The FOOTball thread

So... 39 goals in 9 matches this weekend in Germany's Bundesliga. I wish they could keep that up, although due to the craziness of the first two weeks, I've only managed to get one result and one tendency right in my bets...
 
"tendency"? Can you be arrested for it? Is it legal in any of the EU countries apart from Denmark?

In other news - EPL is shaping up after three games for a Chelsea/Arsenal/Man Utd - and possibly Man City (Tevez needs to regain his form rapidly) cat fight.
 
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Cobol74 said:
"tendency"? Can you be arrested for it? Is it legal in any of the EU countries apart from Denmark?
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In the system me and my mates do the bets, there are the following levels of being right:
  1. exact result
  2. correct winner with correct goal difference
  3. correct tendency, meaning correct winner or correctly bet on a draw
Obviously, option 1 gets you the most points.
 
mpicco said:
Real Madrid sucks. They get the best players, now arguably the best manager, and they still can't play as a team. They're only good in video games and merchandising.
Don't get me wrong, I got nothing against them, but in the weight of the names playing there, they should easily be one of the top teams in the world... how long has it been since it won anything? Its a shadow compared to Bar?a
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Second for the past two seasons + first in the 2007-2008 season.

I am by no means a Madrid fan but I prefer their side to Barcelona, because the latter are a bunch of stuck-up twats with huge ego issues.

Madrid have been hampered by an idiot in the form of Perez who made stupid transfers (like 100M euros for Kaka and Benzema), and never let his managers make decisions.

However, he is now letting Mourinho make the decisions he wants and the transfers he wants, while Pep Guardiola clearly has some animosity with Sandro Rossell.

I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that, combined with the fact that Madrid were only three points short last time, means it's only inevitable that they win something soon.
 
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Asad said:
I am by no means a Madrid fan but I prefer their side to Barcelona, because the latter are a bunch of stuck-up twats with huge ego issues.
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I think both the former and the latter are a bunch of stuck-up twats with huge ego issues. I used to like Real Madrid... a long time ago.
 
European Football News

There will be NO matches played in the following leagues around Europe until the dates shown.

La Liga 12th September
Serie A 11th September
Premier League 11th September
Champions League 14th September
Etc.
:(

This is because the UEFA 2012 Euro Qualifying Round Matches start at the end of this week, on Friday 3rd September* and continue in blocks until mid-October 2011.

I am happy to start a new Thread in the next couple of days showing the Groups and the matches over the next couple of weeks, unless someone else wants to volunteer. :D

( *Actually the Faroe Islands played Estonia already in early August, dunno why that was.)

* * *

The ?transfer window? is now closed; here are a few from today involving EPL teams.

BBC Sport ? August 2010 Transfers
31 August

Nacer Barazite [Arsenal - Vitesse Arnhem] Loan
Jean Beausejour [Club America - Birmingham] Undisclosed
Marcus Bent [Birmingham - Wolves] Loan
Felipe Caicedo [Manchester City - Levante] Loan
DJ Campbell [Leicester - Blackpool] Undisclosed
Adam Clayton [Manchester City - Leeds] Undisclosed
Tom Cleverley [Manchester United - Wigan] Loan
Lauri Dalla Valle [Liverpool - Fulham] Player exchange
Craig Dawson [Rochdale - West Brom] Undisclosed
Craig Dawson [West Brom - Rochdale] Loan
Franco Di Santo [Chelsea - Wigan] Undisclosed
Salif Diao [unattached - Stoke]
Nabil El Zhar [Liverpool - PAOK] Loan
E Gudjohnsen [Monaco - Stoke] Loan
Asamoah Gyan [Rennes - Sunderland] ?13m
Alexander Hleb [Barcelona - Birmingham] Loan
Emiliano Insua [Liverpool - Galatasaray] Loan
Martin Jiranek [Spartak Moscow - Birmingham] Undisclosed
Alex Kacaniklic [Liverpool - Fulham] Player exchange
Paul Konchesky [Fulham - Liverpool] Player exchange
Zurab Khizanishvili [Blackburn - Reading] Loan
Kazenga LuaLua [Newcastle - Brighton] Loan
Ben Marshall [Stoke - Carlisle] Loan
Jermaine Pennant [Real Zaragoza - Stoke]
Matt Phillips [Wycombe - Blackpool] ?325,000
Stipe Pletikosa [Spartak Moscow - Tottenham] Loan
Maceo Rigters [Blackburn - Willem II] Loan

Robinho [Manchester City - AC Milan] Undisclosed
(My guess it was NOT the ?32.5 million he cost them two years ago. :lol:)

Rodrigo [Benfica - Bolton] Loan
Armand Traore [Arsenal - Juventus] Loan
Martyn Waghorn [Sunderland - Leicester] ?3m
Vincent Weijl [Liverpool - SD Eibar] Undisclosed
Marc Wilson [Portsmouth - Stoke] Undisclosed
Joseph Yobo [Everton - Fenerbahce] Loan
 
Spurs are also waiting on RvdV apparently... 8 million would be a steal for him, but in my opinion he is overrated, and not very good.

We didn't sign a striker, and I'm kinda glad, because I didn't want Cole...

If Torres and Ngog with Babel back up can just hold up until January, we might have a chance and signing someone. Now that Babel knows his future is not really with Anfield (I, for one, will be glad when he goes... I actually like Lucas, he's not great by any margin, but he puts in the effort, and will keep improving), hopefully when he comes on as sub, he will be out to prove a point and showcase his skillset for interested clubs. It would be beneficial for both parties. Maybe he will make me eat my words, but I just feel that he doesn't have the right mentality for being a Red. Konchesky will be interesting, I think he's underrated, and though I love Aurelio, we definitely needed someone stronger in the LB position.
 
Alasondro Alegr? said:
Is Raul Meireles heading to Anfield or not? I heard something on Saturday, and nothing since.
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He's already there and in the 25-man squad, I believe.

Also, Robinho's fee was around 13 million pounds.

Oh, and fuck you Arsene Wenger. I don't care about his history and what he's done for the club anymore, he's a stubborn little shit.

(Sorry, I just really wanted to see us do well this season.)
 
mclarensmps said:
Another thing to note: Watching Benitez' inter, I think I may have been wrong in blindly supporting him for so long...
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Very true. I think that, coupled with the absolutely terrific frontline of Ibra, Robinho, Pato, and Ronaldinho; means the Serie A will be a terrific competition this season.
 
Alasondro Alegr? said:
So I went ahead and started one. In other news:
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:thumbup:

* * *

BREAKING ?SPECIAL ONE?S? GOSSIP

1302: Jose Mourinho pleaded with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to sign Chelsea striker Didier Drogba until the very last moment of the Premier League transfer window, which shut at 1800 BST on Tuesday.
Full story: IMScouting.com

New Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has played down their disappointing opening day draw with Real Mallorca, and says he is the man to bring long-term stability to the club. "I am a coach not Harry Potter. He is a magician. Magic is fiction and I live for football which is real," he said. (Reuters)

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool are believed to have offered Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva and Dutch forward Ryan Babel in exchange for West Ham striker Carlton Cole but neither player wanted to leave Anfield for Upton Park.
Full story: The Guardian

Liverpool also failed in a late attempt to sign Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.
Full story: talksport.co.uk

Arsenal missed out on signing Mark Schwarzer for ?4m after Fulham were denied a move for Crystal Palace's ?1.5m-rated goalkeeper Julian Speroni. The Cottagers were also thwarted when they tried to land Brazilian keeper Alexander Doni from Roma, but a season-long loan deal could not be arranged in time before the end of the transfer window.
Full story: Mirror

Stoke boss Tony Pulis says he was advised to make a move for Eidur Gudjohnsen by Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who had signed the Iceland international striker on loan from Monaco last season.
Full story: Mirror

Striker Roque Santa Cruz faces being frozen out at Manchester City after a deadline-day move to Italian club Lazio collapsed.
Full story: The Sun

The ?250m spent in the 2010 summer transfer window was the lowest total since 2006, according to research by financial analysts Deloitte.
Full story: Mirror

West Ham have signed Blackburn's Denmark international full-back Lars Jacobsen for a nominal fee but manager Avram Grant rejected a swoop for Rovers team-mate Pascal Chimbonda.
Full story: Mirror

BBC Sport ? Tottenham clinch ?8m Rafael van der Vaart deal

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United and Rangers have launched an unprecedented security operation to prevent crowd trouble when they meet in the Champions League at Old Trafford on 14 September.
Full story: Daily Mail

An ankle injury has forced Newcastle striker Andy Carroll to pull out of the England Under-21 squad to face Portugal and Lithuania.
Full story: Daily Mail

Aston Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald says he wants to the job permanently.
Full story: The Sun

Newcastle defender Sol Campbell was taunted by Sunderland supporters for being overweight as he made his debut on Tuesday night, playing only the first half of a reserve match at the Stadium of Light.
Full story: Daily Mail

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has urged the club to find new owners fast so they can compete with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City financially. (The Sun)
 
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RvdV to Tottenham is confirmed too... it will be interesting to see how that pans out. The media has always hailed him to be some magical player, but I could never see what everyone else sees in him.
 
Not exactly about real football, but since there aren't many of us here interested in this sort of thing -

Anyone looking for a good PC footie game (FIFA 10 is absolute shit on PC, it's the same as the PS2 version) should try PES 2010 and, crucially, the PESEdit.com Patch for PES. (Gives real team names, updated transfers, etc.)

Another thing of note, unlike FIFA you'll never be beating Chelsea 9-0, the scoreline ALWAYS stays realistic and till now, on the second hardest difficulty, my best match has been a 4-0 win against Man United with the last two goals coming in stoppage time (realistically, by this time Man Utd had basically pushed everyone forward in search of a goal.)

A few of my own shots for your pleasure -

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/as/asad98/2010/09/02/Image00001_002.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/as/asad98/2010/09/02/Image00002_002.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/as/asad98/2010/09/02/Image00003_002.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/as/asad98/2010/09/02/Image00004_002.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/as/asad98/2010/09/02/Image00005_001.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/as/asad98/2010/09/02/Image00006_002.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/as/asad98/2010/09/02/Image00007_002.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/as/asad98/2010/09/02/Image00008.jpg

PESEdit.com Super Patch (install 4.0 + the 4.0.1 update if interested) - http://pesedit.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?23-PESEdit-com-Patch

EDIT - The game is pretty much unplayable unless you also have an external controller (I use the X360 for Windows one, which is perfectly integrated, but an included utility allows you to configure any controller to work included a hacked SIXAXIS.)
 
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Well, I don?t usually quote news from the evil empire of Mr. Burns, both this story today made me laugh.

Sky News Article Link

Sky News said:
An evening newspaper has come up with an ingenious way to beat a League One football club's ban on photographers.

https://pic.armedcats.net/h/he/heathrow/2010/09/02/Subbuteo.jpg

Swindon vs Southampton

Instead of real-life pictures of their team thumping Southampton, readers of the Swindon Advertiser were treated to Subbuteo recreations.

The newspaper resorted to the tiny plastic figures so Swindon Town fans could savour their team's 3-0 drubbing of Saints on Wednesday night.
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Southampton are trying to make money by charging the media for offical photos taken by their club's photograhper.

:lmao:
 
Heathrow said:
He should get censured in some way, but six months seems a bit harsh.
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The disciplinary council of the Portuguese Federation issued a one month ban, and then the drug testing authority, not satisfied by that, issued their own, longer ban (which the Federation has to comply with). Meanwhile, he's facing a second inquiry by the Federation, after stating in a press interview that the organization's Vice-President wants him out.
 
^ back to Man U or maybe the Aston Villa job? :D

* * *

BBC sport ? Football Gossip
BBC Sport Football Gossip said:
TRANSFER GOSSIP

New AC Milan signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic snubbed a move to Manchester City because of their lack of title credentials. The Swedish striker, 28, reckons City are at least two years away from mounting a serious Premier League title challenge.
Full story: the Sun
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Good assessment and choice Zlatan, plus the Man C fans don?t much like players with egos the size of Jupiter. :p

BBC Sport Football Gossip said:
Italy international Marco Borriello came close to signing for Manchester City earlier this week, according to his agent. The AC Milan striker was loaned to Serie A side Roma after boss Roberto Mancini's move for the 28-year-old fell through.
Full story: Daily Mail

Hull defender Kamil Zayatte will join Leicester on a season-long loan next week, paving the way for Jimmy Bullard to return to Nigel Pearson's side.
Full story: Daily Mail

Arsenal's attempts to sign PSV Eindhoven winger Ibrahim Afellay could be scuppered by Fiorentina. The Netherlands international is top of the Italian club's most-wanted list.
Full story: talkSport

The Gunners are one of several Premier League clubs eyeing up Dynamo Kiev's highly rated goalkeeper Maxim Koval, who is 17.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Everton striker James Vaughan will join Sheffield United or Burnley on loan after the 22-year-old failed to secure a move to Premier League Blackpool during the transfer window.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Swansea are set to snap up Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury on loan. The 19-year-old was loaned to Watford, the Swans' Championship rivals, last season.
Full story: talkSport

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres' return to full fitness is ahead of schedule but the club's medical staff do not expect him to reach his physical peak for another month.
Full story: Daily Mail
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Well it is about flippin? time, he has been wonky for most of last season! :p

BBC Sport Football Gossip said:
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher aims to carry on playing for three more years after being inspired by Manchester United veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
Full story: the Sun

New Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh admits he was left exhausted after the toughest pre-season of his life.
Full story: the Sun
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:lol:

BBC Sport Football Gossip said:
Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov is urging the club to give caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald the permanent manager's job. The Bulgarian says MacDonald is more than capable of stepping up to the role.
Full story: talkSport

Alternatively, Gerard Houllier will head a three-man management team at Villa Park. The Frenchman is to be director of football and will be joined by MacDonald as head coach and Steve Staunton as assistant coach.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has also expressed an interest in the vacant manager's job at Aston Villa.
Full story: the Sun
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Hmmmmm, interesting! :unsure:

BBC Sport Football Gossip said:
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has blamed former Reds manager Graeme Souness for the club's decline during his time in charge from 1991 to 1994. Carragher has his Liverpool testimonial on Saturday.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Manchester United supporters are being urged to mark the Premier League clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford later this month with an 'old shirt' protest against the club's owners, the Glazer family.
Full story: Daily Telegraph

West Ham's new summer signing Thomas Hitzlsperger faces another two weeks on the sidelines as he struggles to recover from the injury he picked up on international duty for Germany last month.
Full story: talkSport

The joint Spain-Portugal bid to host the 2018 World Cup has been described as "ideal" by the head of the Fifa inspection team.
Full story: Independent

AND FINALLY

A "hill of hell" has been installed at Manchester City's training base to improve the team's fitness levels. Players will be forced to run up the 10ft-tall, 25ft-long mound at the Carrington ground. Manager Roberto Mancini has also already had the likes of Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor pulling HGV tyres in training.
Full story: Daily Mail

Former England striker Ian Wright sent Jermain Defoe a text before Friday night's 4-0 win over Bulgaria saying 'you are due a hat'trick'. Defoe then went out and scored one.
Full story: Daily Telegraph

Joe Hart's appearance for England against Bulgaria earned his former club Shrewsbury ?500,000 as part of his transfer deal to Manchester City in 2006. (Daily Mail)
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Manchester United supporters are being urged to mark the Premier League clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford later this month with an 'old shirt' protest against the club's owners, the Glazer family.
Full story: Daily Telegraph
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Some of my fellow supporters aren't half thick.
 
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