think Song and Wilshere have been mostly terrific this season as dual holding midfielders who take turns getting forward. I do think the team suffers greatly when either is out and they have to move to Diaby or Denilson. The frustration with Arsenal, IMO, is that I think they're two relatively cheap signings away. Something like Ryan Nelson and Mark Schwarzer for 25 million pounds total could do it.
I was this close to mentioning Song as well, but didn't. I think he's easier to overlook because he's not a flashy player and generally appears quiet on the field. Quiet can be a good thing or a bad thing, of course - there's a time and a place to be a vocal leader.I almost put Rosicky on this level too. When #### gets tough, he's one of the few players on the team who actually looks like a leader on the field. The problem with him is that he's been hurt a lot lately and frankly isn't the player he was in 2006.Regardless, no, there are no Roy Keane players on the Arsenal team...but there aren't too many players like that out there in general.
My 2c....I pretty much agree with Christo- although it'll take more than one player. Their french trio during that unbeaten stretch was both stylish and tough (although prone to histrionics), plus hustle guys like Lindberg and leg-breakers like Keown (sp?- the neandrathal in the back who was clearly from another era). That whole team was ready to bleed through their pores to get the win... when they needed to.
 
Barça is unbelievable. That's all I have to say.Looking forward to the 'pool vs. Chelski game more than the Super Bowl.
Me too. Torres is starting up front alongside Drogba and Anelka. Have no idea how this will work.Too bad Suarez and Carroll wont be playing.
 
Barça is unbelievable. That's all I have to say.Looking forward to the 'pool vs. Chelski game more than the Super Bowl.
Me too. Torres is starting up front alongside Drogba and Anelka. Have no idea how this will work.Too bad Suarez and Carroll wont be playing.
Suarez will be off the bench in the 2nd half , no?
I know he scored on Wed but I didnt see his name on the roster for todays match. Could be wrong though..
 
Barça is unbelievable. That's all I have to say.Looking forward to the 'pool vs. Chelski game more than the Super Bowl.
Me too. Torres is starting up front alongside Drogba and Anelka. Have no idea how this will work.Too bad Suarez and Carroll wont be playing.
Suarez will be off the bench in the 2nd half , no?
I know he scored on Wed but I didnt see his name on the roster for todays match. Could be wrong though..
he's dressed . They are talking about him now
 
Barça is unbelievable. That's all I have to say.

Looking forward to the 'pool vs. Chelski game more than the Super Bowl.
Me too. Torres is starting up front alongside Drogba and Anelka. Have no idea how this will work.

Too bad Suarez and Carroll wont be playing.
Suarez will be off the bench in the 2nd half , no?
I know he scored on Wed but I didnt see his name on the roster for todays match. Could be wrong though..
he's dressed . They are talking about him now
Carrol not playing, Suaraz mighthttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9388943.stm

522: CHELSEA v LIVERPOOL (1600)

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Essien, Lampard, Anelka, Torres, Drogba. Subs: Turnbull, David Luiz, Malouda, Ferreira, Kalou, McEachran, Sala.

Liverpool: Reina, Skrtel, Carragher, Agger, Kelly, Lucas, Meireles, Johnson, Gerrard, Maxi, Kuyt. Subs: Gulacsi, Aurelio, Suarez, Jovanovic, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Poulsen.

Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands)

 
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Excrutiating first half to watch. Very sloppy on both sides. Maxi missed a wide open goal that shouldve put Pool ahead. Chelsea is completely out of sorts.

 
What about Dalglish keeping Suarez off? Just another small "team > players" or "we can beat you without your replacement" snub at Torres?

 
What about Dalglish keeping Suarez off? Just another small "team > players" or "we can beat you without your replacement" snub at Torres?
I have a feeling Dalglish put what he thought was his best pairing suited for a rough and tumble battle. It's one thing to bring Suarez off the bench against Stoke. John Terry is a different kind of animal. Better to use Meireles and Kuyt as long as he could. Once they got the lead, Poulsen was the better situational sub. Had Liverpool not been in the lead Suarez may have been used.
 
Clearly Chelsea need to find how to put all these pieces in place if they want to compete for a top four finish this year - which is far from a given. Drogba and Torres did not play well together; Anelka wasnt as dangerous playing further back; Chelsea missed Malouda on the wing as there was no room for him on the pitch.

Not a good day to be a Chelsea fan. :unsure:

 
the 1st half of the roma/inter game was as entertaining as any soccer i have watched. 3 goals (all fairly spectacular), some great saves, a little too much acting/crying but other than that it has been great...

eta - does roma have silhouettes of naked chicks on their uni's?

 
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I think McBride holds the American born record for scoring in the EPL with 12 when he was with Fulham. Dempsey is on 9 now I believe.

Roy Wegerle I believe holds the record for an American international in the top division in England (I think it was 19 goals in 1990-1991).
Top ScorersAwesome to see Dempsey on this list. 15 games to go. Maybe he can get to 15 for the season. I don't think 19 will happen, but not unrealistic.

 
Clearly Chelsea need to find how to put all these pieces in place if they want to compete for a top four finish this year - which is far from a given. Drogba and Torres did not play well together; Anelka wasnt as dangerous playing further back; Chelsea missed Malouda on the wing as there was no room for him on the pitch.Not a good day to be a Chelsea fan. :shrug:
I was really surprised to see that starting line up.
 
Clearly Chelsea need to find how to put all these pieces in place if they want to compete for a top four finish this year - which is far from a given. Drogba and Torres did not play well together; Anelka wasnt as dangerous playing further back; Chelsea missed Malouda on the wing as there was no room for him on the pitch.Not a good day to be a Chelsea fan. :(
I was really surprised to see that starting line up.
I wonder if Ancelotti trots it out again. Anelka was invisible and Ivanovic didn't make much of a statement.
 
the 1st half of the roma/inter game was as entertaining as any soccer i have watched. 3 goals (all fairly spectacular), some great saves, a little too much acting/crying but other than that it has been great...eta - does roma have silhouettes of naked chicks on their uni's?
That's the Kappa logo. It's a back to back seated man/woman.
 
Clearly Chelsea need to find how to put all these pieces in place if they want to compete for a top four finish this year - which is far from a given. Drogba and Torres did not play well together; Anelka wasnt as dangerous playing further back; Chelsea missed Malouda on the wing as there was no room for him on the pitch.

Not a good day to be a Chelsea fan. :yes:
I was really surprised to see that starting line up.
I wonder if Ancelotti trots it out again. Anelka was invisible and Ivanovic didn't make much of a statement.
I think it's pretty understandable for Drogba/Anelka/Torres to not be on the same page yet. That said- it would be interesting to see a history of Torres' strike-partners... seems to me he works well alone and with a buzzing MF, but I can't recall him pairing that well with others up front (recall being the operative word right now).And it also seems to me (although I'll defer to Chelsea supporters here) that Drogba and Anelka play at their best when they're both pushed up top. Not sure how Torres fits into that- although we got a small glimpse on Drogba's diagonal ball to set up Torres' shot- or how/if Anelka is worthwhile dropped so far back; he wasn't today. Add an attack minded Lampard into that, and something's got to give. I agree with Native that Malouda was missed on the field.

A couple other thoughts...

Amazing finish by Mireilles. Made it look so much easier than it was- did so well getting himself around that volley and keeping it on frame and with some umph behind it.

I think an argument can be made that Liverpool were the better team on the day, but there was a lot of play where they looked unsettled without Torres up front- lots of short passing in triangles in the MF without any type of outlet or point to the passing apparent- and Chelsea did a good job eating that up, especially in the first half.

Liverpool is such a better team with Carragher in there- and Lucas looked better too (although still a bit pointless with his distribution- lots of short hospital passes setting up his teammates for getting whacked)

 
Chelsea dominated the first 20 minutes of the game before it settled down. Neither team had a strong presence in the midfield to control or hold the ball well. It was plenty sloppy.

Pool turned it around during the second half though. They looked to be more composed, so it's not surprising that they pulled the win. Torres was out of sync and out of step all game (and I'd say since his injury last season as well...) Drogba isn't the same player he was last year or the year before, but I think in the end he'll work well with Torres.

I think Chelsea have to pair those two up front and Anelka is the odd man out unless either Torres or Drogba is hurt. Malouda is a good sub to have and will relieve or come on to pressure around the ball in the opposition zone.

Liverpool didn't have that attacking talent up front today (Carrol will help there...) but I don't see them in the top 5 this year. Not enough in talent all around IMO.

 
Z Machine's Football Manager 2011 Update

2012-2013 Season info:

Team: Cockfosters

League: Ryman Football League Division One North

Final Position: 1st (Promoted) - Will play in Zamaretto League Premier Division next season

Games Played: 42

Wins: 24

Draws: 12

Losses: 6

Points: 84

Goals For: 58

Goals Against: 26

Goal Differential: +32

Top Goalscorer: Alex Brister (18)

Top Assists: Darren Thompson (12)

Other Notes:

* Won Isthmian League Cup

* Lost in FA Cup 3rd Round to Millwall (3-2) after beating both Charleton and Hereford)

* Lost in FA Challenge Trophy 3rd Round

* Lost in London FA Senior Cup Semi-final

 

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