James
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Post by James on May 22, 2008 6:29:32 GMT -5
Actually, with guys like Eto'o gone, Ronaldinho, Toure etc they might actually become a unit again instead of 11 superstars fighting for one ball.
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 8:28:34 GMT -5
On a serious note though, I can see Madrid taking La Liga again next year, but that's because there's no competition. Barca are going to be as shit as they were this year and won't mount a good run imo. They're a mess. La Liga is the most competitive for the #1 spot. Yes Barcelona/Real Madrid have been the league winners the past 5 seasons.. but teams one through six are always competing for the #1 spot, that’s a rarity usually it’s the same top 3 or 4 teams in the league. As for Barcelona, they are hardly in bad shape, they had a crisis and that’s all. Henry was a terrible signing and I called it from day one and he totally destroyed the chemistry in the team. Ronaldinho also created a mutiny in the locker room and the players lost respect for Rijkaard because of it. Barcelona have one of the better futures in the La Liga. Bojan, Messi, Pinto, Iniesta, Albert Jorquera, rumoured to have signed Pique. The problem wasn’t having to many superstars, the problem was having to many players with egos i.e. Eto’o, Deco, Henry, and Ronaldinho. Barcelona needs to dump all four, and they’re good for next season.
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 8:31:20 GMT -5
you guys James/Tiger know anything about Huntelaar who plays for Ajax? It looks like Madrid is going to sign him.
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Tigertecz
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Post by Tigertecz on May 22, 2008 11:08:37 GMT -5
We've had our eye on Huntelaar for ages. I think he's on our striker shopping list for next season, along with Berbatov, Benzema and Fabiano. I haven't seen him play, but apparently he could turn out to be the next coming of Ruud Van Nistelrooy? Am I wrong?
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Tigertecz
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Post by Tigertecz on May 22, 2008 11:13:17 GMT -5
On a serious note though, I can see Madrid taking La Liga again next year, but that's because there's no competition. Barca are going to be as shit as they were this year and won't mount a good run imo. They're a mess. La Liga is the most competitive for the #1 spot. Yes Barcelona/Real Madrid have been the league winners the past 5 seasons.. but teams one through six are always competing for the #1 spot, that’s a rarity usually it’s the same top 3 or 4 teams in the league. As for Barcelona, they are hardly in bad shape, they had a crisis and that’s all. Henry was a terrible signing and I called it from day one and he totally destroyed the chemistry in the team. Ronaldinho also created a mutiny in the locker room and the players lost respect for Rijkaard because of it. Barcelona have one of the better futures in the La Liga. Bojan, Messi, Pinto, Iniesta, Albert Jorquera, rumoured to have signed Pique. The problem wasn’t having to many superstars, the problem was having to many players with egos i.e. Eto’o, Deco, Henry, and Ronaldinho. Barcelona needs to dump all four, and they’re good for next season. Henry wasn't a bad signing, he just wasn't ready at the time. The whole reason why he agreed to go to Barca was because they were going to offer him ample time to recover from his injury and get better physically, but instead, he was rushed into the team due to either Ronaldinho or Eto'o not being able to play for some reason (I forgot), and never was allowed to regain his fitness levels and be the player he used to be. Then he was forced to play in that front left position which he's not used to, and due to him being unfit at the time, it wore him out even more. I remember him saying "I've never run so much in my career as I have done in Barcelona, and now I'm extremely tired from it". He wanted the Eto'o role but never got it so it's not his fault. Pique will be a fantastic signing for them if it goes through. I'd just hate for it to happen. He's a great player but isn't going to crack a first team spot at United over Vidic and Rio, so fair enough if he wants first team football and develop as a player.
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 11:16:13 GMT -5
We've had our eye on Huntelaar for ages. I think he's on our striker shopping list for next season, along with Berbatov, Benzema and Fabiano. I haven't seen him play, but apparently he could turn out to be the next coming of Ruud Van Nistelrooy? Am I wrong? Word out of Spain is that he's very unhappy with Ajax not making it into UEFA or the Champions league or something like that and has agreed to sign with Real Madrid. They're saying he's the next "Van Basten". It's all rumours though. We did sign young argentinian Garay, and have left him out on loan in Racing. The kid is going to be a really really good player. We're also rumoured to be interested in Hleb from Arsenal, do you guys know anything about him?
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 11:17:06 GMT -5
La Liga is the most competitive for the #1 spot. Yes Barcelona/Real Madrid have been the league winners the past 5 seasons.. but teams one through six are always competing for the #1 spot, that’s a rarity usually it’s the same top 3 or 4 teams in the league. As for Barcelona, they are hardly in bad shape, they had a crisis and that’s all. Henry was a terrible signing and I called it from day one and he totally destroyed the chemistry in the team. Ronaldinho also created a mutiny in the locker room and the players lost respect for Rijkaard because of it. Barcelona have one of the better futures in the La Liga. Bojan, Messi, Pinto, Iniesta, Albert Jorquera, rumoured to have signed Pique. The problem wasn’t having to many superstars, the problem was having to many players with egos i.e. Eto’o, Deco, Henry, and Ronaldinho. Barcelona needs to dump all four, and they’re good for next season. Henry wasn't a bad signing, he just wasn't ready at the time. The whole reason why he agreed to go to Barca was because they were going to offer him ample time to recover from his injury and get better physically, but instead, he was rushed into the team due to either Ronaldinho or Eto'o not being able to play for some reason (I forgot), and never was allowed to regain his fitness levels and be the player he used to be. Then he was forced to play in that front left position which he's not used to, and due to him being unfit at the time, it wore him out even more. I remember him saying "I've never run so much in my career as I have done in Barcelona, and now I'm extremely tired from it". He wanted the Eto'o role but never got it so it's not his fault. Pique will be a fantastic signing for them if it goes through. I'd just hate for it to happen. He's a great player but isn't going to crack a first team spot at United over Vidic and Rio, so fair enough if he wants first team football and develop as a player. I completely agree with the Henry comment, but still, it's a bad signing because they were bringing him in to play a position he wasn't accustomed to and coming off injury, that's got bad news written all over it.
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Tigertecz
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Post by Tigertecz on May 22, 2008 11:28:03 GMT -5
We've had our eye on Huntelaar for ages. I think he's on our striker shopping list for next season, along with Berbatov, Benzema and Fabiano. I haven't seen him play, but apparently he could turn out to be the next coming of Ruud Van Nistelrooy? Am I wrong? Word out of Spain is that he's very unhappy with Ajax not making it into UEFA or the Champions league or something like that and has agreed to sign with Real Madrid. They're saying he's the next "Van Basten". It's all rumours though. We did sign young argentinian Garay, and have left him out on loan in Racing. The kid is going to be a really really good player. We're also rumoured to be interested in Hleb from Arsenal, do you guys know anything about him? In my opinion, and I hate Arsenal, Hleb is a great player. He's similar to Robben I guess, and I like Robben too, but I'd prefer to have Hleb over him. He's got pace, dribbling skills, a decent shot, and can make things happen in the box for other players too.
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Tigertecz
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Post by Tigertecz on May 22, 2008 11:29:47 GMT -5
Henry wasn't a bad signing, he just wasn't ready at the time. The whole reason why he agreed to go to Barca was because they were going to offer him ample time to recover from his injury and get better physically, but instead, he was rushed into the team due to either Ronaldinho or Eto'o not being able to play for some reason (I forgot), and never was allowed to regain his fitness levels and be the player he used to be. Then he was forced to play in that front left position which he's not used to, and due to him being unfit at the time, it wore him out even more. I remember him saying "I've never run so much in my career as I have done in Barcelona, and now I'm extremely tired from it". He wanted the Eto'o role but never got it so it's not his fault. Pique will be a fantastic signing for them if it goes through. I'd just hate for it to happen. He's a great player but isn't going to crack a first team spot at United over Vidic and Rio, so fair enough if he wants first team football and develop as a player. I completely agree with the Henry comment, but still, it's a bad signing because they were bringing him in to play a position he wasn't accustomed to and coming off injury, that's got bad news written all over it. Well it was a bad move by Barca to make him play so soon. If they had let Henry recover, then I think it would've been a great signing because if Henry could've been like he was a few years back, Barca would've been unstoppable. Then again, that's all based on "if" he'd get back to his previous standards.
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Post by Spencer on May 22, 2008 11:53:02 GMT -5
I watched the game yesterday. Probably the most soccer Ive ever watched at one time. Had about 10 guys at the bar at work watching it.
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 11:54:39 GMT -5
I watched the game yesterday. Probably the most soccer Ive ever watched at one time. Had about 10 guys at the bar at work watching it. and? did you think it sucked?
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Post by Spencer on May 22, 2008 11:57:59 GMT -5
Seemed like a pretty good game. I mean I don't know much about soccer, but it seemed pretty good in that it wasn't played in the middle of the field, it seemed to go back and forth. There were lots of shots on goal. Some fighting. Seemed more like hockey.
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 11:59:30 GMT -5
Seemed like a pretty good game. I mean I don't know much about soccer, but it seemed pretty good in that it wasn't played in the middle of the field, it seemed to go back and forth. There were lots of shots on goal. Some fighting. Seemed more like hockey. that my friend is European soccer.
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Post by Spencer on May 22, 2008 12:00:10 GMT -5
On a scale of 1-10, how good was yesterdays game?
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 12:05:07 GMT -5
On a scale of 1-10, how good was yesterdays game? I didn't really watch it, since I was at work, so I was kind of minimizing and shit so people wouldn't see. It was a very good game from what I was able to see, I'm surprised it was a 1-1 game though and ended up going into PKs. I'd say 7.5-8 out of 10.
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Tigertecz
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Post by Tigertecz on May 22, 2008 14:17:55 GMT -5
On a scale of 1-10, how good was yesterdays game? 10 For me, as a United supporter, it was the best match I've seen in a long time, mostly due to the roller coaster of emotions throughout the match though. I actually couldn't watch Terry's penalty or Anelka's penalty. Most neutrals would've rated it at around 8 I'd say, but those who follow English football would give it 9.
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Post by Gossip Girl on May 22, 2008 18:21:28 GMT -5
On a scale of 1-10, how good was yesterdays game? Definitely a 10. I don't follow soccer that much, mainly because it is hard to get coverage in the states. However, I have played soccer(futbol) my whole life and I could appreciate what was going on. The header save by the Chelsae defender in front of the empty net was amazing as well as the goalie save on the rebound shot from right at the 18 using 1 hand. That shot was a rocket and to save it with 1 hand was fantastic.
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James
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Post by James on May 22, 2008 18:44:10 GMT -5
6 for me. It was dramatic, but it was won in penalties so for a non United/Chelsea supporter it was still enjoyable but IMO the actual game wasn't THAT great. But obviously for United supporters it would rank a 20 out of 10.
Also Tiger, what do you think about Gareth Barry? He has been strongly linked to United and personally I think it's a terrible move by him. Why does he move friom Villa? He is God over there and it's not like he needs to move to a bigger club to get an England cap.
Bebratov? No way you will get him.
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James
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Post by James on May 22, 2008 18:45:27 GMT -5
Also Chris, are you excited about EURO? I'm hoping that you guys will win (Spain) but I can't see you coming close to Italy, they look awesome. Usually they are incredibly strong at the back and it's what they are known for but their attacking options this year look incredible.
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 19:31:07 GMT -5
Also Chris, are you excited about EURO? I'm hoping that you guys will win (Spain) but I can't see you coming close to Italy, they look awesome. Usually they are incredibly strong at the back and it's what they are known for but their attacking options this year look incredible. Been waiting on it for the past few months now man. I'm just worried about our "inexperience." We have a very young team and alot of players will be having their first international caps, but we have the talent. I honestly think we have the talent to win it all. I love our Forwards Villa/Torres duo is probably top 3 in World (behind maybe Italy and Netherlands) Our midfield is very very solid Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Cesc, Silva, Iniesta. What worries my is our back-line, Sergio Ramos and Puyol to me are two of the top defenders in the world, the rest of the players with the exception of maybe Arbeloa, wouldn't start on most other international squads, in my honest opinion. Thank God for Iker Casillas, who I don't care what anyone says is the BEST goalkeeper in the world, right now.
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James
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Post by James on May 22, 2008 19:38:39 GMT -5
I'd still rate Buffon and Cech over him but it'd be very close.
I love your attacking options as well as your midfield. As you said, inexperience (compared to that of the likes of the Italy's, the France's etc) will cost you dearly.
Whos your manager/coach? My team (Melbourne) had an Asian Champions League game the other night and at the pub pre-game I heard some reports about him (Spains man in charge) and nothing good was said... Whats up with him? New/old, experienced, tactical?
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 19:44:37 GMT -5
I'd still rate Buffon and Cech over him but it'd be very close. I love your attacking options as well as your midfield. As you said, inexperience (compared to that of the likes of the Italy's, the France's etc) will cost you dearly. Whos your manager/coach? My team (Melbourne) had an Asian Champions League game the other night and at the pub pre-game I heard some reports about him (Spains man in charge) and nothing good was said... Whats up with him? New/old, experienced, tactical? Luis Aragones is a very good coach, very experienced, but in a way I guess the best comparison is to Mourinho, in the sense that they do their own thing even if their wrong. Everyone says he should have taken Raul and Guti, but without a doubt Raul. The people call him nuts for not taking Raul who finished second in La Liga in goal scoring, but being the stubborn asshole that he says he refuses to take Raul to the team nor Guti. He's very controversial, he's made racial comments before, ignorant comments, but he's a very good coach, but his stubborness gets the best of him. I think if Spain do not make it to the finals, yes the finals, he will get fired to be honest.
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James
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Post by James on May 22, 2008 19:47:35 GMT -5
The harsh reality of Spanish football. Which coach (either Barca or Real) was fired for winning the league even though they won the Champions League (or vice versa)?
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Post by duceisinmyheart on May 22, 2008 20:09:28 GMT -5
The harsh reality of Spanish football. Which coach (either Barca or Real) was fired for winning the league even though they won the Champions League (or vice versa)? Fabio Capello was fired from Real Madrid last season even after winning La Liga. It was a turbulent turbulent season last year with Capello. They were up and down and were never consistent. They finished the last 5 games of the year and that's how they BARELY one. They didn't dominate last season like they did this year in La Liga
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Tigertecz
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Post by Tigertecz on May 23, 2008 15:11:48 GMT -5
I'm rooting for Spain in the Euros porque estudio espanol lol.
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