Football 2010-2011

[ampersand]

somehow I thought you'd enjoy yesterday's result.

I think the City result is far funnier - they have dreams of winning the Chumps league, but can't even make the quarter finals of the Europa.

[worm]

Roll on Sunday and Sunderland.

[eFestivals]

yeah worst of the lot that one. saying that though, i expected a comfortable win for liverpool. delighted they didn't get it. and rangers were poor. should have had a penalty and psv player sent off in the second half but some things don't go your way.

apparently there's no german, italian, english or french teams in the quarters in the entire history of the competition. crazy!

To be fair to Liverpool, they weren't dreadful last night - they had a fair few decent opportunities, they just failed to make them count.

But it was dreadful at points. There was far too much much knocking the ball between midfield and the defenders, and after that going around a few times the ball was hoofed up front to Kuyt or Carroll.

But aside from some poor finishing (which happens with all players at points anyway), and far too many long balls, I was quite impressed with Carroll. He's got more about his play than I'd previously thought - tho £35M is far too much. Mind you, with Nando's lack of scoring too at Chelsea he's still maybe looking the better part of that deal.

[eFestivals]

It was LFC's Last chance to win something though and mist probably get into Europe, city at least still have other fronts to fight as an excuse/ fall back and at least may get a chance to win the chumps league

How do you reckon it will affect LFC recruitment chances not being in Europe at all? Think they be big enough to get away with it myself, there may be a few who would turn them down in the summer as a result though

it's not a great start for Kenny, is it? He waits 20 years to manage them in Europe, then becomes the one to see them not playing in Europe for the first time in 40 years.

I guess it's going to badly affect their chances of landing any 'names' - but I'm not sure they'd be the sort of players they'd go for anyway. Everything about John Henry says that his money will be spent on up-coming players of a certain sort (but not those who are regarded as 'a talent' - see 'Moneyballs'). But even with those types it might prove difficult in some cases, because they'll prefer to go for the certainties for playing in the Chumps if they've got an offer for that.

But in general I guess that players will see Liverpool as a team who'll be back up there soon enough, so for ambitious players who are currently being overlooked by the current 'big teams' it's an opportunity they'll jump at as a way to prove themselves at a higher level.

[Benj]

it's not a great start for Kenny, is it? He waits 20 years to manage them in Europe, then becomes the one to see them not playing in Europe for the first time in 40 years.

I guess it's going to badly affect their chances of landing any 'names' - but I'm not sure they'd be the sort of players they'd go for anyway. Everything about John Henry says that his money will be spent on up-coming players of a certain sort (but not those who are regarded as 'a talent' - see 'Moneyballs'). But even with those types it might prove difficult in some cases, because they'll prefer to go for the certainties for playing in the Chumps if they've got an offer for that.

But in general I guess that players will see Liverpool as a team who'll be back up there soon enough, so for ambitious players who are currently being overlooked by the current 'big teams' it's an opportunity they'll jump at as a way to prove themselves at a higher level.

[ampersand]

I was quite impressed with Carroll. He's got more about his play than I'd previously thought - tho £35M is far too much. Mind you, with Nando's lack of scoring too at Chelsea he's still maybe looking the better part of that deal.

[Benj]

They managed luiz at the other end of the pitch mind.

[ampersand]

That wasn't exactly cheap though was it!

[The Nal]

Liverpool are in DIRE need of a couple of wide players. Utd look different with Valencia back just as Arsenal are weaker and have less options with Walcott out. Having a man playing wide is essential to be successful. Pools long ball tactics last night were awful. Carroll looks a 10 million player, thats it. KEnny has a lot of work to do there. A year out of Europe might not be the worst thing though. Get back up the league.

As for Citeh.

[eFestivals]

Carroll looks a 10 million player, thats it.

oh, I dunno - his movement last night was far better than I'd thought he was capable of, if you ignore the fact that he was continually offside.

And it was only his first full game after a few months out don't forget, so there's a very decent chance he'll get to be much sharper than he was last night.

Plus with Betty playing up there with him as will be the case from now on, he should get many more decent opportunities, rather than nearly all long balls as it was last night.

Having said all of that, he looks a very long way from being a £35M player, but I do think saying just £10M is selling him a bit short - he's far better than Kenwyn Jones, for example.

But that £35M still has to be looked at within the context of how it came about. Losing Torres that late in the window didn't give them many options, and with no Europe next year now it looks an even better buy (within those contexts), cos I doubt they'd have succeeded in getting him or any other "highly rated prospect" in the summer without the draw of Euro footie.

In an ideal world of course they'd have gone and got a more established striker, but little about Liverpool during the last few days of the last transfer window and right now is that ideal world.

[The Nal]

oh, I dunno - his movement last night was far better than I'd thought he was capable of, if you ignore the fact that he was continually offside.

And it was only his first full game after a few months out don't forget, so there's a very decent chance he'll get to be much sharper than he was last night.

Plus with Betty playing up there with him as will be the case from now on, he should get many more decent opportunities, rather than nearly all long balls as it was last night.

Having said all of that, he looks a very long way from being a £35M player, but I do think saying just £10M is selling him a bit short - he's far better than Kenwyn Jones, for example.

But that £35M still has to be looked at within the context of how it came about. Losing Torres that late in the window didn't give them many options, and with no Europe next year now it looks an even better buy (within those contexts), cos I doubt they'd have succeeded in getting him or any other "highly rated prospect" in the summer without the draw of Euro footie.

In an ideal world of course they'd have gone and got a more established striker, but little about Liverpool during the last few days of the last transfer window and right now is that ideal world.

Edited March 18, 2011 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

Point is, if Hernandez cost Utd 7 million, how much is Carroll worth then considering they’re the same age and have played the same amount of games as professionals?

the thing is, comparing just about any player against a bargain like Hernandez makes the price of other players look silly - sticking with my Kenwyn Jones example, he's worth about £300k and not £9M if put against Hernandez.

And that's really all to do with what I said a few months ago, that there's not a properly operating market for players. They sell for made up numbers, and not on a real value basis.

[Wooderson]

LFC turned any newfound advantage with Carroll's height into an excercise in predictability. It was a shocking performance.

[The Nal]

the thing is, comparing just about any player against a bargain like Hernandez makes the price of other players look silly - sticking with my Kenwyn Jones example, he's worth about £300k and not £9M if put against Hernandez.

And that's really all to do with what I said a few months ago, that there's not a properly operating market for players. They sell for made up numbers, and not on a real value basis.

Edited March 18, 2011 by The Nal

[ampersand]

oh, I dunno - his movement last night was far better than I'd thought he was capable of, if you ignore the fact that he was continually offside.

[jump]

Semis...

Real Madrid/Tottenham v Barcelona/Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter Milan/Schalke 04 v CHELSEA/MAN UTD

Last 8...

Inter Milan v Schalke 04

Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk

CHELSEA v MAN UTD

Real Madrid v TOTTENHAM

I wonder what 'arry is gonna say.

[The Nal]

I'd love to see a Mn Utd vs Real Madrid final.

[ampersand]

Champions League draw.

Madrid vs Spurs

Chelski vs Man Utd

Barca vs Shakhtar

Inter vs Shalke

[The Nal]

Tugger is defo spooky yeah.

Either that or hes f**king Sepp Blatter.

[Tugger2k]

that could have been worse

at least in the 1/4's we avoided the 3 teams i feared the most (barca, and the other 2 english sides

still, only madrid to beat, then barca, then whoever

the impossible dream lives on, for now!!

[eFestivals]

ins't that like saying that a surgeon is great at incisions, if you ignore the fact he cuts the patient too deeply?

being constantly offside is a pet hate of mine. how hard can it be? fair enough he may not have been match sharp but it's a basic 'look along the line' check. how many times was he off?

I reckon it was around six or eight - probably about an even split between being badly offside, very marginally offside, and the linesman calling it wrong.

Kuyt was also offside quite a bit last night, and that's not something he normally does - tho he doesn't normally (or hasn't, anyway) play as far forward as he did last night.

I think it would probably be unfair to blame all of that on bad play from those Liverpool players, and not credit some of it to good defensive play by Braga. They got their tactics spot on for a 2-legged tie - they had few attacks in both matches, and instead set themselves up to frustrate a team that would attack them. Given the chances Liverpool had last night I'd say they were a little on the lucky side to get away with doing that, but they did and all credit to them.

[ampersand]

Tugger is defo spooky yeah.

Either that or hes f**king Sepp Blatter.

[Tugger2k]

seeing the semi draw though, maybe not. pretty sure he said it would be those 4 on one half of the draw, and barca on the other to leave a madrid v barca final but obviously that's not doable.

man utd, barca, inter, spurs for the semi's i think. something no right with that madrid team whenever i've watched them

[jump]

seeing the semi draw though, maybe not. pretty sure he said it would be those 4 on one half of the draw, and barca on the other to leave a madrid v barca final but obviously that's not doable.

man utd, barca, inter, spurs for the semi's i think. something no right with that madrid team whenever i've watched them

[Tugger2k]

oh, and VDV to stick it to the special one

brace for the dutch master at the santiago bernabeu

you heard it here 1st