football: the beautiful game

[readytoignite]

germans through on penalties? are you crazy?

the only thing that ricardo is really good at is defending penalty kicks.

whatever dude... did anyone else here have the stones to call the germans through? I THINK NOT

[beast]

Milan have revealed they only want Adebayor, hmmn a bit odd. Do you think he has massive potential?

Hey, at least its better than relying on old strikers like Ronaldo, Sheva and Drogba.

Manny is a diamond in the rough that even caught Fergie's eye.

Kudo to Wenger for spotting talent. They may not win anything with his young turks but they will be the next West Ham, the feeder academy for the world's top clubs.

[Harry Sledge]

http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=743813

This article more than any other seems very real & it's unrealistic to think it's false because it reeks of the train of thought & preperation a player has when he wants to leave his club. I understand Man Utd's big club stance & not wanting to give in to Real Madrid, but until the rules are changed players have the most important say. So instead of letting Ronaldo ruin/delay our summer transfer plans (can Fergie's pride hack it though?) we should take the apparent £65m fee & use it to move on & sign a right-back, a winger & striker. This would mean barely if any spending of funds previously set aside.

Ronaldo himself I feel is moving a year or 2 early, he had been a leading figure in the latest Man Utd team quest to dominate but has chosen to sign for the team he dreams about. Quite surprised he's thrown away his chance of being a Man Utd legend, not many players get the chance to achieve that sort of status for a big club.

I'll watch him at Real because he is a top top player, but with all that goes on at Madrid, the constant manager sacking, terrible defence & the anti-galactico look of the team, I can't help feeling he's gonna find it extremely hard to live up to a giant price tag & produce his form of the last 2yrs.

[beast]

http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=743813

I'll watch him at Real because he is a top top player, but with all that goes on at Madrid, the constant manager sacking, terrible defence & the anti-galactico look of the team, I can't help feeling he's gonna find it extremely hard to live up to a giant price tag & produce his form of the last 2yrs.

I have a feeling he will go. If Real is paying him 200,000 pounds a week, he will be mad if he doesn't go. If he scores 20 goals a season, it will be a great start but how will he fit in? Ruud didnt like him from Man U, Raul is top dog and Snejder is a rising star on his own right. Dont talk about Robinho cos he will probably go the other way.

But Fergie will be freaking livid if Ronnie does go.

[fatchino]

whatever dude... did anyone else here have the stones to call the germans through? I THINK NOT

Tis where my cash has rested since the start ... they were 5-1 on after all.

[Guest n1cx0]

is anyone watching the turkey vs croatia game. this game's nuts.

[Magsåvningsreserven]

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHYYYYYYYYY?!?!?1/1/1!?

*ah shiiiitt, every team i decide to support lose at penalties ffs, gaaah

modric was splendid, and Croatia were better the whole match - Turkey are so flukey it's unreal

[Biff15]

is anyone watching the turkey vs croatia game. this game's nuts.

...Turkey's pulled another one out of its ass... amazing how cruel football can be...

one minute the Croats looked to be in... the next, they're out of the tourney...

ridiculous...

curious to see what kind of team they'll field in the semis after all the injuries...

[Magsåvningsreserven]

te whistle should have gone ffs, there was no stoppage

the ref is a complete and total tosspot, stopping all the time - but when he was meant to he carried on!!!

i'm so bitter right now, i really got into it!

[LaiShin]

Surely, this isn't the round of the underdogs? Croatia played so well in the 90 min. It's a shame that Olic couldn't find the net even if his life depended on it.

btw, aren't the yellows canceled after group stage? Why is a couple of Turkish players poised to miss next match?

[readytoignite]

they extended the first round yellow card accumulation to the quarters as well.

mag, at least modric made it through the tourney without getting injured.... but was it the curse of wembley that came to haunt the croats?

[polishmike]

i was walking to rag & bone sale today and saw henry sitting on the loading dock behind the spice market. he was wearing shorts and smoking with bunch of french waiters. i guess nobody told him that meatpacking sucks dick.

[wisie]

Does anyone play Hattrick?

[78]

fuck at this rate everty team I do fancy ain't making it... bye bye Holland (this can't happen can it??) n' Spain...... so pissed that Croatia didn't make it.

[fatchino]

Does anyone else think Croatia are a well managed, tactically well drilled, decent but slightly over rated team that happened to beat an over rated england team and were suddenly hailed as the great hope of providing upset after upset from the east?

Just a thought.

[readytoignite]

errr, they beat england twice and caned germany? i wouldn't have ever expected them to make it past the semis although in general it's the well managed and disciplined sides that win tournaments (unless you're brazil, sorta).

[LaiShin]

man, u've gotta watch some Croatia's games to see how good they really are. Their crosses are pin-point. Slick 1-2 touches. Great overlapping play. Their defence was their vulnerable point in qualifiers and friendlies. But even that has improved. What more can u ask from a team that was deemed 'lucky' to get to Euro.

[78]

Yep LaiShin was spot on.

These guy's were not a joke. For team that lacked any superstars they were fuckin killer... and man did they show heart/spirit/whateverthefuckyouwannacallit

Now to watch Holland obliterate.

[fatchino]

man, u've gotta watch some Croatia's games to see how good they really are. Their crosses are pin-point. Slick 1-2 touches. Great overlapping play. Their defence was their vulnerable point in qualifiers and friendlies. But even that has improved. What more can u ask from a team that was deemed 'lucky' to get to Euro.

I don't knw if anyone thought they were lucky to get to the finals. They topped their group and had qualified before the last round of matches ... russia needed they're help to qualify when croatia beat england.

As for beating england making them a top side ... the sum of their parts never equals the quality they are supposedly capable of. Now all of a sudden Gareth Barry is a £15 million midfielder, what the fuck!??

[cJajce]

the Orange just got peeled and what does this tell everyone, dont believe the hype. but dont worry because El Rojo will take care of biz tom against the Azzurri

[Leumas]

Cannot believe it.

I could have bet the house that Holland was going to win he whole thing before the tournament even started and my 1st child when they won the group. Hats off to Russia, they have improved by leaps and bounds since 2002 when they lost to Japan. Holland always and only have themselves to blame. In my opinion they are the best team in Europe. I honestly think if Seedorf was playing things would have been different.

All I pray know is that those Italian twats dont win. Cant bear to see them chatting shit down here. 90% of them only watch football when every two years.

[Kasper]

Cannot believe it.

I could have bet the house that Holland was going to win he whole thing before the tournament even started and my 1st child when they won the group. Hats off to Russia, they have improved by leaps and bounds since 2002 when they lost to Japan. Holland always and only have themselves to blame. In my opinion they are the best team in Europe. I honestly think if Seedorf was playing things would have been different.

All I pray know is that those Italian twats dont win. Cant bear to see them chatting shit down here. 90% of them only watch football when every two years.

i'm shocked as well, especially after such a strong group stage, the tournament's was holland's to take....

i'm praying with all my heart that spain beat italy and we get a germany-spain final. i was in lisbon 4 years ago and haven't fully recovered yet from the shock of the greeks winning, can't let that happen again...

[Biff15]

i'm shocked as well, especially after such a strong group stage, the tournament's was holland's to take....

...much respect to Guus Hiddink... Seemed like the Oranje couldn't get past Russia's defense when it counted...

Cryin' shame... They were who I picked to win it all...

[fatchino]

i was in lisbon 4 years ago and haven't fully recovered yet from the shock of the greeks winning, can't let that happen again...

don't worry they're out.

[78]

stunning victory for Guus.

The guy just jumped to the top of the manager ladder with that victory.

Holland easily played their worst game of the tournament... and they still created chances... I honestly felt that the two teams were pretty even till that first goal... there everytime either team got within the penalty area you thought a goal could come outta nowhere...

Guus spanked van Basten. SPAAAAAAAAAAAANKED! And he loved doing it!

[Egpt]

i'm shocked as well, especially after such a strong group stage, the tournament's was holland's to take....

i'm praying with all my heart that spain beat italy and we get a germany-spain final. i was in lisbon 4 years ago and haven't fully recovered yet from the shock of the greeks winning, can't let that happen again...

ahaha, you were in the stadium to watch the final too?

man, that was the only time i ever felt like crying about football in my life. being there and watching that small lower right wing of the stadium making more noise than 50 000 portuguese was heartbreaking

[Leumas]

stunning victory for Guus.

The guy just jumped to the top of the manager ladder with that victory.

I wouldn't go that far just yet. I think he would have to win some more cups on a club level to even put in Top 5 managing right now, he would be farther when including managers who dont managed anymore and even farther down the list with manager who are dead.

He has done some wonderful things in World Cup/Euro Cup tournaments, but does anyone remember Real Madrid? or Real Betis? If he wins the Euro Cup with Russia it will definatly put him Top 5 but not the best.

I think Top manager in the world is Alex Ferguson and thats not because im a Man Utd fan. 1 more Champions League Cup would put him undeniably in the Top 3 ever.

[Egpt]

I think Top manager in the world is Alex Ferguson and thats not because im a Man Utd fan. 1 more Champions League Cup would put him undeniably in the Top 3 ever.

nah, Mourinho is a powerhouse

[plongin]

mourinho was given all the cash in the world at chelsea. he's good, but I wouldn't call him a powerhouse just yet. ferguson and wenger are by far better managers for their track record.

guus hiddink and scolari are definitely awesome international coaches, their track records are crazy. look what hiddink did with korea and australia before russia. incredible stuff.

speaking of which, i wanna see a russia and turkey final.

[Egpt]

mourinho was given all the cash in the world at chelsea. he's good, but I wouldn't call him a powerhouse just yet. ferguson and wenger are by far better managers for their track record.

he was given all the cash and didn't have freedom in coaching his team, hence he left.

what about what he did in Oporto? was he also given all the cash there?

seriously, mourinho is easily the best coach in the world in this time, don't act like ferguson can't get any player he wants in Man Utd too