The Official Football Thread 2005/2006 (3 Viewers)

[RedTommo]

Lookz like Everton facez an uphill battle to get into the UCL proper.

Which is pretty fantastic if you ask me I feel mightily sorry for Timmy C, who frankly deserves better (Maybe an All-Aussie-Stanley Park swap for Kewell is in order ), but there is quite simply no way Everton can repeat last year's performance in 2005/06-and having them in the Champions' League at the expense of a side containing a player as red hot as Forlan at the moment (and having 5 English teams) would have seriously devalued the competition.
The thing that makes the Champions' League so fantastic to watch is that there is no such thing as mediocrity-and I think Everton this year won't be much better than mediocre.

 

[niall045]

After watchin the game between Man U and Debrecen, all I wanna say iz, Park Ji-Sung iz quality.

Park is a gun of a player. see him in the semis of the UCL? tearin up the "best" defence in the world. they had nothin on him. hate to say it but i think manu got the best transfer this season, and he was only roughly 2mil.

"a player as red hot as Forlan at the moment"

what about riquelme? villareal was a tough draw for everton, they wouldve been for any team.

 

[Constip8edSkunk]

ooo i was pretty close with my predictions........everton was always gonna struggle against villareal tho..........also betis 1 - monaco 0... edu with the winner in the 90th minute

 

[Benny_]

I'm surprised Betis didn't get a better result against Monaco at home. Now they're going to need to score at Monaco or they'll struggle to make it through. I can't see Monaco being kept scoreless at home.

Everton is gone. They'll need to win 2-0 at Villareal and that just ain't gonna happen. How many times last season did they win by 2 goals last season? Not a single occasion comes to mind. This is why Phil Neville was a poor signing for them. With the exception of Cahill, they don't really anyone who can unlock defenses when they're in need of goals. Had they spent the money on someone like Wayne Routledge (before Tottenham got him) in midfield, or took a decent, promising young striker like Bentley on loan, they might have had the ghost of a chance. Now they'll be out of Europe without qualifying for Champions League proper. Good one Moyes. Good for the rest of us though, since there'll now only be the regular 4 teams to share the UCL telecast and qualification money.

I have to say I'm a tad worried about the CSKA Sofia tonight. We're missing a lot of players through injury already so early in the season so it could be a tough. Good that we're getting the tough away fixture out of the way first though. I think 2-0 would be a pretty good result to take back to Anfield.

On the previous extended argument about the Community Shield. I have to agree with HeCtic. Chelsea are essentially a very expensive version of Bolton. 10 men in defense and a hoof upfield for most of their goals. There's very little that is attractive about their brand of football. This is why Robben and Duff were so important for them last season. Without them, Chelsea essentially had a midfield of 4 holding midfielders and consequently found it very difficult to link up with their frontmen. They're a classically English team. Arsenal in contrast, plays a more continental style of football. Plenty more passes strung together before a move, fast, 1 touch football all the way.

 

[slip]

call chelsea boring I dont really care. nobody recalls how a team played just what they won (at least after a sufficient amount of time)

today we say chelsea are boring and that arsenal didnt deserve to win the fa cup. in 5 years we say chelsea won the league and league cup and arsenal won the fa cup in the 04/05 season.

 

[matt#1]

Manchester Utd 3 - 0 Debrecen. Goals scored by Rooney, Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy. That should be a good enough performance to ensure that we are through to the next round.

Also, thanks for providing the link LMF.

 

[HeCtic]

call chelsea boring I dont really care. nobody recalls how a team played just what they won (at least after a sufficient amount of time)

today we say chelsea are boring and that arsenal didnt deserve to win the fa cup. in 5 years we say chelsea won the league and league cup and arsenal won the fa cup in the 04/05 season.

That's what you say. At least I know I'll be entertained this season. Enjoy the snoozefests at the Bridge this season.

 

[matt#1]

call chelsea boring I dont really care. nobody recalls how a team played just what they won (at least after a sufficient amount of time)

I never said that they are boring. They have many exciting players. I just said that they played a less 'beautiful' game than Arsenal in the Community Shield.

 

[Tender_Branson]

Good to see someone take the blinkers off when their team isn't playing. Maybe TenderBranson can learn how do it next time?

And HeCtic, when you say my team, do you mean Sheffield United? How were they in anyway involved in the community shield? I like to see Aresnal getting beaten, I love seeing Man U getting beaten, and I like seeing Chelsea getting beaten, but thats my order of priority. I'd actually cheer for Man U if they're playing Aresnal or any other foreign team.

And when my team (Sheffield United) has played Aresnal its been rather close. 1-0 to Aresnal in the FA Cup semi-final in 2004, only a magical stop by Seaman in the 90th minute stopped it going to extra time. Quarter-final in the FA Cup 2005, 1-1 draw in the first leg, replayed 0-0 and Aresnal won on penalties. So, I don't think you can criticise Sheffield united all that much when the defeats have been so narrow.

P.S. Plus we just beat Reading 2-1 away.

 

[RedTommo]

I never said that they are boring. .

Goddamn, face it, Chelsea are boring. It's stange, but watching them pile on 3 goals in almost as many minutes against Barcelona last year, I still found myself almost drowzy due to their complete lack of style. And it's not like they don't have exciting players either-Lampard is a midfield dynamo, Robben and Duff are both sensational and Wright Phillips should absolutely tear it up this year-they're just...not a compelling team to watch. Seems like money can buy you success but not style eh?

And to say 'noone remembers the way you won' is rubbish-Why do you think the Brazil team of 1970 or the Dutch of '74 (even though they fell in the final) are still talked about so much today? And you don't think people will remember Liverpool's triumph in future without talking about 'those 6 minutes'? If you ask me Chelsea will be remembered not particuarly fondly as a highly efficent, very tough and hard to beat team of mostly overpriced mercenaries....

 

[niall045]

call chelsea boring I dont really care. nobody recalls how a team played just what they won (at least after a sufficient amount of time)

today we say chelsea are boring and that arsenal didnt deserve to win the fa cup. in 5 years we say chelsea won the league and league cup and arsenal won the fa cup in the 04/05 season.

that still doesnt detract from the fact that chelsea plays boring football.

 

[AcStyle*]

Luv ur av RedTommo!

EEEEEGGOOOOOOOOORR!!!

 

[HeCtic]

And HeCtic, when you say my team, do you mean Sheffield United? How were they in anyway involved in the community shield? I like to see Aresnal getting beaten, I love seeing Man U getting beaten, and I like seeing Chelsea getting beaten, but thats my order of priority. I'd actually cheer for Man U if they're playing Aresnal or any other foreign team.

And when my team (Sheffield United) has played Aresnal its been rather close. 1-0 to Aresnal in the FA Cup semi-final in 2004, only a magical stop by Seaman in the 90th minute stopped it going to extra time. Quarter-final in the FA Cup 2005, 1-1 draw in the first leg, replayed 0-0 and Aresnal won on penalties. So, I don't think you can criticise Sheffield united all that much when the defeats have been so narrow.

P.S. Plus we just beat Reading 2-1 away.

The hard-on you seem to get whenever you post about Chelsea suggests to me you've jumped on the bandwagon of the special one. Especially considering you seemed to think their midfield dominated ours. Maybe you should check your glasses to see if there's a taint of blue appearing?

 

[HeCtic]

Goddamn, face it, Chelsea are boring. It's stange, but watching them pile on 3 goals in almost as many minutes against Barcelona last year, I still found myself almost drowzy due to their complete lack of style. And it's not like they don't have exciting players either-Lampard is a midfield dynamo, Robben and Duff are both sensational and Wright Phillips should absolutely tear it up this year-they're just...not a compelling team to watch. Seems like money can buy you success but not style eh?

And to say 'noone remembers the way you won' is rubbish-Why do you think the Brazil team of 1970 or the Dutch of '74 (even though they fell in the final) are still talked about so much today? And you don't think people will remember Liverpool's triumph in future without talking about 'those 6 minutes'? If you ask me Chelsea will be remembered not particuarly fondly as a highly efficent, very tough and hard to beat team of mostly overpriced mercenaries....

Top post. Especially the second paragraph. Why do you think the English media still cream themselves when discussing the Spurs teams of the 60's even though they only won a single League title.

 

[matt#1]

The hard-on you seem to get whenever you post about Chelsea suggests to me you've jumped on the bandwagon of the special one. Especially considering you seemed to think their midfield dominated ours. Maybe you should check your glasses to see if there's a taint of blue appearing?

well said. His comments suggested to me that was a Chelsea supporter too.

 

[matt#1]

that still doesnt detract from the fact that chelsea plays boring football.

I still don't know if I would classify Chelsea's style of play as 'boring'. Granted they play a less attractive game than Arsenal, Barca, etc...but they have many exciting players and score brilliant goals.

 

[RedTommo]

I still don't know if I would classify Chelsea's style of play as 'boring'. Granted they play a less attractive game than Arsenal, Barca, etc...but they have many exciting players and score brilliant goals.

There's only so many times one can appreciate a slick, well-timed counter attack...

Oh and cheers AC/Hectic EEEEEEEEEEEEEGOR

 

[copious]

While there are MANY times they seem boring, keep in mind they have assembled a squad which challenged or won titles in a very small time frame. So to me, they are still in a building phase , their style , well i have no idea. The only 'franchise' players in 2005/2006 are terry, lampard, Eider and Gallas. The talent is there, but so is the money which sucks. Either way, I am not a fan of their current culture.

 

[matt#1]

There's only so many times one can appreciate a slick, well-timed counter attack...

ok...I'm not going to argue about this topic with you any longer. Save it for a Chelsea supporter.

 

[Crazy Horse]

well said. His comments suggested to me that was a Chelsea supporter too.

Come off it. I enjoy watching United get beat more than Chelsea. Are you going to suggest I'm a Chelsea fan too?

call chelsea boring I dont really care. nobody recalls how a team played just what they won (at least after a sufficient amount of time)

today we say that arsenal didnt deserve to win the fa cup. in 5 years we say arsenal won the fa cup in the 04/05 season.

haha - I'm willing to put money on United fans still talking about the steal in 50years time.

I have to say I'm a tad worried about the CSKA Sofia tonight. We're missing a lot of players through injury already so early in the season so it could be a tough. Good that we're getting the tough away fixture out of the way first though. I think 2-0 would be a pretty good result to take back to Anfield.

Hey Ben! It feels like your posts have been scarce in this thread..

I was informed yesterday that CSKA Sofia actually beat us the last time Liverpool versed them in the Champs League - the reason its remembered so much is because it was in the latter stages of the tournament and.....it was in 1982, the year after we won a CL trophy To be honest I don't know much about them or their style of play. I don't watch any Bulgarian football..

Our Squad (BBC site):
Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Whitbread, Warnock, Riise, Luis Garcia, Alonso, Hamann, Gerrard, Sissoko, Cisse, Morientes, Baros, Potter, Carson, Barragan.

I thought Baros was about to be shipped off...?

Does anyone know if the match is being shown? I'm wanting to see the newie's play with the team!!

that still doesnt detract from the fact that chelsea plays boring football.

call chelsea boring I dont really care.