The Official Football (Soccer) Thread

[Lil White Azz]

Yeah, I like Olic (not really right now though  )

He's quite old right, like, 29 or something...?

[morbidenigma]

Man Who were ROBbened ... quite literally..

[7even]

that goal by robben was insanity 

im so happy i wanna cry   

[K.Dub]

Amazing goal by Robben.

[Furor Teutonicus]

damn ManU really srewed it. As expected, Bayern's defense was a complete failure, but ManU just stopped playing football (in the first game after 20 minuted and in the 3nd after the third goal)
ManU's key problem was the right defense: Neville in the first and Rafael in the second game( although he played a decent game until the red card)
But the one who made the cruical mistakes was Fergusson: his substitutions in the first game were already strange, but the ones in the second game caused the defeat: how can he substitute the single central striker with a defender in the 65th minute? ManU clearly had to go for the 4th goal since Bayerns defense was so vulnerable, and Valencia and Nani are perfect for quick counterattacks. But without a real striker they became useless. You can't defend a lead with complete defense for 35 minutes, this fails nearly every time. You have to keep the game in the midfield/different half, everything else is just awaiting death

[Elano]

to all the united fans of the board 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/WR8VmCDdt5o" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/WR8VmCDdt5o</a>

[Digital Pimpin']

Sir Alex - "Typical Germans"

[Elano]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/9izYmPP_DjI" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/9izYmPP_DjI</a>

[Leggy Hendrix]

^^haha class, i wonder what the guy said to him?

[KURUPTION-81]

Two errors cost us last night.

The first Carricks abysmal defeding which cost us a goal and then Rafael panicking and giving away a stupid foul when there was no need. Up to then he was having a great game.

This isnt the first time he has done this, against city and hull he panicked and gave away penalties. He is young but he needs to cut mistakes like this out, its 3 times in a season now.

On the whole were not quite good enough for the league or CL but thas what happens when you sell your best player and the owners are bleeding the club to death.

[Elano]

Ferguson left to rue Tevez's Old Trafford exit

It is interesting, if unsurprising, that some of the most compelling and controversial stories to involve Manchester United in recent years, Sir Alex Ferguson has mostly declined to discuss in depth – or at all.
 
He is saving all the juicy details for his next autobiography, of course, but along with the chapters on David Beckham, Roy Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo, John Magnier and JP McManus, the so-called Coolmore Mafia, the Glazers and that night in Rome last May, when United forgot to show up in their Champions League final against Barcelona, it is fair to wonder how much space Ferguson might devote to discussing one Carlos Alberto Tevez.

Ferguson does not admit he is wrong very often, but if ever there was a game that might have convinced the United manager he made a mistake by not doing more to keep Tevez at Old Trafford, it was the 2-1 defeat at home to Chelsea on Saturday.

As Alan Hansen dissected Dimitar Berbatov’s performance on Match of the Day, the obvious impulse among United supporters will have been a yearning for Wayne Rooney to return as quickly as possible.

But what about Tevez? For all Hansen’s criticism, and much of it was justified, Berbatov has never been the kind of player to dart into space at pace. Rooney, of course, is brilliant at it, but so is Tevez, as he has proved time and again for Manchester City this season.

It has become little more than a hypothetical debate, of course, but with Rooney absent through injury, it is worth asking whether United would still have lost against Chelsea had Tevez been leading the line, perhaps with Berbatov in support?

Despite the cult status he enjoyed at Old Trafford, more United supporters than one would think were unmoved by the departure of Tevez. The thinking changed somewhat when United failed to bring Karim Benzema, the France striker, to the club, but for all his claims to the contrary, Ferguson cannot have been as indifferent about losing the Argentinian has he has tried to claim publicly.

If that was the case, why did he agree to pay the £25.5 million demanded of United by the owners of Tevez’s economic rights? If he really was surplus to requirements, United would never have bowed to those demands.

To this day, Tevez feels he was badly treated and seems to have made it his mission to prove Ferguson he was wrong to wait until too late in the day to try to keep him.

Twenty six goals this season is certainly some riposte, three of which came over the two legs of a tumultuous Carling Cup semi-final in January and let us not discount an excellent performance in the 4-3 league defeat at Old Trafford four months earlier.

On Saturday week, United face City again in the league, when the so-called “noisy neighbours” will have the opportunity at the City of Manchester Stadium to deal a potentially fatal blow to their rivals' hopes of a record fourth consecutive championship, and nineteenth in total. If Tevez stars again on that occasion, as he will be desperate to do, Ferguson really might be left with some cause for regret.

A real pub player

It is not an exaggeration to say that Burnley’s first half performance against Manchester City at Turf Moor on Saturday was the worst I have ever seen in the flesh by a professional football team.

They trailed 5-0 at the interval but were lucky not to be nine down after City hit the post twice and also spurned two other glorious chances. Such a humiliating experience would have prompted a good degree of soul searching in most players.

Kevin McDonald, on the other hand, brought new meaning to the term “drowning your sorrows” by disappearing down the pub to watch the second half with his friends and family.

Little should surprise you in football these days but, by any stretch of the imagination, McDonald’s actions were an extraordinary show of unprofessionalism. What gets me is that, as he made the short walk to the KSC 110 bar, did some part of his brain not stop him before he paid the 10p entrance fee to say, ‘Hang on a minute, is this not just about the most stupid and shameful idea imaginable?”

Obviously not, although to judge by his wretched first half performance, McDonald really did have his head in the clouds on Saturday. Now Brian Laws, the Burnley manager, must ask himself if this really is the kind of player he wants in his team in a relegation battle.

(times)

[Javier]

Man U. has signed Javier "El Chicharito" Hernandez for next season.  I'm not really liking this, he'll most likely not get any playing time lol

[KURUPTION-81]

Man U. has signed Javier "El Chicharito" Hernandez for next season.  I'm not really liking this, he'll most likely not get any playing time lol

was just about to post this, whats he like ?

Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign striker Javier Hernandez from Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara for an undisclosed fee.

The deal for the 21-year-old, who has scored four goals in four senior international appearances for Mexico, is subject to a work permit.

Personal terms have been agreed and Hernandez passed a medical this week.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "I am delighted to have reached a deal to sign such an exciting young striker."

He added: "He has been in prolific form for both his club and his country. He will be a great addition to our squad and we look forward to welcoming our first Mexican player in the summer."
 
The club is to submit an application for Hernandez - who is known by the nickname Chicarito, which means 'little pea' - and if it is granted, he will become a United player on 1 July, 2010.

But should he, as expected, make Mexico's World Cup squad, United fans could be given their first glimpse of his talents when England face Mexico at Wembley in a friendly on 24 May.

As part of the deal, United have agreed to play a match to open the new 45,000 capacity Chivas Stadium in Guadalajara as part of its 2010-11 season preparations.

Hernandez is United's second capture for next season having reached agreement to sign defender Chris Smalling from Fulham in January.

[Invincible]

Fulham on the way to going through again.  

Unfortunately, so are Liverpool. 

[Javier]

Man U. has signed Javier "El Chicharito" Hernandez for next season.  I'm not really liking this, he'll most likely not get any playing time lol

was just about to post this, whats he like ?

Haven't seen much from him, except for a few games...but since he's been up with Chivas he's been a beast of a scorer.  Mexican League's best forwards are usually players signed elsewhere, so it's rare to have striker that good and be as effective as he is.  He moves really well without the ball.  For a Mexican player, he has great hops...here's some evidence

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/bGArcNf9tEo" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/bGArcNf9tEo</a>