The football thread!

Mutsumi said:
If I craft an interesting philosophical question out of the context of footballing current events, it is as worthy of being here as any other post; it fulfils all the criteria for being on-topic and sensible.
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No, like ayase, said, you are deliberately being antagonistic. This thread isn't your soapbox. It's a place for casual discussion about football. Either live with it, or just find something better to do.
 
MaxonTreik said:
Mutsumi said:
If I craft an interesting philosophical question out of the context of footballing current events, it is as worthy of being here as any other post; it fulfils all the criteria for being on-topic and sensible.
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No, like ayase, said, you are deliberately being antagonistic. This thread isn't your soapbox. It's a place for casual discussion about football. Either live with it, or just find something better to do.
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And I am casually discussing something about football. It is you who is being antagonistic; just go with the flow, let the conversation run it's course. Better yet, answer one of my questions. I forgive you for frequently being antagonistic towards me in this thread, but lets give it a rest, ok? We can converse pleasantly here, can't we?

So, Maxon, why do you support the team you support? What drew you to them originally, and what keeps you supporting them today?
 
May I suggest two threads: leaving this one as a dedicated football fans thread (for discussion of matches and teams etc) and then making a separate football 101 thread for people who don't follow the sport but are curious about the whole thing?

R
 
My interest is not great enough to warrant a separate thread, nor would my questions be answered were it so. If my current questions are well enough, I'll not need to ask more. Besides, my questions are relevant and on-topic; no harm has been done.
 
Flicking between the germany denmark and the portugal holland games at the moment. Really tense at the moment. By the way have heard rumors that spurs are talking to the last barcelona manager! i will belive it when i see it.....
 
Mutsumi didn't said:
With [football] there are some simple answers; one might feel that way about a [football club] because they are a citizen of [the area the club is located in] and they feel a bond with it for that reason, or they believe that their [football club] is superior to others. Brand loyalty [to a football club] is often due to the way it is marketed, in how it makes the [fan] associate it with [competent and popular sports personalities]; you buy into the illusion they create as much as you buy the product.
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Well done for largely answering your own questions.
 
Man, Netherlands just didn't turn up for this tournament, good goal from Van der Vaart though. Ronaldo finally found his shooting boots it seems, Portugal seem to be improving every match. Germany deservedly winners of the group, I think they'll go all the way (though my heart wants an England victory of course, unlikely as it is!). I would have liked to see Denmark progress, but oh well.
 
To be fair though, Germany would have pasted us next round (they have had 2 days more rest after all plus they didn't play extra time).

At least we havn't been as bad as some teams though. Holland didn't even get a point in their group and some people were tipping them to win it. We also won more games than France and Russia.
 
Yeah, England had about a 20 minute spell in the first half where the team looked threatening, but after that it was all Italy. I'm optimistic about the future now, there was a togetherness and heart about England that we lacked in 2010, but the quality just wasn't there this time. I like Roy Hodgson, and I want him to do well, hopefully we can go on and qualify for Brazil in 2014.

I want Germany to win the whole thing now.
 
Why are some opposed to the use of goal-line technology? Surely the accurate recording of goals is an obvious and universally good thing for the game? And when a mistake is made by the ref or whoever in attributing a goal, yet the cameras clearly beyond any doubt see that it crossed the line, why do they not correct the mistake and award the goal, especially in the light of overwhelming proof?
 
It's hard to feel aggrieved that England went out on penalties yet again when they were so awful I'd have been embarrassed to see them go through (not to mention that Germany wouldn't have been as charitable in front of goal as Italy were). How can it be that players who are paid scores of thousands of pounds per week can't even pass a ball? For all but a brief spell in the first half, England were woeful.

Let's do it all again in two years!
 
fabricatedlunatic said:
It's hard to feel aggrieved that England went out on penalties yet again when they were so awful I'd have been embarrassed to see them go through (not to mention that Germany wouldn't have been as charitable in front of goal as Italy were). How can it be that players who are paid scores of thousands of pounds per week can't even pass a ball? For all but a brief spell in the first half, England were woeful.

Let's do it all again in two years!
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But how was that any different than Chelsea beating Barcelona & Bayern Munich to win the Champions League last season? Chelsea may have had more of a goal threat than England did last night but not by much.

Also when Greece won the Euros in 2004 they played similar to how England did last night. It isn't always the best team that wins a knock out competition.
 
To say I wasn't thrilled at thrilled at Chelsea's CL victory would be an understatement. And England shouldn't be looking to emulate Greece.

Playing defensively is one thing but it's not like England even defended particularly well, going by the number of times their offside trap was broken. Not only that, but the lack of pressing in midfield allowed their chief tormentor Pirlo free reign for most of the match.

And I just don't see how anyone can be disappointed when the best team by far won.
 
For all of Italy's possession what did they have to show for it - zero goals. Their finishing was useless. If that was Germany with Italy's chances they would have finished it in normal time (I would think Spain and Portugal would have done so as well).

Defending is as important as Attacking - a good rearguard action should be applauded (Barcelona went out to Chelsea in the CL due to poor defending despite having the larger share of possession).
 
Our defending wasn't perfect, but Lescott and Terry were great and Italy didn't score. Defence surely was not our issue. Getting it out of defence possibly was, you can't play 3/4s of a game in your own half and expect to win. Despite all the new blood and how woeful our 'old team' was, it was only Gerrard and Terry that looked world class out there. Parker and a few others gave it there all too, but they just don't have that *special something*. Even in 2 years we won't have the quality built up to really win anything, but I think we're on the up.

Oh and I was one of those people backing the Netherlands to win *rolls eyes*. Not been a good tourney for me!

Very interested to see how Portugal do against Spain now. After yesterday's display i can't see Italy beating Germany. I hope it isn't Spain v Germany final as then the whole kockout stage of the tournament has been totally predictable.
 
England will at least have Wilshire for the World Cup, assuming a) they qualify, and b) Wilshere is fit. It seems ridiculous to be pinning our hopes on a player who'll be 22 in two years, but really, where else is the midfield creativity going to come from?

Of course, it'll mean sod-all if Roy continues to keep England 20 years behind everyone else by playing 4-4-2, as he'll just end up defending like Gerrard did.

Just a quick word on the defence: one soft goal against France, two soft goals against Sweden, lucky not to concede against Ukraine, and Balotelli alone should've had a hat-trick for Italy. There's work to be done.
 
It's typical that after missing the England - Sweden match I sat down to watch this one expecting some moderately exciting football and got... That. It's probably a good job England lost here as if they kept that form up they would have looked so god-awful against Germany it would barely have been worth watching.

And that Balotelli's a bit good innee? /Moss football voice
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18576519

Former Liverpool defender Miki Roque has died in Barcelona at the age of 23 following a battle against cancer.

Real Betis defender Roque was at Liverpool from 2005 to 2009, winning the FA Youth Cup in 2006, before joining the Spanish club.

He played once for the first team - against Galatasaray in the Champions League in December 2006.

A Liverpool statement read: "Everyone would like to send their thoughts to Miki's family at this sad time."

Roque underwent surgery to remove a tumour in his pelvis last year.

While at Liverpool, Roque had a loan spell with Oldham at the end of 2006-07. He also made temporary moves to Spanish sides Xerez and Cartagena before switching permanently to Betis.
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RIP.
 
Looking forward to the semis, think they'll be good games. Predicting Portugal to put out Spain because they (or at least Ronaldo) will actually have a go at them. Spain have become so dull to watch, strangling the life out of games, not to mention playing 4-6-0 (Copyright Craig Levien's Scotland team).

Italy are in with a shout of causing an upset too, but ultimately I see the Germans winning it. They've been the best team by a long way and have never really gotten out of 2nd gear in doing so (bar the goal flurry against Greece). They can really turn it up when they want to.

So I say Germany/Portugal final with the Germans winning it, they've been my pick for a while before the competition started.

How does everyone else see the semis going?
 
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