Soccer Thread 2009-10

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

Maybe they can include Fernando Torres in the next iteration of that cartoon.

Nah, he'll be out with a bum ankle.

[Big Fo]

Clint Dempsey to Milan? That would be interesting. Of course 90% of the possible transfers that get printed this time year never happen...

AC Milan interested in Dempsey

Another one that I'll believe when I see it, Bob Bradley has been linked with the Fulham job alongside Mark Hughes and Sven Goran Eriksson. But it is the Daily Mail.

Sven Goran Eriksson heads Fulham shortlist to replace Roy Hodgson

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Another one that I'll believe when I see it, Bob Bradley has been linked with the Fulham job

Then I guess we better start up the Ricardo Clark and Robbie Findley to Fulham rumors.

[Wolfpack]

Having watched a few of the MLS matches and seeing the contrast with the World Cup, the one big thing I've noticed is that fouling (at least called fouls) seems much less than at the World Cup. It was a more physical game, but the players played through a lot more than WC players and the referee doesn't halt action nearly as much. There were lots of times that a player went to ground for whatever reason and I expected a whistle to come, but usually it didn't. I actually found it (for all the sloppy play at that level) rather entertaining to watch because it wasn't so disrupted by begging for calls, sniper shots ringing out, or any of the other BS that goes on.

Does this make any sense? I'll admit to not watching soccer on a game-by-game basis, though I do have more than passing knowledge of the better teams and players.

[Big Fo]

The players do get away with more physical play in MLS. Sometimes I think it might be part of why we get so many bookings at international level (with so many of the national team guys playing in or beginning their careers in MLS).

[BishopMVP]

American players and referees really do have a more physical, less dramatic style than the southern European or Latin nations, and our games tend to be based more on pace and less on first touch/controlling the ball. Probably because until recently the largest influences have been English and to a lesser extent German, and both those countries are also real physical at every level below the Premiership/Bundesliga (top level) where foreign players are more prevalent. It'll be interesting to see if our style changes at all with the increasing number of hispanic-american players on our national teams and in MLS.

[GoldenEagle]

I see that Barcelona may be in some financial hot water. It is only a matter of time before one of these big clubs collapse.

[sovereignstar]

So Noel Gallagher (from Oasis and big City fan) was on the radio this morning and mentioned that he had just got done having lunch with Garry Cook (City Chief Exec) in South Africa this afternoon. Shared some interesting stuff including:

*Edited as I just got the actual quotes:

Noel: The revelations that you lot are going to be hearing in the next months are gonna blow your mind, but I can't say anything.

Talksport: What? With regards to new names coming to Eastlands?

Noel: Players coming and going and where they're going to and where they're coming from.

The biggest signing I could imagine is Fernando Torres. Maybe it's Zlatan though.