The Official Football (Soccer) Thread

[es-jay]

England captain John Terry hogged the karaoke machine at Chelsea's Christmas party - bellowing out numbers by Luther Vandross, Biggie Smalls and Soulja Boy. (Daily Mirror)

LOL


plus, anyone see Ashley Young sporting the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones on MOTD2?

[Elano]

 Tottenham star bundled out of drunken Christmas party



Everyone’s allowed to let their hair down at Christmas time and enjoy the festivities with a few glasses of eggnog, but it looks like Tottenham’s players took things a step too far last night.

Pictured above is midfielder Giovani Dos Santos looking extremely worse for wear at the club’s Xmas bash.

Dos Santos, who had clearly been enjoying himself alongside team-mates at London’s upmarket Taman Gang Club, and was snapped leaving the premises in the arms of a security guard.

Jonathon Woodgate, Darren Bent, Gareth Bale, Kevin Prince-Boateng and Alan Hutton all looked on as the young Mexican fell to the floor, threw up and was then bundled into a cab.

Which, we think you'll agree, is the most impressive performance anyone has witnessed from Dos Santos so far this season.

[Elano]

Wayne Rooney, England’s finest striker, was at it again last night. Yes, the Manchester United man did find the back of the net against Aalborg, the Danish minnows, in the Champions League, but that is not what we are talking about.

What springs more readily to mind is the succession of X-rated challenges: kung-fu-style kicks, stamps, flailing elbows and the like, any one of which could have got him sent off.

Now TheGame is a huge fan of Rooney, but it is getting to the stage where the boy is getting a crimesheet as long as that other petulant upstart forward who made his name across the Pennines at Leeds United: Alan Smith.

Rooney is better than Smith, of that there is no argument. But, according to Manchester United’s official website, he will be aged 23 years and two months on Christmas Eve. We remember when such antics were put down to mere youthful exhuberance - that no longer sticks as an excuse.

One of those tackles last night was reminiscent of the stamp on Ricardo Carvalho, the Portugal defender, which rightly led to referee Horacio Elizondo showing the England striker a straight red card at the 2006 World Cup. The foolishness of this action, you might remember, was somewhat overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo encouraging the match official to send off his Manchester United team-mate.

[Elano]

Porto sent feeble Arsenal crashing to another defeat

Arsenal lost for the seventh time this season last night and it was not all Emmanuel Eboué’s fault. The Ivory Coast defender was targeted for abuse by his own supporters in the victory over Wigan Athletic at the Emirates Stadium at the weekend, but Arsenal played so poorly against the Portuguese champions last night that real questions have to be asked again about whether Arsène Wenger’s team have the strength in depth to avoid a fourth successive season without silverware.

Wenger may have put out a scratch side against Porto, but what must worry the Frenchman is that many of the established players who were selected looked out of form — in the case of William Gallas, an accident waiting to happen. With Arsenal already two goals down — a result that consigns them to second place in group G and a possible last-16 tie against Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Juventus — the former Arsenal captain made defensive mistakes the likes of which would not look out of place on Hackney Marshes. Come back Philippe Senderos, all is forgiven.

“Porto were stronger than us tonight,” Wenger said. “We didn’t underperform. Underperform is a big word. When we were 2-0 down, the belief was not there. We were not strong enough to come back.”

The Champions League group stage has failed to provide many thrills and spills this year and this was another game that did not excite the imagination in the early stages. Both teams had already qualified for the first knockout round, so there was little at stake apart from the honour of finishing top of the group.

No team have reached the final after finishing second in their group in the past three seasons, but Arsenal have hardly had the luck of the draw in recent campaigns, regardless of where they have finished in their groups. In 2005-06, Wenger’s team finished top of group B and reached the final in Paris, but only after having to see off Real Madrid and Juventus.

Anyway, Wenger has little time for statistics or omens. The Frenchman was unaware that he was taking charge of Arsenal for the 700th time last night until it was pointed it out to him and, even then, his only reaction was to comment that every one of the 124 defeats — now 125 — that he had endured during 12 years in North London had caused him “terrible pain”.

With one eye on the Barclays Premier League match away to Middlesbrough at lunchtime on Saturday and owing to a lengthy injury list, Wenger was without nine first-team players, including Cesc Fàbregas, the captain, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie. Adebayor and Van Persie scored twice each in the 4-0 defeat of Porto at the Emirates in September, so it was left to Nicklas Bendtner, looking ridiculous in lime-green boots, to lead the line as a lone attacker.

The main point of the exercise as far as Wenger was concerned was the rehabilitation of Eboué, who started at right back four days after he was reduced to tears by his own supporters. “He got the support of the fans tonight and he did all right,” Wenger said.

“It will take time for him to recover.”

Arsenal’s 1,500 travelling supporters greeted the defender before kick-off with a few choruses of “There’s Only One Emmanuel Eboué” and all was going well for the 25-year-old until the seventh minute when he conceded a free kick on the edge of the penalty for a clumsy foul on Givanildo Vieira de Souza, the Brazilian forward also known as Hulk, who was Porto’s most dangerous player in the first half.

Eboué was standing out for all the wrong reasons two minutes later when he gave the ball away cheaply in Porto’s half, but to be fair to him, the home team had identified him as the weak link in the Arsenal defence and he received little help from Aaron Ramsey in front of him in midfield as Hulk, Cristián Rodríguez and Lucho González took it in turns to attack the point of least resistance.

Not that Eboué was at fault when Porto scored after 37 minutes. Abou Diaby was the guilty party, allowing Bruno Alves to beat him in the air to head down a corner taken by Raul Meireles past Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal.

Eboué struggled, too, at the start of the second half, when he was booked for another clumsy foul on Rodríguez and there was a suspicion that he played Porto’s attackers onside when the home team extended their lead two minutes later through Lisandro López. A clever pass by Fernando caught out Mikaël Silvestre, playing at left back, and López gave Almunia no chance with a stunning right-foot strike that flew past the Spanish goalkeeper.

Ten minutes later, Eboué was in trouble again when Rodríguez went close to making it 3-0. The former Benfica forward accelerated past the Arsenal right back, but was kicking a post seconds later after he dragged his low-left foot strike wide of the target.

“Everyone wearing an Arsenal shirt has to give 100 per cent,” Almunia, the captain last night, said after the match. “That was not the case tonight.”

Porto (4-3-3): Helton — Fucile, Rolando, B Alves, P Emanuel — L González, Fernando, R Meireles — L López (sub: T Costa, 78min), Hulk (sub: F Guarín, 88), C Rodríguez (sub: Mariano, 78). Substitutes not used: Nuno, M Stepanov, Lino, T Sektioui. Booked: González.

Arsenal (4-1-4-1): M Almunia — E Eboué, W Gallas, J Djourou, M Silvestre — A Song (sub: M Randall, 79) — A Ramsey (sub: J Wilshere, 59), Denilson, A Diaby (sub: K Gibbs, 59), C Vela — N Bendtner. Substitutes not used: L Fabianski, G Hoyte, F Merida, J Simpson. Booked: Eboué.

[KURUPTION-81]

After what Keane did at the 2002 World Cup I'll never forgive him.

A great captain, a great leader? Yes.

A big-headed bastard who always does what's best for himself? I have to say yes also.

Now as im not Irish i could never properly understand how Irish people felt about this but i was behind Keano 100% in Japan. That Ireland team, without exaggeration had the ability to be a major force in that tournie (players in there pomp = Keane, Harte, Robbie Keane, Gary Kelly, Damien Duff, Shay Given, Nialll Quinn was still a force) as was proved by knocking out the Dutch and competing with portugal in qualifying. And to turn up to a world fucking cup and not have any balls to train with is pathetic. To be playing on a hard pitch which was causing players injuries is pathetic. To be playing a bounce game with no keepers is pathetic. Keane made a stand and the FAI finally got their fingers out and i can garuntee Trappatoni will not have any of those problems.

[Mac 10 †]

After what Keane did at the 2002 World Cup I'll never forgive him.

A great captain, a great leader? Yes.

A big-headed bastard who always does what's best for himself? I have to say yes also.

Now as im not Irish i could never properly understand how Irish people felt about this but i was behind Keano 100% in Japan. That Ireland team, without exaggeration had the ability to be a major force in that tournie (players in there pomp = Keane, Harte, Robbie Keane, Gary Kelly, Damien Duff, Shay Given, Nialll Quinn was still a force) as was proved by knocking out the Dutch and competing with portugal in qualifying. And to turn up to a world fucking cup and not have any balls to train with is pathetic. To be playing on a hard pitch which was causing players injuries is pathetic. To be playing a bounce game with no keepers is pathetic. Keane made a stand and the FAI finally got their fingers out and i can garuntee Trappatoni will not have any of those problems.

What you are taking there is one man's absolutely biased and at the very least exagerrated opinion most probably from reading his book which I'm sure no doubt makes him look like the good guy in just about every situation he's been in in his life including of course, the Alf-Inge_Håland "4 year feud" I've heard so much about in an attempt to defend one of the world tackles football has ever seen.

[KURUPTION-81]

Keane made some mistakes but he never hid what he did unlike most players.

The halland tackle was nasty but it was made to be a lot worse than because of the situation, and before people start saying it ended his career he retired because of an injury to his other knee.

[Elano]

Today has been a weird day in the premier league
Liverpool 2 2 Hull City
Middlesbrough 1 1 Arsenal
Manchester City 0 1 Everton

City is going really down,and Everton is a surprise in that position.
And in about half an hour spurs united 

[KURUPTION-81]

Your top of the league drawing two all and need to score.

You have a striker who cost 20 mil sitting on the bench, who do you bring on El Zar, Babel and Lucas.

Robbie Keane must feel like shit lol

Today has been a weird day in the premier league
Liverpool 2 2 Hull City
Middlesbrough 1 1 Arsenal
Manchester City 0 1 Everton

City is going really down,and Everton is a surprise in that position.
And in about half an hour spurs united 

Everton have had a lot of injuries and city is just a circus .

I see once again the council house wasnt full. Unless there were loads of people who have gone in fancy dress as blue seats.

[Elano]

Your top of the league drawing two all and need to score.

You have a striker who cost 20 mil sitting on the bench, who do you bring on El Zar, Babel and Lucas.

Robbie Keane must feel like shit lol

Today has been a weird day in the premier league
Liverpool 2 2 Hull City
Middlesbrough 1 1 Arsenal
Manchester City 0 1 Everton

City is going really down,and Everton is a surprise in that position.
And in about half an hour spurs united 

Everton have had a lot of injuries and city is just a circus .

I see once again the council house wasnt full. Unless there were loads of people who have gone in fancy dress as blue seats.

i remember keane @ the beginning of the season,happy like a kid.....and now is on the bench even with torres iinjured,benitez is a genius 
City is a circus even with the new purchases,i don't know what's wrong....maybe their coach ?

[KURUPTION-81]

Your top of the league drawing two all and need to score.

You have a striker who cost 20 mil sitting on the bench, who do you bring on El Zar, Babel and Lucas.

Robbie Keane must feel like shit lol

Today has been a weird day in the premier league
Liverpool 2 2 Hull City
Middlesbrough 1 1 Arsenal
Manchester City 0 1 Everton

City is going really down,and Everton is a surprise in that position.
And in about half an hour spurs united 

Everton have had a lot of injuries and city is just a circus .

I see once again the council house wasnt full. Unless there were loads of people who have gone in fancy dress as blue seats.

i remember keane @ the beginning of the season,happy like a kid.....and now is on the bench even with torres iinjured,benitez is a genius 
City is a circus even with the new purchases,i don't know what's wrong....maybe their coach ?

nah hughes is a good manager but needs time, one thing he doesnt need is new owners making him buy any big name player.

Obviously i hope it all goes wrong

[Boo-Yaa †]

Haha, get it right up ye Paul Ince ya big fanny!

[KURUPTION-81]

Twice recently liverpool have dropped points and we havent taken advantage, shocking .

[Lil White Azz]

Twice recently liverpool have dropped points and we havent taken advantage, shocking .

giggsy's freekick and gome's save....daaaamn 

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

Good weekend for Chelsea.