General Football Discussion

[SE6Ajacied]

If you want to kill a few minutes, here's a nice YouTube compilation of goals.

The twist....it's the passing that creates the goal....

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ortWLYEYnM

:xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs:

Good little selection that - and almost as interesting as watching them I thought was seeing the massive variety of sources that they came from....Eurosport, Fox Sports (USA), PSV.TV, Japanese TV. I wish I had the type of job that allowed me the time and energy to download that lot........

Intersting TV concept btw, it looked like Japanse TV with the players names displayed on screen over the players. I think perhaps it would only work in Japanese Writing Characters though as van Nistelroy or Venegoor etc would take up most of the screen

[Cedric]

Well, I didn't see Ajax, except when they looked like clowns againt Inter (not sure). Disappointing :D

[dws]

Well, I didn't see Ajax, except when they looked like clowns againt Inter (not sure). Disappointing :D

Crespo scoring in the group stages of Champions league 2002/03.

[Frans]

It showed.... 5-0 Venezuelan win :yes:

I had the chance to interview Ricki Herbert befoe the game ;) nice lad very open to the press.

Too bad for the All Whites, two games lost with an overall result of 9-0 (costa rica 4-0 and Venezuela 5-0) :nooo:

yeah, that was some nostradamus-like predicting there. ;)
Didn't see the game, but by all accounts NZ were never in it, as the scoreline suggests. Well done to Venezuela. :xyxthumbs:

Sadly for the All Whites it looks like they're going backwards after some good results in europe last year.

You can look on the bright side my friend ;) the All Whites under 17 team is going to the World Cup :yes: so at least their is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Hahaha, yeah, it sounds good doesn't it? Then you realise they only had to beat Fiji, Tahiti and New Caledonia to qualify. Ever since Australia moved to Asia, qualification has become a joke. Last time NZ qualified for the U-17's (excluding when NZ hosted) they shipped something like 22 goals in 3 games, including i think a 13-0 loss to spain. Same thing will happen this time round.

[SPL]

The current edition of the magazine fourfour two has avery good article on the Ajax Fword rivalry plus an insight into the recent game.

[Blind3]

Thanks SPL. Always looking for a good read. Ajax-F'word sure fits that bill.

[Manneken Pis]

Here we go again....

Top clubs in secret talks over European super league


Matt Scott
Monday April 2, 2007
The Guardian


Secret talks have taken place between Europe's leading football clubs and Brussels politicians that could lead to a breakaway super league. Sources involved in the discussions, held at the PSV Eindhoven-Arsenal Champions League match in February, state that a breakaway is the "ultimate threat" that could be exercised if Uefa and Fifa "run wild" in their governance of the game.
The talks were prompted by clubs' concerns over the findings of the Independent European Sport Review, a report commissioned by the sports minister, Richard Caborn, during the UK's presidency of the European Union last year. The review set in train a process that will come to an end when the commissioner Jan Figel, who attended the Eindhoven meeting, delivers a white paper for sport to the European Commission later this year.

Among the politicians present were Toine Manders, a Dutch MEP who is a long-standing advocate of free-market principles for football, and Ivo Belet, the Belgian MEP who drafted the European parliament's input into the white paper. Speaking on the BBC Parliament channel's Record Europe, Belet said: "We could have in five or 10 years a European Union super league; combined with collective selling of television rights that would be the perfect solution."
Manders explained on the same programme: "If we have a real internal market for the economic activities of professional football clubs, at the end you can have an EU league. If you have an internal market, that is feasible."

It is not known exactly what form such a league would take. However, the Guardian revealed 12 months ago a G14 strategy document drawing up a mechanism for a breakaway. That "Vision Europe" document envisaged "a detachment of the top professional level from all remaining levels underneath, if this was agreed upon by the clubs".

Those clubs would, according to that blueprint, then seek to run their own competition. This could effectively mean that the top clubs in each country would no longer compete in their home leagues.

For now there remains a strong commitment among the clubs to the Champions League and to domestic football. However, they are seeking to retain control over their own commercial activities and feel the politicians who joined them in Eindhoven have been sympathetic to their position.

One insider present at the talks said that the politicians were "particularly comfortable with having people around the table who their work will directly affect".

There is real concern about the independent sport review's demands for players to be released for international football without entitlement to compensation, the rule that suggests clubs would have to field a majority of home-grown players and a clause demanding collective selling of television rights and the sharing of revenue with smaller clubs.

This final issue will be analysed by Figel and the EC in their white-paper deliberations. Although in England the Premiership rights are sold collectively already, in many countries where clubs sell TV rights individually there is strong opposition. Milan earn more than £85m a year from their television deal while Real Madrid's seven-year deal with Mediapro, coming on stream from 2008-9, is worth about £110m each year. Moves to force them to share that cash could precipitate the exercise of their "ultimate threat" of a breakaway.

[DanK]

Wondering if any of my American buddies know anything about this guy (Michael Enfield from Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy):
http://theworldgame.com.au/home/index.p ... &cid=86128

He's just been signed for Sydney FC (boo-hiss) in the A-League. Apparently he's a 23-year-old former USA U-18 and U-20 international.

No biggy, just wanted the heads up on our opposition for the new season ;)

[ZoefdeHaas]

Man this year there's lots of excitment for the title:

England: Man Utd, Chelsea

Germany: Schalke, Bayern, Werder

Spain: Barcelona, Sevilla, Real Madrid

Holland: Ajax, PSV, AZ

This is what real football excitment is all about. I hope such excitment can continue other years (and other places-*HINT* FRANCE)

[Cedric]

Man this year there's lots of excitment for the title:
This is what real football excitment is all about. I hope such excitment can continue other years (and other places-*HINT* FRANCE)

You can watch here an interesting ranking of that "great" championship... It sums up all. :pukey:

[SE6Ajacied]

You can watch here an interesting ranking of that "great" championship... It sums up all. :pukey:

Well I watch Marseille v Lille last night and the referee certainly managed to liven that one up. One penalty each, neither of which were clear-cut, a sending off that wasn't and denied Marseille what looked like four other clear-cut penalty shouts......they still won 4-1 though.

[aveslacker]

Wondering if any of my American buddies know anything about this guy (Michael Enfield from Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy):
http://theworldgame.com.au/home/index.p ... &cid=86128

He's just been signed for Sydney FC (boo-hiss) in the A-League. Apparently he's a 23-year-old former USA U-18 and U-20 international.

No biggy, just wanted the heads up on our opposition for the new season ;)

From what I've read, he came from a great college program (UCLA) and the US youth setup, but never really caught on with the Gals. Apparently he's got a bit of skill and pace about him but is quite small.

Hope he does well in Oz.

FWIW I think there's one other Yank in Oz, a guy named Bruce Djite who is a dual US - Australian national and seems to be more inclined to play for Australia if chosen. Don't know if he'd get picked for Australia, but I don't think he'd ever get called up by the US.

[DanK]

...
FWIW I think there's one other Yank in Oz, a guy named Bruce Djite who is a dual US - Australian national and seems to be more inclined to play for Australia if chosen. Don't know if he'd get picked for Australia, but I don't think he'd ever get called up by the US.

Thanks Aves.

re: Djite. He's now actually an Australia youth international and has some real raw talent. If he develops well, he has a good future. He's still only 20 so time will tell i guess. He's just resigned with Adelaide Utd for a year (or two?) after being targeted by Melbourne for the coming season.

I would say, as with most of our talent, he will head to Europe in a few years. At least now some of our "lost" talent end up playing in senior leagues around Europe instead of just heading to England Champ Division or 2nd division even. FC Nürnberg currently have 5 Aussie's on the books. Whats up with that? Do they sell Australian beer there or something? ;)

[Over Pasanens Head]

Well the push for Europe is still on for good old Braintree Town. After a 3 game wobble they chose the return derby match to come back on form and carry this form into yesterday. They are now back in the playoff positions for promotion to the Conference (1 division below the football league) :eusa_dance:

If I was you Menno, and Micha I would ditch those Bishop Stortford t-shirts and pledge your allegiance to the great Iron.

[SPL]

OPH A year ago Worthing were challenging Braintree for a playoff place.
You are looking to go up to Conference (League Level 5) we have just been
relegated and will be in Level 8 next season.We do have a very good youth system but the better ones will leave.

Good luck for the rest of the season.

[saddlerian]

[quote="Over Pasanens Head"]Well the push for Europe is still on for good old Braintree Town. They are now back in the playoff positions for promotion to the Conference (1 division below the football league) :eusa_dance:
quote]

:headbang: :headbang:
Roll on 2012, I say! Pity that Ajax fans in Holland will have to travel abroad to see them play against the mighty Braintree in the Champions League!! we can go just down the road! When's the new stadium being built Bill, or is it part of the Olympic "present" to North London?

:xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs:

[Over Pasanens Head]

OPH A year ago Worthing were challenging Braintree for a playoff place.
You are looking to go up to Conference (League Level 5) we have just been
relegated and will be in Level 8 next season.We do have a very good youth system but the better ones will leave.

Good luck for the rest of the season.

Thanks SPL, its still going to be tough as they just don't score enough goals since Revell left to join Brighton but you just never know. But what the heck has happened to Worthing this year as last season they looked a very strong side when they played at Cressing Road?

As to moving into the Olympic Stadium in 2012, Mr SadlerIan I reckon that they might just follow another teams example of maybe playing the big games there but playing the rest of the games where their soul is in a nice small compact ground in deepest Essex.

[Manneken Pis]

UEFA have anounced that the Euro 2012 will be held in Poland and Ukraine (and not the heavy favourite candidate; Italy).

I think this is great news, support for a non major football country's development (no insult intended)....and finally someone someone's shown the Italians the middle finger....

[Van basten]

yeah, thats great news! :xyxthumbs: we are neighbour states with Poland so i hope i finally will see EC!!! :headbang:

[ZoefdeHaas]

at least this means i can get eastern european chix :D

[Philippe]

UEFA have anounced that the Euro 2012 will be held in Poland and Ukraine (and not the heavy favourite candidate; Italy).

I think this is great news, support for a non major football country's development (no insult intended)....and finally someone someone's shown the Italians the middle finger....

very good news :xyxthumbs:

[Kowalczyk]

Nice one. Any idea which grounds will be used? Four in each country, just like Holland and Belgium at the time?

K.

[Kowalczyk]

Nice one. Any idea which grounds will be used? Four in each country, just like Holland and Belgium at the time?

Right... I just found the answer to my own question. This is from UEFA.com:

"The projected Polish locations are Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw and Wroclaw, with Chorzow and Krakow in reserve. Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kiev and Lvov are the proposed host cities in Ukraine with Odessa a reserve city and the Olympic Stadium in Donetsk a reserve stadium."

Quite surprising that Krakow is not one of the Polish cities. I believe it's Poland's second city in size, and Wisla Krakow is a major club... I Would have expected that to be one of the four featured grounds.

No surprises in Ukraine, except that I have never heard of Lvov.

K.

[AsgAarD_xxx]

Quite surprising that Krakow is not one of the Polish cities. I believe it's Poland's second city in size, and Wisla Krakow is a major club... I Would have expected that to be one of the four featured grounds.


K.

Welcome back after a few weeks.

I am extremely happy that Poland and Ukraine will ogranise Euro 2012 :eusa_dance: . I will never forget Marcello Lippi's face after the verdict :).

As for the Kraków - unofficial news say it was a political connections why this city won't be one of the polish cities... I don't really believe in that. We had a special commission, which said that Kraków's project was much worse than the other ones - in football infrastructure and touristic aspects (commission said that everyone saw this city, so it won't be as interesting as the cities which are not so much known).
Besides the other stadiums seem to be better than new ground in Kraków...

No surprises in Ukraine, except that I have never heard of Lvov.

Hehe you must have slept on these history lessons ;).
Lvov is one of the most beautiful and most known cities in Ukraine. Besides it was polish city before the World War II (Pogoń Lwów was one of the best clubs in polish first division before the war), so it could be one of the symbols of polish and ukrainian 'football friendship'.

-------------------------------------

Here you've got some pictures of stadium projects:

Baltic Arena


Stadion Miejski (Poznań)


National Stadium (Warsaw)


Except the stadium in Poznań, every polish stadiums will be build from nothing, but I hope it will be all OK and UEFA will not have to change their verdict a few days before Euro 2012 ;).

[jamcocteau]

A wee clip of Messi"s goal other night in spanish cup.

Superb, very reminiscent of wee Diegos goal in 86 World Cup against Ingerlaaand

http://www.talkfootie.co.uk/showthread. ... 8#post7578