1181 replies to this topic

[Frere]

I think there should be a football thread, and so thats why i've made one. I want one, fatboygreen said he would post and hopefully others will.
This is basically for anything to do with football. Any league, any country. On and off pitch talk. Whatever.
Now personally i think a good way to start this off would be the controversial goal by Henry for arsenal against Chelsea this sunday. In my opinion, Pires dived to win the free-kick, neither Makelele or Lampard touched him, and the free kick should of been re-taken as the ref did not take 5 steps back, and should of gave some indictation to the Chelsea players the free-kick was going to be taken.
But that's my opinion as a Chelsea fan, anyone else with there views?
Please post, because i think once started this could be a really good thread for all you football lovers (and maybe even haters to slag footie off).

[FBG]

Saw the Chelsea goals on box today, I thought the Henry goal was fine, good result for Chelsea though. Millwall's 2-1 over brighton puts us closer to the play offs, and good to get one over mark mcgee Good idea frere just hope people post !

[Frere]

Me too.
I don't think it was fine, prob because i'm biased.
LOL at soton, 2-0 with a minute left. 2-2 in the end. Great start for Harry redknapp...
Wouldn't it be a good swap for Strachen to go to Pompy? I rate him, didn't do a bad job down here in Cov.
Millwall have the quality to go for a playoff spot i think

[FBG]

I think Pompy will end up with the better deal if they get Stachan, and the saints must be gutted after that 2-2, they should have won that game.

[Frere]

They might, but i think Redknapp may save soton from relegation.
I think Downing is Englands long term solution on the left hand side, i've yet to see his strike from the game, but heard it was good, but the defender didn't charge him down. Bet Harry R was p***ed majorly about that.
Soton have surprised me this season, as i don't think their team is particually weak. Everton have also surprised me, i thought like England in Euro 2004 they would collaspe without Rooney (who is over-rated in my book), but instead they are second and going strong. Lets hope Moyles don't ruin it by buying some dodgy players in January, like new teams into the prem buy dodgy players when they get promotion

[FBG]

Yes Downing should definately be playing on the left for England, I dont think Sven will be able to ignore him much longer. Yes Everton are flying at the moment, it would be good to see them get a european place, and they dont seem to be missing Rooney at all, as to Rooney being overated I dont think so, just look at what he done at the euro champs, once he got injured we looked very average.

[Frere]

I'm not saying he is rubbish, because that he is not. He is a very good talented young player with a bright future.
I think all the hype surrounding Rooney took confidence away from the rest of the England squad, and made them think he was their most valuable player, which he may well of been, and so make them think they couldn't win without him.
My opinion of Sven has gone down, as he seems to consistantly play the 'big-names' who under-perform more often than not, and doesn't give youngsters like Wright-Phillips (Shawn and maybe even Bradly in the future, Man city need to keep a hold of them two) and Dowining the chance they need, hopefully come Febuary in the Holland game he'll play his best squad, not his 'big-names'

[FBG]

The players have to be bigger than that, I agree with you about Sven though, he was influenced to much by his days with Lazio,the Italians are to defensive and England cant play that defensive keep ball system, we only look good going forward. And tacticly I think he's lost the plot, in the world cup when Brazil had a man sent off, it looked like we were the team with 10 men. I think we need an English man back in charge.

[Frere]

He doesn't have the same pride in the job as a English manager would have.
I would like to see Steve McLaren as England manager sometime soon.
Sven has been playing around with tactics, which gives a advantage, as then if needed players can rotate around the pitch and play in several positions.
He (Sven) does seem to favour the defence alot, sometimes at the sacrific of attack power. Nobody wants to see Phil Neville or Owen Hargreves come on, when we have more attacking players, and even better defensive minded players at our disposal

[FBG]

Steve Maclaren is the man for the job, he knows the players and he is a goos coach. Alan Curbishley could do a job aswell, but we are stuck with Sven untill the next world cup, lets hope he has learnt something.

[Frere]

England have the players to win the world cup, but won't with the current state of the management system. Steve Bruce would also do well. Me friend thats a brummie and supports Birmingham blamed their form on Eric Black. WTF? He was a good manager at Cov, even if he was incosistant, so even though he's assitant at Birmingham it ain't his falut.
I think there is not enough International's for Sven to try players and tactics out, but i'm not making excuses for him. Too many league matches i think.

[FBG]

Yes there are to many games, and there should be a winter break. I think aventually all the top clubs will join a european league anyway, and that will mean the end for a lot of small clubs and make the gap between the haves and have nots even bigger.

[Frere]

I'm not sure how well a European league would work on a weekly basis at first, but thats something i would like to see. There is a massive gap between leagues at the moment, (e.g. Premiership and coca cola championship) clubs in the premiership are spending millions on players, while championship clubs spend thousands or hundreds of thousands, maybe millions depending on the club. Maybe more leagues would work. Spilting the premiership and other leagues into small leagues.
Say the premiership and championship split into 3 leagues between them would have around 15 or so clubs in a division, meaning less games. And a winter break should be a defo, it's the holiday season, no should work for a while.

[FBG]

Are you telling me that Chelsea at home to Barcelona would mean as much as Chelsea at home to West ham, or Arsenal at home to Spurs, I think if you ask most fans they dont want the european league, I would rather watch Millwall at home to West ham, than at home to Real Madrid any day of the week, cos it means more, cos I can phone my mate Tel and take the piss out of him and vice versa, and theres history there, I dont know anyone who lives in Madrid. it dont mean nothing

[Frere]

I'm not saying that. Just like watching the champions league is good because it's the best of the best. Top notch footie.
I like nothing more than taking the piss out of friends who support other teams, and yes the history is there. Maybe the European league should just stick as the champions league and stuff like that (But does anybody actually care about the Inter-toto cup anymore?).
And England has one of if not the best leagues in the world when it comes to football, and in a way, i'm quite proud of that, so that would be changed. But the leagues in England are too big i think, with some mant teams just floating in mid-table year after year after year, even if thy have some sort of input on who eventually becomes champions, i think if leagues were shrunk and others introduced while contraversial it would be better for the league and international quality in the long term