Football 2011-2012

[pink_triangle]

I certainly think it'll be a South American side winning. The effect of the conditions will be huge - I imagine only Germany of the big European teams will prepare properly. I think Uruguay will probably be tipped more than Argentina.

[thetime]

I certainly think it'll be a South American side winning. The effect of the conditions will be huge - I imagine only Germany of the big European teams will prepare properly. I think Uruguay will probably be tipped more than Argentina.

[kaosmark2]

Incredibly tense penalty shootout. Excellently struck pens all of them, including by Drogba after his two misses.

Edit:

Wow. Great tournament, great end. Probably *just* deserved.

Not surprised by Gervinho's miss, a striker not stepping up until the 9th pen by his team says no confidence. I wonder whether that will haunt him when he returns for Arsenal.

Edited February 12, 2012 by kaosmark2

[pink_triangle]

Really happy for zambia, one of those great fairytales that happen in football every so often. Think it could have ruined the career of the young zambian lad who missed if they had then lost, however gervinio and toure will recover.

[kaosmark2]

Really happy for zambia, one of those great fairytales that happen in football every so often. Think it could have ruined the career of the young zambian lad who missed if they had then lost, however gervinio and toure will recover.

[strummer77]

So pleased for Zambia. Wonderful to see.

Shame Rooney's being a dick about it on twitter mind.

[kaosmark2]

So pleased for Zambia. Wonderful to see.

Shame Rooney's being a dick about it on twitter mind.

[strummer77]

What's he said?

Edited February 12, 2012 by strummer77

[kaosmark2]

Ah, he's being an idiotic twat again.

Edited February 12, 2012 by kaosmark2

[Ed209]

Yeah right. At least they've made it to an international final, Wayne.

Prick

[lharris92]

looks like spurs have their new manager lined up for when 'Arry decides to take the England job...

good luck to them!

Edited February 13, 2012 by lharris92

[pink_triangle]

Just a bit stupid really. No need to say it in public!

From Rooney:

@tomclevz23 @rioferdy5 zzzzzzzzzzz pga golf is on. Come on boys. Funny that 2 toures was there all the way and lost. Haha

Edited February 13, 2012 by pink_triangle

[pink_triangle]

Starting to hear the media go about ott about joe hart talking about how he is comfortably the best in the premiership and querying if he is the best in the world.

Regarding the premiership there are a few keepers pretty close. Take friedel for example, he has made no more mistakes than hart this year. He may not be as flashy but should he be punished because he makes goalkeeping look easy.

As for worldwide its impossible to make a judgement yet. A world class keeper is judged on big game performances and Hart hasnt yet played in enough big champions league/interntaional games to see how he reacts under that pressure. He undoubtedly is one of the best in the league and has potential but think the hype may be going a little far.

[strummer77]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...otball/17007319

Another player that is clearly bigger than the club he plays for... They can't get the valuation they want for him so its ok, come back and play....

Its sad to see....

[The Nal]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...otball/17007319

Another player that is clearly bigger than the club he plays for... They can't get the valuation they want for him so its ok, come back and play....

Its sad to see....

[eFestivals]

How can they ? Kenny said he did nothing wrong... Where can they go from that ?

Its mad!

Suarez should have shook hands, to put the whole thing to bed. Worse still, he said he would but then didn't.

But he did nothing wrong by not shaking hands, if his version of the 'racist' incident is true (and I defy anyone to prove it's not - not that I believe Suarez myself of having no guilt). It is not any absolute requirement, and he's entitled to swerve it if he wishes. The fact that the FA cancelled the handshake recently gets to show that not shaking hands is not a disciplinary offence.

Outside of not shaking hands, Suarez's behaviour was nothing different to 99% of footballers 99% of the time during that match. He did nothing out of order except express frustrations at decisions he thought werte wrong (which all footballers do all the time).

If anyone "could have caused a riot" it was Evra. He went against what he's told his club no less than Suarez did (unless you think he acted with dignity? ), but added to that with inflamatory actions.

Dalglish's bad comments were the result of being misled by Suarez. In hindsight against that - and with Evra's actions in the consideration - he did little wrong (but could have handled it far better).

fergie is a joke. The man who kept playing Cantona felt Evra's actions were beyond reproach and that he's a right to say who can play or not for other clubs.

The only good things from Utd around that match were their on-pitch performance, the comments of people like Rooney, and yesterday's statement following the various statements from within Liverpool FC. That statement was highly commendable.

I very much hope that both clubs have learnt a lesson. But I doubt it - both will no doubt continue to mindlessly defend their own.

[pink_triangle]

When did the whole concept of handshakes actually start? Its funny football managed to survive fine for years without them. I remember seeing highlights on sky of a wales v england game with the 1980s, the lack of handshake didnt seem to have a detrimental effect on the game. In fact when wales kicked the ball out of play, the english players would run to get the ball and vice versa if they were closer! The idea of the handshake isnt a bad one, but if we get this continuous discussion on who will shake hands with who, you almost wonder if its worth the bother.

[The Nal]

The man who kept playing Cantona felt Evra's actions were beyond reproach and that he's a right to say who can play or not for other clubs.

Edited February 13, 2012 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

Did he? Did he keep playing him? Or did he ban him for four months? In a season when Utd were going for the double.

He banned him for 4 months knowing that the FA would ban him for longer. What he did there - rightly - was take a bit of heat out of the initial situation.

And then welcomed him back into the team, rather than finding him a 'disgrace' that shouldn't play for the club.

And how is that comparable to being found guilty of racially abusing someone and then not shaking their hand?

he was found guilty 'on the balance of probabilities', nothing was 'proven'.

That's a very important part. Suarez might not be guilty* - only he and Evra really know the truth.

(* I think he probably is, but I also think the truth is probably somewhere between the two versions. But what I think isn't the point of what I'm saying).

The point is that someone who is innocent should not have to admit their guilt against the truth of things. If they did, the likes of the Guildford four would still be banged up.

If Suarez has been stitched up by Evra (which is not impossible) then why the fuck should he shake Evra's hand? That would just be stupid. The innocent should not have to pretend that they're guilty.

So I think that anyone has the right to not offer a handshake, if there's good reason to not do it.

Suarez was 100% wrong in saying he'd do it and then not do it. That part is inexcusable, but only that part.

Nonsense arguement. Digging up a non related incident from 20 years ago to somehow invalidate Fergies point.

All I was doing was pointing out that with Cantona he's done all he condemns with Suarez.

For the record, theres a good few LFC fans who agree 100% with Fergie.

yep, there's a lot of stupid people about everywhere.

It wasn't. It was dictated, or written almost entirely, by the PR guys at Fenway Sports and LFC were told to put it out. Suarez and Daglish had little to do with writing or releasing their statements. Thats what bad press in the New York Times will do to American owners!

You've misunderstood. I was saying that Utd's statement in return of the 3 LFC's ones was highly commendable.

While the words from within Liverpool were (finally!) the right words, if they've really had to have been driven by Fenway then there's defo something very wrong within Liverpool. The fact that Suarez said he'd shake and misled the club with that should have brought about the same actions and statements from within LFC without Fenway's prompting.

[Jaybles]

If anyone "could have caused a riot" it was Evra. He went against what he's told his club no less than Suarez did (unless you think he acted with dignity? ), but added to that with inflamatory actions.

[lost]

Mirror suggesting Suarez will be out at the end of the season. The New York Times ran an article at the weekend criticising Fenway Sports group for not clamping down sooner which the telegraph claims is the reason the owners forced the appology.

[eFestivals]

Neil sticks up for Suarez saying nothing was proven...

Great form right there...

I was sticking up the right of any innocent party to act on the basis of their innocence, nothing more. If you've not grasped that then you're mighty stupid.

So please do tell me what is bad for about that? Or would you happily accept a conviction of yourself as a kiddie fiddler if you'd never been near a child?

[eFestivals]

The defence from Dalgleish is laughable... It was clearly going to be a big issue and should of caught any managers attention... I wonder what he was doing what was more important at that moment...

concentrating on a football match, just perhaps?

Suarez had told him there wouldn't be an issue, so presumably he took that at face value.

I don't think he can be blamed for that, all the blame is Suarez's.

Having said that, it was naive of him to take it at face value.

[eFestivals]

Mirror suggesting Suarez will be out at the end of the season. The New York Times ran an article at the weekend criticising Fenway Sports group for not clamping down sooner which the telegraph claims is the reason the owners forced the appology.

Did Fenway actually force the apologies? I know it's been presumed that they did, and it's not an unreasonable presumption, but is there anything factual behind that?

Suarez appears to have said he'd shake. If he'd said that and then didn't, then I'd have thought the club would have followed up on that without the need of prompting from elsewhere - that's a more reasonable presumption I reckon than Fenway needing to force that to happen.

(that of course doesn't discount Fenway getting involved to see if it was going to happen like that).

[The Nal]

He banned him for 4 months knowing that the FA would ban him for longer. What he did there - rightly - was take a bit of heat out of the initial situation.

And then welcomed him back into the team, rather than finding him a 'disgrace' that shouldn't play for the club.

Edited February 13, 2012 by The Nal