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When Fantasy Becomes Disillusioning Reality
Is it me or is modern football actually turning into a game of Football Manager? I mean with the arrival of a surprise appointment of a manager only known recently for being on the international scene, to his employers giving him a budget which can only be described as "infinity" to bring in "whoever" he wants.
And the transfer of Gareth Barry, which today I read Villa want £20 million for his little collection of England caps and a few decent performances. Let me categorically state that GB is NOT worth this amount of money, nor was Hargreaves, nor was Carrick, nor was any other of the massively overpriced English players that have moved in ridiculous transfers.
A good thing about it turning into Football Manager is that I think Sky's coverage should be now on a 2D pitch with little round icons for players. At least then I wouldn't have to look at Dirk Kuyt's face.
Stu "Hi-jacked transfer by... Athletico Madrid? This really is pathetic" the Lakesgooner
...So Phil Scolari first unsettles Ronaldo by telling him he should move to Real Madrid, and now he attempts to buy the Premiership with a 'blank cheque' from Roman. It reminds me of a time when I played Football Manager.
In frustration with a game with Manchester United that wasn't going to plan, I went to the game database, gave myself unlimited money, and created a new manager who took over Chelsea. I then fined all their top players 4 weeks wages for no reason so they were unsettled, and stuck them on the transfer list for vastly reduced transfer fees. By the end of the season, my new manger had been fired as Chelsea manager, but not before he had cause irrevocable damage to the team, and I won the league as Manchester United manager, with probably the greatest team to ever been assembled in the modern era. Did I feel any sense of achievement though? No. In fact the next night, I deleted that game from my saved game database, and started a new game.
Just warning Chelsea fans, you might win the league again next season, but it will be a hollow achievement.
Rupert Featherwick-Smythe
It's Not Impressive, Is It?
Big Phil given a blank cheque to buy Deco, Kaka' and Torres?? That can't be right. It's like when you play a two-player game on your own on Champo, selling all of Man Yoo's squad to Crewe so that you can steer them to the Champions' League final.
I can't understand why Barça want to get rid of Deco anyway. He has been lumped in with Ronaldinho as a clubber, just because he's Brazilian (sorry... Portuguese!!??!!). From what I've read this is blatantly not true. Old Ronny, tends to hang around Barcelona's groovy spots with his own entourage, and none of the other Barça players.
Chelsea should be stopped!
Simon, LUFC, Paris
...This story on Chelsea's transfer war chest makes me feel sick. What's the point of watching football if Chelsea are just going to come along and buy your best player - Fernando Torres in my case - simply because they can? If they do buy Torres then I don't think I'll be able to sit through next season. I'm feeling vomity just thinking about it - and the worst part is I have to sit through the rest of Euro 2008 before finding out whether it's all true or not because Scolari is undoubtedly not going to be buying anyone until after that's over. Someone should stop Abramovich before he kills football.
Damian, JHB, South Africa
Money Does Not Guarantee Success
Yes it is cheating, but let them do it. What makes them think that they can make the whole Galactico thing work when Real Madrid showed the whole world that it does not? Let Roman p*ss his money away! I can't decide what's funnier about all this - that they are arrogant (or stupid) enough to believe that they can sign the likes of Kaka and Torres (not all footballers are like Ronaldo you know) or that Big Phil thinks he will be able to ban Roman from the dressing room - yeah right, good luck Phil!
Dave (not bothered at all by it being Friday the 13th), Dublin
No Class...
Another prime example of why everyone hates Chelsea. Can you see Wenger or Ferguson doing the same with FFL? Or whispering to Messi to quit Barcelona etc? No. No, I can't either - they seem to possess brains. And some integrity. "I told him as a friend?". Big Phil told a key, superstar player to quit their club, just as he takes over as manager of their main rivals, AS A FRIEND?? I'm sorry. Not on.
No manager has such passion for a club so quickly that they'd do this purposefully, ergo Big Phil seems to be an idiot? Unfortunately being an idiot is no defence when it comes to making public comments like this. He should, as Chelsea manager, never, ever have told Ronaldo ANYTHING regarding his move, not because it's "none of his business", but because it definitely IS his business. It was a stupid, scummy thing to do, and I hope Chelsea get nailed for it...
RF (Money still can't buy class), London
ManYoo Can't Afford To Lose Queiroz
I am more or less resigned to Ronaldo leaving Manchester United. It would be a shame that he leaves us. But surely he will get us a big amount of money.
He has done to United what Ronaldinho has done to Barcelona at his pomp (Winning two league titles, a CL in a team that plays attacking football most of the time). I wont mind 70million hard cash, nor do I mind Sergio Ramos and Robinho + 30 million.
I wont lose my sleep if Ronaldo leaves. But I am scared that Carlos Queiroz might leave to to coach Portugal. CQ is the man behind the revival of United. He has nurtured Ronaldo, just the way he nurtured the golden generation of Portugal. Now if Ronaldo leaves, Anderson/Nani might be moulded to step up by CQ. If the reports are right, the English player who can dribble - Welbeck, Macheda, the new signing Petrucci who all look promising can be nurtured. But if CQ leaves I am afraid, United might have a tough time ahead.
Sarath "I have enjoyed United winning the double. I hope now they arent hit with a double sucker punch" Ciddu
Enough Of Ronaldo
Can I just say how much I agree with "Adam (Living the Dream) Franklin, Watford" regarding the Greaseball© love-in!
I really cant take it anymore and I also will be watching Portugal on mute, I think we should start a movement here, The Greaseball© love-in Mute Campaign!
It really is TV "dumbing down" for the idiots. It started watching the highlights of the Portugal v Turkey game, because I watched the game live in the pub, I was drunk and there was no sound. So the highlights show just showed both Portugal goals from Ronaldo's view point, they showed his disappointed face from the free kick about four times and had too many sickening close ups of his "quick feet and lollipops"!
We know he is a good player, but I just cant take another orgasmic "Rrrronnnallldo" scream from Clive Tyldsley anymore, seriously there are 351 other players at this tournament, I've had enough of this!
Anthony (They wouldn't let me publish this on 606) Liverpool
An Exciting Summer At Everton!
In a period when the top 5 finishing club, Everton, should be in a period of frenetic activities to strengthen and improve in order to push on for 4th place next year, here are the top 7 exciting stories on your Everton news page:
Yossi Move Dismissed as Fantasy - We are not trying to sign someone.
Council Back Everton Ground Plan - We might get a new ground one day, outside of the city, miles away, but we might not.
Chiles Everton to Invite Toffees - A Chilean side with the same name as us would quite like to play us in a friendly
Ramsey Set for united Talks - a player we are interested in signing talks to other clubs and then signs for Arsenal
Moyes Glad to Clear his Name - Our manager wins a libel case against a former player
Carsley completes City Switch - We have sold one of our players.
Watch out Premier League - here we come...!!
Big Fat Col Brown from the Wirral
Only Know When You're Losing
"They never know when they're beaten"
Used repeatedly in the Croatia - Germany game last night, a phrase that suggests the Germans don't understand the basics of football. Consider the following situations..
Croatia 2 - 0 Germany, time remaining 25 mins. Beaten = NO. Reason = Time remaining.
Croatia 2 - 1 Germany, time remaining 0 mins. Beaten = YES. Reason = Game is over, opposition have scored more goals.
Hopefully this will clarify to the Germans when they are beaten, if they
had any confusion.
Simon 'Beglin is actually worse than Lawro" Singh
So That's Why...
88 minutes into the Germany v. Croatia game last night, there was a moment that defined, for me, why Croatia are at Euro 2008 and England aren't.
Croatia were under pressure, the Germans had pulled one back and were looking for an equaliser. A Croatian player won the ball half-way in his own half, they played a neat triangle of passes and got the ball clear.
Picture England in the same position, Gerrard wins the ball back, punts it 40 yards down the pitch to no-one in particular and it comes straight back, Rooney chases back like a rampaging bull, trips a German, gets sent off for dissent, Ballack puts the free kick in the top corner, England completely fall apart and Germany score a winner in injury time.
Mike Christie
The Right To Reply
In regards to Benji's semi-coherent and wholly inane and insipid mail defending his precious Portugirls, I have a few points to make. First off, I am only familiar with three Benjis in this world. One is a dog who was television before I was old enough to do anything but drool. The second was an extremely effeminate man-boy who won So You Think You Can Dance in America. The third is Benji Sua Kay, recent mailbox contributer, in the loosest sense of the word. Of these three Benjis, it is certainly the third who is most useless. His mail was a pathetic attempt to defend his team of choice.
To begin, I am not English nor have I ever been, thank goodness. I am a 'xeno' that you seem to imply English people are phobic of. This is the same England that has embraced foreigners from all over the world to come into their league and play and is wholeheartedly fighting(for the most part) legislation that would keep more foreigners from playing in their country. I think that a more proper description of the mails that have been coming in would be 'anti-Portuguese'. I personally am familiar with people from all over the world from America to England to Switzerland to Luxembourg to Azerbaijan who strongly dislike the Portuguese football team for their antics and their arrogant, petulant vice-captain Cristiano 'Waaaaaaaaaah' Ronaldo. Many people who do not support England strongly dislike Portugal, including my Azerbaijani driver. What a xenophobe he is.
Surely a reaction to all those damned Portuguese immigrants invading Baku. These same people speak out against diving by teams like Greece, Romania, Italy, Mexico and other nations that seem to have many players who seem to prefer to take a tumble rather than skip a tackle, a talent that seems to have been lost. It's not because they're Portuguese, it's because they're diving gits and have been the major culprits of this despicable practice in the current tournament. English people very often mention the same thing about Joe Cole and Stevie Me.
As far as Portugal goes footballistically, they are obviously a very talented squad and they play well together, with even Ronaldo sometimes managing to do something unselfish for the betterment of the whole team, a credit to Big Phil. However, as you said, the best team wins, which has, as far as I know, never been Portugal, who have qualified for a grand total of seven major tournaments and won approximately zero. I do believe, however, that Greece has recently won a major tournament. You know what they say, it's not always the best players that win, but the best team.
Christopher (I have never cheered for David Bentley, but I have booed Frank Lampard) Sorensen, not English, the Glorious Nation of Azerbaijan
Gossiping About The Gossip
I am often amused by some of the transfer gossip in the British tabloids; little wonder the amusement is even higher what with Euro 2008 underway.
Having read the gossip columns lately, I think I may have finally cracked how these gossips are written. Here are the steps:
Look for standout performers (currently not playing in the premier league).
Classify them into 'Top Top' players (Villa, Ramos etc.), Good players but who will never be the best (Engelaar) and Average players having a good tournament (Mathijsen for example)
Link the best players to Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool
Link the good players to West Ham, Boro, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Blackburn
Link the average players to Wigan, Sunderland, Fulham and the promoted clubs.
Lo and behold, you see headlines like:
Chelsea in £40M swoop for Villa
'Ron' out of Man U as Fergie plots £80M capture of Ramos and Villa
Villa 'eye' Engelaar as replacement for Barry
Jose mulls Lampard-Ibrahimovic swap deal
Krishna Kumar
And Finally...
When John Nic wished that England were a little bit more like Germany I'm not sure that's exactly what he had in mind...
Shane, Ireland
