Football Focus

[Bluerevolution]

Live stream for tonights games.

Liverpool v FC Gomel

http://www.thefirstrow.eu/watch/134629/1/watch-liverpool-fc-vs-fc-gomel.html

Valencia v THFC

http://www.thefirstrow.eu/watch/134631/1/watch-valencia-cf-vs-tottenham-hotspur.html

[Mick Mac]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> Whisht, both of you!

>

> Let's talk about sensible football things: what

> did we think of David Beckham's pants on the White

> Cliffs of Dover?

Can all cougars, please leave the football thread. Soonish.

[Bluerevolution]

Link for tonight

Peterborough v Manchester United

http://www.thefirstrow.eu/watch/134774/1/watch-peterborough-united-vs-manchester-united.html

[????]

er, think I'll be watching the Olympics, no offence BR

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

And I'll be walking down The Lane in my 6 inch heels looking for innocent lads.

[Bluerevolution]

???? Wrote:

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> er, think I'll be watching the Olympics, no

> offence BR

None taken, just being nice to Red Devil and Laddy Muck.

[red devil]

I love you too BR.

Olympics over, now back to the beautiful game of snarling, overpaid prima donnas.

It's dangerous to make predictions* before the transfer window closes, but what's everyone's tips for the forthcoming season?

Here's mine...

Utd regain title in what will be Fergie's last season.

Gooners, most improved squad so far, to pip City to the runners-up spot, as City get distracted by the Champs League, but fall at semis. Gooners could be a good cup bet.

Chelsea in fourth but comfortably ahead of Spurs, Newcastle and Liverpool who get distracted by Europa League.

Going down, going down, going down - Reading, Southampton and Swansea...

* UDT, as you don't make predictions, you're excused.

[Undisputedtruth]

I'm not really taking an active interest in this thread, RD. Too much playground football talk and not enough real understanding of the game. I'm more interested in the tactical side fo the game so I go elsewhere for that.

I do agree with your earlier comments about Butland. But let's not forget Cleverley who rarely gives the ball away. For me, he's more of a footballer's footballer.

[El Pibe]

It is admittedly difficult to get enthused about the annual cockfest after seeing such wonderful examples of what can be achieved without agents or feigning injury every five seconds.

Ask me in a few weeks when, for want of anything else to pointlessly avoid acknowledgement of the futility of existence with, I'll get sucked back in despite my better judgement, x-factor stylee.

[El Pibe]

speaking of cockfests the first UDT u-turn, high handed dismissal and autofellation all in one post, outstanding work sir.

[Chippy Minton]

Top - very predicable yet again. Winners - Utd, 2nd - City, 3rd - Chelsea, 4th - Arse

Going down - loads of candidates here. Swansea, Southmapton, Villa and Wigan will all go into the last game still not safe but West Brom, Reading and Norwich will go down.

Surprise package - Fulham!

[Undisputedtruth]

Somehow, I don't think I'll miss EP's insightful knowledge on the game of football!

[Otta]

He'll miss you though UDT.

[red devil]

El Pibe Wrote:

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> It is admittedly difficult to get enthused about

> the annual cockfest after seeing such wonderful

> examples of what can be achieved without agents or

> feigning injury every five seconds.

> Ask me in a few weeks when, for want of anything

> else to pointlessly avoid acknowledgement of the

> futility of existence with, I'll get sucked back

> in despite my better judgement, x-factor stylee.

It's fairly predictable that football will be everyone's whipping boy in the coming weeks.

Were the Olympics a yearly 9 month slog with billions of ???? swilling in the trough, I think we'd see a different beast. It's a human thing rather than down to an individual sport itself.

Athletics, with it's superstars, prize money, sponsors, and drug tainted history isn't exactly overflowing with Olympiad spirit. And it's only a matter of time before DNA doping becomes a problem.

Football's problem is that it has lost it's connection with it's fanbase, and that's been caused by the money. Agents et al are a direct result of that money...

''IT'S TIME TO FACE THE MUUUUU-SIC!''

[El Pibe]

I think you may have taken my spittle flecked rant a little too seriously RD. I was, as in most things in life, being flippant.

And yes, obviously it's not down to the intrinsic nature of a given sport and I think it's an accepted truism money has changed football.

The IOC is a pretty unlikeable beast with billions swilling in the trough, hence why many, including myself, found the shameless jackbooted sponsorship enforcement left a somewhat bitter taste in the mouth, until those wholesome guys and gals who deigned to interact with Joe Public and looked like the person next door (because genreally they were, not holed up in some millionaires row) actually started winning stuff and we all momentarily lost our cynicsm.

I'd actually argue that football's current success is a direct result of the loss of connection you describe. Glamour has to differentiate itself from the rest of us in order to be attractive, and I think it's the soap opera nature of it all that keeps the whole thing going.

Funnily enough watching the handball final it's obvious that there are a million and one sports that can be nailbiting, get people passionate and come close to causing serious cardiac issues for the team coaches, but I realised that not all of them see billions of people poring over the minutea of those sports in the same way they do football over, as you say, 9 long months a year, and even discuss the sexual mores/antics of the players on the same par as the strategy and incidents on the playing field itself.

You need something beyond that to keep the interest levels up, otherwise you might as well go down champion hill and discuss footie in the dry, knowleadgeable but soul achingly tedious manner of our mutual friend.

[Undisputedtruth]

EP's last post isn't exactly football focus.

[El Pibe]

Tell us again about Cleverly's reluctance to give the ball away, I'm on tenterhooks.

[Undisputedtruth]

A very good footballer rarely gives the ball away. Don't you know that, EP?

[Otta]

Undisputedtruth Wrote:

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> I'm not really taking an active interest in this

> thread, RD.

Really?

[Undisputedtruth]

Otta Wrote:

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> Undisputedtruth Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I'm not really taking an active interest in

> this

> > thread, RD.

>

>

> Really?

I've not been posting much over the last few weeks.

Still, if you can't understand why Carroll isn't suited for Rodger's style of play then I think I've made the right decision by not taking much of an active interest in this thread. I don't think I've seen a post that shows your understanding of football.

[Otta]

You've not posted much in the off season, when nobody has really posted much, is that what you're saying?

My point about Carroll was that if Rogers' style was not working in a match, it could be useful to have something different on the bench. I'd have thought a tactical brain such as yours would see the sense in that.

[Undisputedtruth]

Again, you're showing your lack of football knowledge once again. Teams like Barcelona and Rodgers' do not change their style of play even when they're losing. Speed of thought is more effective than just lumping the ball forward to the striker.

[Otta]

That's probably why barca had no answer when Chelsea parked the bus. Great tactics.

What happened then?

Igor yeah, Chelsea hoofed the ball forward to Torres.

Beautiful football is wonderful, but sometimes you need something different if you want to win, which is basically the whole point, is it not?

[Undisputedtruth]

Otta Wrote:

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> That's probably why barca had no answer when

> Chelsea parked the bus. Great tactics.

>

Chelsea rode their luck a few times while Barcelona missed a hat full of chances. Sometimes the better don't win. That's football. Most people would agree that Barcelona is one of the best teams in the world.

Also Spain do not change their style either. Two Euro championships and a world cup medal.

[Undisputedtruth]

Two Champions Leagues, three Ligas, two Club World Cups, two European Super Cups, one King?s Cup and three Spanish Super Cups, these are the titles won by Bar?a in the last three and a half years. Bar?a has won 13 out 16 titles since Guardiola took command of the bench

Fat zero is the number of titles won by Otta.