red_ed

He'd have to take a massive wage cut to play for us. That doesn't look like it'll happen soon.

couldn't pick it they be scary lookin' too

what the hell is that franny? :shock:

I've already suppressed all those bad memories forgotten everything about it It'd be something like: Buffon Cannavaro, Neill, Thuram, Lahm Zidane, Maxi, Ribery, Pirlo, Vieira Klose or something like that

:shock: He knows nothing about defending. He took someone's legs out from behind and received a yellow a yellow for his efforts. Then he had the nerve to complain about the card <_< He hardly put in a decent cross, dwelled on the ball too long and in short, didn't do anything right. There was only one performance which he actually did his job properly though I forget the game. It was later in the tournament. Nevertheless, the reason why he was always used as a sub is beyond me.

size matters for you doesn't it Rhett?

ummm someone tell my how England jumped UP 5 spots? They don't even belong in the top 20, let alone the top 10! Spain, Holland and Portugal went down? Am I watching the same World Cup as FIFA? Who the hell calculated these results? :knives:

people are too lazy to walk properly nowadays. They drag their feet around and don't lift their legs high enough <_<

damn I need to learn to write like that instead of sitting down and writing 10-page long essays without even answering the inital question <_<

Why? Is there any news on where which club he might want to join? Or is he just planning to retire? I guess its a smart thing to go out on a high...

The English game is different to the European game and the teams have to adopt another system when they play in Europe (although, that's changing as more and more foreign managers take charge). I think its just a lot easier to play defensively in Europe. The English game relies on pace and directness so if English clubs can keep an opposition out, they can hit on the counter. The gradual shift towards more continental tactics has helped the English game progress and allowed Mourinho and SAF to use more "global" approaches. They play the same formations nearly every match, but their knowledge of the game allows them to change parts of the formation to accomodate for the situation without making a complete overhaul. Rafa also wanted to implement something like that with a 4-5-1 but our squad just can't play it and we've had to use a 4-4-2 most of the time and change to a 4-5-1 in Europe Italy didn't perform very well in some of their games. Sometimes the team was a bit off and other times it was a few individuals that didn't perform. All in all they could've played better IMO but they still had a solid squad and were strong in all positions. I liked Lippi's 4-3-2-1 Xmas Tree but I feel that some of his decisions were a bit off and some were made at the wrong time. I was surprised by Italy's approach at times, but I think Italy would've benefitted more if Lippi had allowed the mids more freedom to advance. Clearly the squad has some great attacking potential, but some players can't advance because Lippi wants them to defend. The defending was marvellous. The midfield were great and the forwards did their job. They had a solid base on which to build their attacks, but the midfield was shackled down which meant they couldn't provide enough support or were not fast enough to do so if the fullbacks didn't make runs. Maybe playing with a higher backline might help Passing and movement had its highs and lows from game to game. The tempo was slow and constant, which is not a bad thing, but I rarely saw any change in tempo even when approaching the final third. Obviously Pirlo can do that but I suspect you might need someone else to help him if you want to have a greater effect. Pirlo is too clam at times. The one thing that I didn't like was the constant diving and play acting. It's not good to watch and it annoyed me to no end :anger: Many teams "deserved" to win it or participate in the finals and Italy's performances were no better than theirs'. They've won it already anyway so who cares? Shouldn't you be happy?

football pip

Indeed! The Arsenal vs Madrid game was a great 0-0 match or was that the other leg I was thinking of? :morning:

umm I associate Catenaccio with playing a naturally defensive game and absorbing the attack from an opponent and Italy do that (too well). They showed more attacking play than I expected in the WC but other than counterattacks, their build up was normally slow and controlled which unfortunately doesn't live long in the memory. It can be exciting for some football fans to watch and I appreciate it (as long as I'm not falling asleep ) but it's not exactly going to win over the neutrals. Italy get stick for it probably for those reasons and also your history of employing Catenaccio. and I must admit Liverpool frustrates me to no end at times and I don't like it when Rafa plays defensively, but we've definitely improved since then and if you've been watching some of our matches from last season, our passing has been fast and fluent through the centre of the park and at times it's been absolutely mouth-watering As for English teams not getting criticised for catenaccio, it's probably the surprise factor The reason why the EPL is exciting is because of the teams attacking and scoring all the time, which resulted from really crappy defences. Mourinho changed all that <_< So anyway, as you might imagine, the reaction from the continental press would be something along the lines of "These are ENGLISH teams DEFENDING well! :shock: like OMFG!!! the whole world has turned upside down! Seriously, who would have bet on Arsenal to break the defensive record in the Champion's League. If I had the money I would've bet on them conceding the most goals!

Under the conditions, if the insult about his family was true that would've cut deep and reacting to that does not make me think any less of him. Yes, he probably failed as a professional but as a person defending his family, he gets my respect.

Well, the insult was a bit harsh, but if he was unaware of the health of Zidane's mum then it would seem pretty normal to say it. If it was a planned comment, made with the the awareness of Zizou's mum's health and with intent to send him off then I'd chuck a Rooney and stomp his balls. then twist my boots. :knives:

nepotism rears its ugly head

does this guy attend drama lessons?? I hear you have to have a degree in acting before they let you go pro nowadays He could be a future pro!

[rant] *sigh* I always tell my friends why football is better than the sports they like (which often emphasise the physical) but everytime I have to concede, albeit willingly, that football players are a bunch of cry babies. I am so ashamed of the level of professionalism in the sport. It's such a pity that things like heart, honour and honesty come second best to money What other sport features a bunch of grown men near their physical peak rolling around on the ground "screaming" in agony at the drop of a hat? (wrestling doesn't count as a sport either ) Nobody seriously believes that a player needs to be stretchered off the field after his shinguards get kicked. In any other sport fans would tell players off and get on with their jobs, yet this lack of honesty is tolerated in the football community and slowly we've grown accustomed to all the play-acting. Henry was a relatively honest player and never used to go down so easily or as frequently. He used to use his pace, skill and strength to get out of sticky situations and avoid challenges but ever since Arsenal's loss to Barca, he's been rolling all over the place. Nowadays, too many players don't play with their hearts - they play according to the numbers on their paycheques. Some are satisfied with getting paid to warm the bench, while others move to the club that offers them the most money (after tax of course ) The result is a bunch of overpaid athletes that have no pride in the shirts they wear and think that 70% effort will cut it. Hell, players even openly admit to joining clubs for the money. Respect for being able to tell the truth though Some players put on a big show and tell supporters their dream is to join their club. Once a better offer comes along they repeat the show to a new audience :yuckky: I see more mercenaries than soldiers The amount of money and rewards at risk in games has reached the point where players and managers will do almost anything to win. I for one would like to see some honour. When you spend more than

He's always been a dirty player <_<

If FIFA wanted to do something about it, his conversation with Zidane was caught on camera. But unless lip readers can unanimously agree on what he said, then there wouldn't be any other hard evidence. The other things are Zidane's statement, which is not reliable, and his reaction to the comments made by Materazzi, which by itsels is also unreliable Unless there is other evidence that we don't know about it'd be hard to prove anything.

I heard the version about the sister being called a whore, another one about his mother and one where he was called a terrorist. Whoever would have thought someone would take all 3 and combine them into 1.

upon re-reading that bit I suddenly felt sick :x I know Ben would like some of that though

You're too kind. I don't deserve to be there. I'd like to thank Satan, Darth Vader, Spongebob... No. Seriously :| All the cred should go to Ben. He IS the gay joke. OK, that sounds a bit harsh but what I meant was that without Ben I have nothing to run on. All I do is: Take some observations Stir in 3/4 tsp of below-the-belt flavoured soup stock Add a dash of backstab Add some finely diced awkwardness Simmer in a big pot of L A M E. Then I serve it in a big, hot mug of SHUT THE FUCK UP! :|

I know it's not easy to spot because most of it occurs off the ball, but something could be done about it. Maybe refs could look out for and warn players against provocation? They keep track of team fouls and the amount of minor fouls a player makes before they dish out a yellow for incessant fouling, so can't they just include any observed provocations as fouls as well? It is reasonable to expect people to keep themselves under control, but everybody cracks. Maybe they had a bad day or they're frustrated about losing/being behind? Also, players play in a constant state of arousal, leading to polarised emotions It's a bit much to expect athletes to ALWAYS keep a cool head. Playing in front of a massive crowd in a relatively fast-paced game, you wouldn't expect players to sit down and think everything through before they act would you? I'm not trying to justify retaliation, but it doesn't seem right to just ignore the actions of the player doing to taunting/harassing.