red_ed

Mark Ronson and The Business INTL - Bang Bang Bang (ft. MDNR & Q-Tip)

That's a steep price to pay for an injured player imo. But it is Lyon, and Aulas is renowned for driving a hard bargain. I'm sure there's better around if you're willing to look for it though. I wonder how much David Luiz from Benfica is going for. He impressed against Liverpool last season in Europa. From what little I have seen of him, I think he can make it in the Premier League team. He can be physical and is technically adept, especially for a 23 year old CB. He can play LB too! I think he could do well if he is coached properly but definitely has potential. Otherwise, Caceras looks alright. Not so good technically, but very physical and aggressive in his play. Chgrynsky is another option, though he moved back to Donetsk. I quite like him as he is another that can play the ball out of defence but I worry about his pace and positioning at times. Congrats! I never knew Sunderland signed Christian Riveros Torres and Gerrard are still considering their futures and with Carra over the hill and Mascherano about to hand in a transfer request, I'm not sure there will be a spine by the time the season opener against Arsenal comes around. And who are we bringing in? We have no cash and at least part of the money from transfers will go to servicing our debts, I believe. I don't think the glitz and glamour of playing in the Europa League will be able to attract too many big names either, but Hodgson has shown he has an eye for talent at least. I'll be happy aiming for 8th.

Mensah...didn't he play most of Ghana's games? Hodgson's CV looks impressive and I think he has experience working with limited resources which is a plus, but honestly, I'm just satisfied that anyone has taken the job, given the drama that has unfolded since those muppets took over <_< Seeing as the new manager was probably going to receive no money for transfers, would have to fight with those 2 owners about any major decisions, get the most out of a squad that makes an anorexic model look healthy and obviously keep the press at a distance while doing all this, I'm actually quite surprised someone like Hodgson is willing to jump onto a sinking ship like ours. In the words of Admiral Ackbar...

Sol Campbell to Sunderland? Who will he replace? Silva and Toure Yaya have gone to Man City btw <_<

The Dutch have been very classy since the final... So now that the World Cup is over, I can go back to concentrating on Liverpool's attempts to finish 8th and qualify for the Europa League *le sigh*

Bras are my second favourite type of womens underwear.

I just didn't want Sneijder getting the 'Grand Slam' of medals. It'd just be too much ...then again, Djimi Traore has a Champions League medal :|

As you can see, negative tactics don't sit well with me, but I'm definitely not denying that parking the bus is a legitimate way to play as there is no correct way to play, strictly speaking. Also, I understand the need for smaller clubs/nations to get the maximum return from the resources they have and that not every team has the luxury of playing the way Spain does, hence the importance of tactics and micromanagement in the modern era, yada yada yada. I guess my rant really stems from the frustration of constantly putting up with people not acknowledging the so-called "boring" style they play is largely imposed by teams that pack the box and defend like crazy. Why do Spain seem to get so much of the blame? Sometimes, it seems like Spain are expected to cut through defenses like a hot knife through butter and win by at least 3000 goals every game and if they don't achieve this they are somehow not doing their job <_<

fixed. Seriously though, if one team has dissapointed me so far, that has to be Spain (OK, I exaggerate). I followed all of their games in Euro 08', almost all in qualifing groups, and most of their friendlies. They were awesome, and were one the 3 teams I was happy with getting the trophy. Now, they're playing like wussies (pardon my french). In the group stages they had a total of 4 goals. Thats what I'd expect them to average (or at least do against Honduras). In the elemination rounds they've had a perfect streak of 1:0 victories. Thats really sad for them. They've come this far with their solid defense, and up till the game against Germany, Villa had scored, or assisted all of their goals. Hell, Sergio Busquets is not even entering the opponents half (I'm not trying to knock him, thats probably his assignment (which makes it even sadder)). The Dutch, you (and most people) claim to be boring, have scored 5 more goals than Spain. Almost twice in other words. I don't know why they tend to self-destruct so much on final minutes, but at least they do so after gaining comfortable leads. Besides Robbens selfishness, and vPersies inept display as a scorer, there's nothing to hate on them. I can't even believe it myself, but I am actually rooting for Netherlands. To me they, along with Brasil, have been the best teams of the tournament. And that's coming from a guy, who was hating both teams before the tournament started. P.S.: I now I tend to come a little over-the-top, when sharing my opinions, but hopefully you don't take anything I said personal. Just trying to add to conversation, really. Cheers Mike. I don't get why so many people are are disappointed with Spain or don't rate them. Before the start of the tournament, they were one of the favourites with a near-perfect record spanning 2,5 years. Naturally, other teams will be studying them and trying to stop them. Why do people expect them to be winning by massive margins when they have to find a way through packed defenses that are 3 lines deep and have 8-10 players sitting behind the ball? You could accuse them of being too patient and not using their width enough, but that is part of their style and their loss against Switzerland has not deterred them from playing the best way they know how. Kudos to Spain for not only sticking to their philosophy, but for actually playing football the way it should be played (from the eyes of a romantic ). If you want to blame someone, blame every other country for parking the team bus in front of goal. I, for one, would like to see any national team in the world come out and have the guts to play football with Spain because they would all fail bar none (but respect to Chile, who gave it a decent shot). Admittedly this Spain team is a different one to the Euro-winning team, but they have been operating on 80% throughout the tournament and have still made it to the finals (with the help of some bad officiating mind you!), which has got to count for something. And nothing to hate on the Dutch? Not only have they been boring and relied on a few players to magically pull goals from nowhere so they actually have a lead to protect, but they have had their fair share of luck too (which is why I think they'll win the World Cup - for all the form in the world, nothing can buy you luck...unless you do some serious bribing ). I don't hate the Dutch but they certainly haven't endeared themselves to anyone with their style of play and no matter how many goals they score, it doesn't make them entertaining in the slightest. However, I think any fan of football only needs one reason to hate them: van Bommel!

@eNe Agreed! That burst of pace, the timing of the run into space and the touch for Fabiano was all brilliant. Juan and Robinho's finishes were great too! I'm sad that Chile are out. I really liked them And how come no one has love for Spain anymore? Iberian derby incoming!

I hear Joachim has a Schlieffen Plan up his sleeve for the next match Don't worry, I'm sure the English papers will have a new, better, golden-er generation out by Brasil 2014, if not the Euros. Fat Frank, even when the ball hits the back of the net he can't manage to score for his country Seriously though, England were cheated! I actually even felt sorry for them at one stage Though I guess to the disallowed goals, most Germans would say, "1966!"

Everyone forgot to factor in one crucial point when discussing the argument for video technology - Blatter is an eejit.

This. And this. And soccer is a legit name I'm ashamed of those "fans" that are ignorant and pompous enough to insist it should ONLY be called football. Anyway here's my answer to your question. I love the game because of its a great mix of technique, physique and tactics. It's like rock paper scissors at times and you really need a good blend of each element to produce a good team. Admittedly, I'm a purist and I place the technical aspect of soccer above all else because that is what makes it unique. If I wanted to watch a physical sport, I can watch Tour de France or Rugby, or if I want to watch something more tactical I can watch chess (), basketball or NFL. Not to undermine or detract from the technique involved in other sports, but controlling a round ball with your foot and parts of your body other than your hand isn't that easy. The slightest bend in your body position and where you strike the ball can make the difference between a shot on target and one that lands in row Q, and I appreciate that skill. I appreciate the tactics too, even though it's not as tactical as some sports. As one saying goes (and I'm paraphrasing), football tactics are like having a small blanket on a cold night - move the blanket up to cover your neck and the feet get cold; cover your feet and your body is cold. Football requires the team to shift as a unit, but because the nature of it means you need players close to a ball to be more effective, spaces are left that can be exploited by the other team. And because you essentially only have pre-game and half-time to prepare your tactics, you can't have your players respond to certain plays sometimes. Also, despite the tactics that are used, sometimes all it takes is a moment of genius and creativity for a defence to be unlocked. Qball also brings in a great point about the fluency of the game - it's not stop-start (for the most part) and it is free flowing so you always need to have one eye on defence if you're attacking and vice-versa. I don't think there are many major sports like that. Not to mention that you don't get ads popping up every 3 seconds from a break in play! Although there isn't as much physical contact compared to some other sports, soccer allows a physical battle and a lot of people like the passion, the blood and the guts that come with it. Sometimes no matter how good you are technically, players can outrun you or use their strength to win the ball, which adds another dimension to the game. Players have to have a wide range of skills physically - fitness, stamina, pace, power, jumping ability and agility and I find it interesting that a sport dominated by the feet relies a lot on core and upper body strength. I think the blend between all these factors means there are so many ways to play and dominate a game and it's really about finding that balance, whether you are playing at amateur or professional level. It also means it can be played by anyone, no matter what size or shape you are, and I believe that accessibility contributes to soccer being such a popular game. Most of all, it's easy to organise and you can play with as little as 3 vs 3 to 11 vs 11 anywhere, any time as long as you have a (make-shift) ball. There are even people that play with coconuts or barefoot on asphalt/concrete in South America and Africa! >.<). When (and if) you watch more, you will also see that there are other factors that come into play about the philosophies in football, some of which I have alluded to. Different cultures have different interpretations of how to play the game and some of the main ones include whether or not a manager is a pragmatist or a purist, which affects how a team plays. For example, getting to the other person's goal as fast as possible and scoring or providing a spectacle for the audience (a.k.a the question of functionality vs flair); whether or not you believe in playing an attacking style, a defensive style or somewhere in between; whether you place significance on the physical, the tactical or the technical aspects of the game; whether you see football as a science or an art - to have your players follow instructions to the letter or allow them to express themselves on the pitch. The World Cup is great because you get to see how teams from different parts of the world interpret and play the game - even if globalisation and increasing revenue means the game is becoming more focused on results <_< I'm not proud of the theatrics either <_<

Spain - S(witzerland) = pain Alonso and Xavi

^ Prediction: Portugal 3-2 North Korea It seems I might've been the only one to enjoy the Cote d'Ivoire vs Portugal game. Certainly not the best game of football, granted, but tactically interesting given the both manager's worst-possible-situation assumptions. Those assumptions have been thrown out the door now and it'll be fun to watch how Portugal and Cote d'Ivoire play the North Koreans. (Note to self: Keep an eye on Coentrao!). Some people seem surprised Brasil play such defensive football; they have been playing like this since Dunga has been manager. You won't see any Joga Bonito this World Cup, especially with Dunga at the helm, so don't hold your breath. What you will see is a tactically disciplined and clinical side with the best chance of winning the World Cup (yes, even more so than Espana and their painfully beautiful laissez faire tiki taka). I don't think this World Cup has been a great advertisement for football and the ball doesn't seem to help (neither do those damn vuvu...BZZZZZZBZBZBZBZBZBZZZZZZZZZBBBBBZZZZZZZZZ ), but I can't remember a World Cup with such tactical variety - not that I have watched too many </pretentiousneBZZZZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZZ>

MY HEAD IS FULL OF F*CK!!!

Ausfailure.

Argentina looked good. Messi was doing alright. Good game overall, especially compared to the other 3 games. Can't believe a foul throw was called against Nigeria though

^Oh, and Señor Guarda - now that you've made one of Michael*'s wishes come true, can we now see Oprah managing a top European club??? She'll be giving cash away to everyone in the crowd. Perfect for Citeh. I'll see what I can do about it. The gods don't like Oprah that much. They prefer Ellen.

Vuvuzelas are annoying but at least they drown out the sound of the annoying commentating team on Australian TV. I'm not sure which is the greater evil. Khune: Vuvuzelas weren't loud enough Khune needs to die in a fire.

0-0 at the moment. All credit to Uruguay, who have looked a better team than the disorganised French whenever I have been able to keep my eyes open. It's 5.30am here :|

Ball is rubbish. /thread.