The Official Football (Soccer) Thread

[Elano]

F.c. Inter is on Ibisevic,this player is 

I don't buy that shit... nothing serious if you ask me. He doesn't want to leave anyway. I think he'll fall off next season anyway, the German BL had so many topscorers who were only good for one season in the last few years.

don't you think he's a very good player ?
he's a good kicker,physically strong,189 cm...... it's enough for me

[Furor Teutonicus]

F.c. Inter is on Ibisevic,this player is 

I don't buy that shit... nothing serious if you ask me. He doesn't want to leave anyway. I think he'll fall off next season anyway, the German BL had so many topscorers who were only good for one season in the last few years.

don't you think he's a very good player ?
he's a good kicker,physically strong,189 cm...... it's enough for me

he's been playing a brilliant season so far. but like I said there were so many "one-hit wonders" in the last few years. 2 years ago he was not even good enough for Aachen.

[Elano]

F.c. Inter is on Ibisevic,this player is 

I don't buy that shit... nothing serious if you ask me. He doesn't want to leave anyway. I think he'll fall off next season anyway, the German BL had so many topscorers who were only good for one season in the last few years.

don't you think he's a very good player ?
he's a good kicker,physically strong,189 cm...... it's enough for me

he's been playing a brilliant season so far. but like I said there were so many "one-hit wonders" in the last few years. 2 years ago he was not even good enough for Aachen.

ok,2 years ago.....

[Antonio]

LOL i still remember Ailton from Werder Bremen.. 

[Elano]

Phil Brown furious after Hull are savaged by Manchester City

During a season replete with firsts in the history of Hull City, here, against a resurgent Manchester City, was one that Phil Brown, their manager, could presumably have done without: first Premier League team to spurn the use of a dressing-room at half-time.

Infuriated by a dismal first-half showing during which Brown’s over-achievers had conceded two goals each from Felipe Caicedo and Robinho in the space of 22 minutes, Brown marched his players back into their penalty area after halting their walk down the tunnel.

After applauding his club’s supporters, Brown spent the ensuing five minutes issuing a finger-pointing lecture to his bewildered players. Hull have been involved in some wholly unexpected sights in the first half of the season but this may well have been the most unusual.

“I thought it was nice and cold and I wanted to keep them alive because they looked dead,” Brown said. “The fans deserved some kind of explanation for the first-half performance and it is difficult to do that from the confines of the dressing-room.

“For people to arrange Christmas and Boxing Day around a game of football, which they’ve done, I think we owe them an apology for the first-half performance. It was unacceptable behaviour and an unacceptable performance from a Phil Brown side. I’m bitterly disappointed.”

Caicedo took 14 minutes to put City in front but the home team had been building from the opening minute when Robinho received a square ball from the Ecuador international, at the end of the game’s first attack, and curled a shot just wide.

The Brazilian’s position, wide on the left of a three-man front line, proved a problem for Hull and in particular Bernard Mendy, their right back, and would prove pivotal in the onslaught that was to follow.

First, however, Hull would have their chance to break the deadlock as Geovanni’s pass played Marlon King through for a fierce shot which drew a diving block from Joe Hart.

It was as good as the contest would get for Hull as Robinho’s skill and innate feel for the game, allied with Stephen Ireland’s passing and the strength and hard running of Caicedo, simply overwhelmed the visitors, who had boldly, perhaps too boldly, fielded a 4-3-3 formation.

Caicedo’s first goal originated, ironically, from one of City’s much-maligned defenders rather than one of their charismatic forwards. Richard Dunne made a strong tackle deep in his own half and surged two thirds of the length of the field before playing a sensible pass to Robinho, who, intelligently, switched play to Ireland on the right. His cross was delivered perfectly into the six-yard box, where Caicedo arrived to convert.

Robinho tormented Mendy yet again and was denied only by a good save by Boaz Myhill before Caicedo added his second goal on 27 minutes.

Pablo Zabaleta’s long ball freed Ireland, who surged past Paul McShane and crossed perfectly — again — for the irrepressible Caicedo to drive in the ball from a half-dozen yards.

It took barely a minute for City to extend their lead. Ireland, inevitably, won the ball and played the pass from halfway that permitted Robinho to ease through, twist past Michael Turner and plant an unstoppable shot into the far, bottom corner.

Caicedo could have claimed a hat-trick, only to guide a header directly at Myhill, and Elano had an effort tipped over before City underlined their overwhelming superiority in the 36th minute after a strong run and centre from Shaun Wright-Phillips, which Robinho converted with a finish that he made look far more simple than was actually the case.

“There are a lot of people out there looking for us to fail,” Mark Hughes, the City manager, said. “Sometimes you have to stand up to that and cope and make your own statement. Players did that today, the manner of performance was exactly what we were looking for. We have to build on this.”

Whether public relations exercise or astute motivational technique, Brown’s half-time embarrassment of his team brought some improvement in the second period with Craig Fagan, the substitute, scrambling in a consolation goal in the 79th minute after Hart failed to hold Daniel Cousin’s cross.

City, and Ireland in particular, would not be denied further reward, however. Robinho’s neat, short pass allowing his team-mate to covert from the edge of the penalty area eight minutes from time.

[Elano]

Is Big Phil losing the plot?

Is Luiz Felipe Scolari losing it? It depends on what "it" is. If it is the calm air and the composure with which he charmed his English hosts in his first few months as Chelsea coach, you would have to say that the answer is yes.

Scolari spent much of last night at Goodison Park looking like a man who felt the world – or at very least Phil Dowd, the referee - was against him. He was furious at Dowd’s (correct) decision to send off John Terry for a wild challenge on Leon Osman and at the subsequent bookings for Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole for minor acts of dissent. As the half-time whistle blew, Scolari followed Dowd down the tunnel, asking him: “Are you afraid? Are you afraid?”

Afraid of what, exactly? There are many referees who allow themselves to be bullied or intimidated when refereeing matches involving Chelsea or indeed Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United. Dowd is few people’s idea of the perfect referee, but he showed last night that, no, he was not afraid to send off Terry. Certain players – quite often high-profile England players – seem at times to get away with challenges and behaviour that others would not. Dowd was correct in applying the letter of the law on this occasion.

On the Times website this morning, there were numerous comments on Terry’s red card, some saying things like "it was a yellow card, nothing more." Sorry, but check the rule book. It’s here if you want it (go to p117). Check what constitutes serious foul play. Watch that tackle again. Ask yourself whether Terry "endangered the safety" of Osman. It did. It was an honest attempt to win the ball and it was not more than a split-second late, but it was dangerous and these days that means a red card. Players, managers, supporters and indeed journalists would do well to check up on the rules once in a while.

Incidentally, here is how it was reported on Chelsea’s website, an organ that is not known, shall we say, for its objectivity. "Suddenly a 50-50 ball was contested midway inside the Everton half by Terry and Osman, the Chelsea skipper catching the winger on the ankle with a boot off the ground. There was no surprise when referee Phil Dowd, waving away all but Terry, produced a red card." It is the most honest appraisal we have heard from the Chelsea contingent. Whoever wrote it should be afraid.

Anyway, back to Scolari. His sense of injustice was severely misplaced. Forty-five minutes after the final whistle, Chelsea’s head of media, Steve Atkins, climbed three flights of stairs to the top of the Main Stand, to tell the assembled reporters that: "None of the management team feels able to come up. They have issues with a number of the decisions and feel it would be better if they did not comment because they might get themselves into trouble."

Whatever. This is not the Scolari we saw in the opening weeks and months of the season, all smiles, bonhomie and earning praise for his willingness to speak in a language he has not yet mastered. His job is not to be convivial with the media, but his mood and behaviour in front of the television cameras – or not, as it happened last night – has deteriorated just like his team’s form in recent weeks. Recent weeks have seen him lurch into the paranoia that characterises many of his managerial rivals and, while Sir Alex Ferguson’s conspiratorial rants often seem measured, there has been something erratic about Scolari of late.

Is he losing it? If we are talking about the ability to manage, then of course the answer is no. He is a man who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup while facing fierce criticism about his methods, with some accusing him of "killing the beautiful game". Criticism and controversy should be nothing new to him. But there is the growing suspicion that he is not handling it quite as calmly as he should be. Genuine grievances are all very well, but a silent protest at Everton last night was really rather small-minded.

It makes you wonder how he would react if faced with a genuine crisis, if being undermined by his players (as happened with Avram Grant at times last season) or by the club’s hierarchy (as happened in the closing months of Jose Mourinho’s and Claudio Ranieri’s tenures). Scolari looks big enough and strong enough to deal with any nonsense – and the clever money would still be on him landing one of the big prizes in his first season at Stamford Bridge. But some of his recent behaviour just makes you wonder.

[K.Dub]

We drew again.. Can't believe it.

[KURUPTION-81]

We drew again.. Can't believe it.

poor midfield, no experience or leaders thats arsenals problem, plus wenger.

[Elano]

new cast 1 5 liverpool 

[da_notorious_mack]

We drew again.. Can't believe it.

poor midfield, no experience or leaders thats arsenals problem, plus wenger.

co-sign 2nd time in as many weeks theyve been lucky to take a point...actually feel wenger needs to adress the problems at the club instead of fabricating stories about referees

[K.Dub]

Ah, 3 points yesterday, saved my holidays. lol

[penenstamp]

Ah, 1 point yesterday, saved my holidays. lol

1 point? We won with 1-0 from NEC, man.

[K.Dub]

Ah, 1 point yesterday, saved my holidays. lol

1 point? We won with 1-0 from NEC, man.

fixed  lol

[penenstamp]

plus we're "winter champion"

[da_notorious_mack]

we decimated newcastle 5-1....theyre just lucky they had Given or would have been double figures