The Real Football Thread

[Amsterhammer]

The Tim Howard goal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFskFNYyLBw

Ba is yet another in a long line of players not to fulfill their potential while playing for West Ham, only to go on and look s*** hot in another team (with an ex-Hammers manager).

 

[The Hitch]

I wonder whether Liverpool can bounce back after losing to City. Bad loss for Man U. Newcastle are starting to look very good as a team. I do not want them to sell Ba ( because they get rid of all their players and they could become in 2 or so years title contenders ).
Did anyone see Tim Howards' goal against Bolton???

Howard kicked the ball up the field off the ground from his own half and when it landed the ball took one hell of a bounce albeit very much wind assisted over the bolton keeper Adam Bogdam.

I think it might be a record of closest to their own corner flag anyone has ever scored from.

But Phil Jones own goal was also awesome. Anyone see it. He went with his head to get a ball that was about knee hight and end up kneeing it in past his own goal keeper.

Classic.

 

[Frosty]

Dont think this was the original commentary somehow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JimOmG6iQQ

Very poor, didnt seem to be looking at it at all. Guess its one of those that you try to head, it goes lower than you thought and you have to either try and head it anyway or let it go.

 

[craig1985]

What do people think of this http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/s...redicts-doomsday-for-football-finance?cc=3436 and the Financial Fair Play? I think the FFP is a load of crap because clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid already post massive losses, and for mine it will look rather dodgy if they suddenly announce their losses are within UEFA guidelines. It's all hot air because the aforementioned clubs knows Platini would never have the balls to prevent them from participating in the Champions Leagues because the moment it happens is the moment it goes to CAS and they go on a PR warfare that Platini could never recover from. Funny how Man City announce the losses that they have and suddenly when the FFP comes in, they will be fine.

 

[Amsterhammer]

.....but for me xavi tops them all. The amount of times he gets on the ball is frightening and he doesnt play square passes for the sake of it he is always looking to play the ball forward in a positive sense. I said to my friends last year he is the best centre midfielder i have seen in just over 20 years that i have watched football.

By coincidence, there was a Xavi love-in going on today in the Barcelona topic on another forum I frequent. All lovers of the game agree that he is absolutely stunning. His vision and his pass accuracy is unsurpassed, and then there's his ball skills! Very possibly the greatest pure mid-mid that I have seen too. One needs to be wary of making pointless comparisons with other greats with differing skills, but I'm almost prepared to call him unique. He is certainly the fulcrum of Barca at its best. When he's on form there really is no stopping them. An absolute joy to watch - see below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWSmEqHuQFk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i724t2X6jjs&feature=player_embedded

 

[the asian]

It was a horror own goal to concede from a united point of view but i have to say i do think jones will end up as one hell of a player though. I only wished that my club arsenal could of beaten united to that signing.

I recorded the barca cup match with osasuna and watched it after the united game. I thought xavi gave a masterclass in midfield. We have seen some great midfielders in the premiership over the years like keane, vieira, scholes, lampard and gerrard but for me xavi tops them all. The amount of times he gets on the ball is frightening and he doesnt play square passes for the sake of it he is always looking to play the ball forward in a positive sense. I said to my friends last year he is the best centre midfielder i have seen in just over 20 years that i have watched football.

Xavi is a different type of midfielder to all the midfielders you mentioned bar Scholes, even though they all play Center Midfield. He's a visionary midfield playmaker , ie the conducter of the side. Scholes is his English equivalent, though I' rate Xavi higher. The others you mentioned are much more industrious and hardworking. More like Box to Box midfileders. They have better defensive capabilities and will be very comfortable as one of 2 CM in a 4 man Midfield.

Xavi is ideal for a 3 man midfiled in the 4-3-3 Formation and he is the best I have seen in his role, ie the conducter in a 3 man midfield.

But not too sure you can say he is the best centre midfielder in the past 20 years.

Lorthar Matheus was a complete MF, but he played in the MF in the 80s.

Interesting to note that since the 90s we have more specialized CMs . Defensive MF like Makalele, Mascherano, Deep lying Play Makers like Xavi, Pirlo Box to Box like Vierra, Lampard, Ballack.

So pretty hard to judge who the Best CM is.

 

[the asian]

I wonder whether Liverpool can bounce back after losing to City. Bad loss for Man U. Newcastle are starting to look very good as a team. I do not want them to sell Ba ( because they get rid of all their players and they could become in 2 or so years title contenders ).
Did anyone see Tim Howards' goal against Bolton???

Hard too see them finishing top 4. They have lot of bad luck, hitting the woodwork most among the EPL teams. And when Gerrard returns, Suarez is banned for 8 months.
Top 6 is more feasible, with Newcastle finishing 7th.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Hard too see them finishing top 4. They have lot of bad luck, hitting the woodwork most among the EPL teams. And when Gerrard returns, Suarez is banned for 8 months.
Top 6 is more feasible, with Newcastle finishing 7th.

Eight games, not eight months.

 

[greenedge]

Xavi is ideal for a 3 man midfiled in the 4-3-3 Formation and he is the best I have seen in his role, ie the conducter in a 3 man midfield.

But not too sure you can say he is the best centre midfielder in the past 20 years.

Lorthar Matheus was a complete MF, but he played in the MF in the 80s.

Interesting to note that since the 90s we have more specialized CMs . Defensive MF like Makalele, Mascherano, Deep lying Play Makers like Xavi, Pirlo Box to Box like Vierra, Lampard, Ballack.

So pretty hard to judge who the Best CM is.

Ballack was the best box to box player out of all of those. Lampard is better defensively ( but took a back seat when Ballack was at Chelsea ) Pirlo is not as good now but used to be great. Iniesta is the best creative midfield player whilst Xavi is the purest Midfielder in the sense he controls the whole game ( in the centre of the pitch )

 

[The Hitch]

I hate to say it but Gerrard is the best midfield player of the last decade, or maybe Lampard 2004.

Hate to say it because when I was a chelse fan blinded by support for the team, I hated Gerrard loved Lampard and we always had heated arguments in school and maybe even got into a fight or 2 over it

Now I see they are both ****s ( Lampard for his conduct to a radio presenter, Gerrard for beating up some guy because he wanted the song changed), and I think about it without bias. I think Gerrard was one of the best ever.

Lampard was also really really special. Definately a better attacking midfielder than Gerrard, as good as anyone else in that discipline. Dude was scoring like 20 goals a season easy. Chelsea didnt even need to put the ball into the area. Merely giving it to Lamps on the edge of the box was like putting Messi through on a 1 on 1.

But Lampard, like xavier hernandez played well because he was on a great team. hernandez looks so much better playing in the best team in the world with Iniesta and Messi just in front.

Lampard was not on no Barcelona team but it was still a good enough team to provide him with opportunities to show of his talents.

Gerrard meanwhile never had a great team around him but was a hard man and an engine. He could shoot he could tackle he could dribble he could win headers, hold off players he could do it all. He carried the team.

Lampard 2004 where he came 2nd in the world just behind Ronaldinho, was better than Gerrard has ever been but not by much, and Gerrard has kept his top level for much longer.

When Liverpool needed to defend they put Gerrard in defense and when they needed to score they put him up front. And when they just needed to play football they put him in midfield and he would outpass out tackle and outshoot every player on the pitch.
Theres your best midfielder.

 

[The Hitch]

I remember graeme souness once said about keane when he scored the winner against his blacburn team that the sign of a great player is when he steps up to the plate when the goin gets tough and when the game is very tight and keane very much falls into this.

I see your blackburn and I raise you 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9-P2UF9JIg

And most importantly, this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXrkDeNxGcM

Both right at the end of the game, with Liverpool needing to score to stay in. Pool would have won nothing in the last decade without these 2 goals.

 

[palmerq]

best midfielder of the 2000s=ballack.... great player could do anything and still is an exceptional team player, it is no coincidence that frings played his best for germany next to ballack and lampard at chelsea too... Ballack is a top class player he could score goals, pass and defend and was a totally selfless player one of the best team players around he had/has no desire to be the centre of attention all he cares for is the team winning, see his yellow card v south korea in the 2002 world cup final...


well come to think of it ballack, lampard, gerrard or pirlo the best of the last 10 years was zidane he is legendary :S anyone who disagrees is mad.

 

[The Hitch]

Yes gerrard is great player and he came off the bench recently to enlighten the newcastle game and change the game with a great performance and great goal. He has come up with huge goals for liverpool.

But my point is can he do it with inferior players of limited ability like keane has with ireland. He not only has carried ireland with these players but done so aginst the likes of figo and rui costa against portugal and overmars, davids, van bommel and kluivert against holland. It widely recognised in ireland we wouldnt of qualified for the 2002 world cup without his influence. I dont think gerrard could do that in an average side like ireland had at the time.

And again you say liverpool wouldnt of won those two trophies without gerrard i will ask you would united of won the treble in 99 without keane.

Might be so. I dont remember much of Keane other than the goal against Juve and some own goal he scored in the Champions league and his peak was before my time in a way.

Ive never seen him play for Ireland so cant comment on that.

I do think though that Gerrard did play with a bit of a weak team at Liverpool a lot.

Not as weak as the guys Keane had to play, but he did it day in day out with a Liverpool team that would probably never have even made the top 5 without him.

 

[Gloin22]

Foy is ****ing worst referee on this planet ! WTF !!

 

[The Hitch]

Seems likeChris Hoy is going to get more abuse again today

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I hate both sides in this game, but that sending off really is a joke.

I remember Platini saying he would ban tackling, and it seems that slide tackles are now essentially banned.

Think I'll stick to rugby & cricket in future.

 

[The Hitch]

Game Over.

A shame, its been pretty boring, and its very rare that we get games on free tv.

Can Utd do a 6-1 on City.

 

[sublimit]

With all this debate about centre midfielders scholes is on the bench for united today in the FA cup game against city.

Zindine Zidane rated Scholes as one of his fave players I think.

For me he's the best midfielder of the last ten years despite being a useless tackler though.

 

[The Hitch]

If only UTD could get a red card now, it could be interesting.

 

[sublimit]

Kind of baffled why David Silva was substituted early second half. OK they then score 2 goals but they could do with him now.

 

[craig1985]

A big result for Espanyol by getting a point against a lackluster Barcelona in the derby, although they can consider themselves lucky as that was a blatant handball by Raúl Rodríguez in the Barcelona box in injury time. Funny thing is that Barcelona had over 65% possession and didn't put 4 or 5 goals past their Espanyol

 

[greenedge]

I hate to say it but Gerrard is the best midfield player of the last decade, or maybe Lampard 2004.

But Lampard, like xavier hernandez played well because he was on a great team. hernandez looks so much better playing in the best team in the world with Iniesta and Messi just in front.
Gerrard meanwhile never had a great team around him but was a hard man and an engine. He could shoot he could tackle he could dribble he could win headers, hold off players he could do it all. He carried the team.
When Liverpool needed to defend they put Gerrard in defense and when they needed to score they put him up front. And when they just needed to play football they put him in midfield and he would outpass out tackle and outshoot every player on the pitch.
Theres your best midfielder.

You make a good case for Gerrard but i still believe Ballack was better ( Zidane undoubtedly the best of course though ). The best winger would have to be Pires in my view ( in Wenger Invincibles )
I agree with you that Xavi sucked before Iniesta and Messi.

 

[the asian]

I disagree with this notion that xavi all of a sudden came good with the arrival of iniesta and messi. I remember him in an under 21 game for spain against england in 2001 and he ran the show for 90 mins. Also the 03/04 season himself and davids were excellent in the midfield and the 04/05 season as well. Look at this goal against real madrid in 2004. I remember his performance was excellent in this game and iniesta and messi werent playing either.


http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/xavi-hernandez-real-madrid-v-barcelona-april-2004/

As well he ran rings around lampard in a game for spain against england. Jose mourinho once said before a last 16 tie in the champions league between chelsea and barcelona back in 2005 that xavi was barca"s most important player and mourinho would know since he was a coach there when van gaal was the manager. Iniesta only really came to the fore in the backend of the 05/06 but xavi was a top class player before that.

Agree. Xavi was classy even before 2006, but beacuse of Ronaldinho & Deco he didn't stand out more often.

 

[Amsterhammer]

No surprise at all to see Messi complete his hat-trick of Ballons d'Or, or golden balls.

I would have been just as happy to see Xavi take it because Leo will win another three or four before he's done.

I was suprised to see the goal of the year go to Neimar, I thought Rooney would get it for the overhead.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Martin keown getting hit on the head.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13QSXwcgTko&feature=youtu.be