2010/11 Football (Fußball) thread.

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

Time for more threads from outside "The World", (or we could just have another thread for another DEAD american celebrity).

Rumoured to have signed a contract with Bayern Pre-world Cup, now set for the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Berliner, any home news?

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ONSLAUGHT IN ICELAND

FORMER Scotland star Jim Bett has warned Motherwell they will face an onslaught in Iceland when they take on Breidablik tomorrow.

Craig Brown's side lead the Icelandic minnows 1-0 after last week's first leg of their Europa League qualifier.

Ross Forbes' goal proved enough at Fir Park but Bett - now assistant with Icelandic side FC Valur - claims Breidablik are a different side at home.

He said: "Motherwell will be in for a hard game as Breidablik are very offensive at home.

"It's probably the toughest away venue in Iceland. They are top of the league and are very consistent at home.

"If Motherwell had more games under their belt I'd fancy them to be too strong but it's going to be a tight match.

"Breidablik will have a right go at the start and Motherwell will have to be wary of that.

"They will have to soak up a bit of pressure at the start but I'm sure Craig knows that.

"Craig's Scotland sides gave nothing away and he'll have to get Well organised the same way tomorrow."
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In other news:

Quote:

The lawyer of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has stated his client denies having "sexual relations" with the prostitute at the centre of the France under-age sex scandal.

Both Benzema and France team-mate Franck Ribery have been charged with 'solicitation of a minor prostitute' and released by judge Andre Dando following questioning by police. The players came under investigation after they were alleged to have paid for sex with Zahia Dehar when she was working in Zaman Cafe - a bar on the Champs-Elysees in Paris - while under-age.

Speaking to reporters, Sylvain Cormier said: "He disputes what Zahia [Dehar] said. He's not had sexual relations with her. There is no reason why his word should count less than hers."

Prostitution is legal in France, but prostitutes must be over 18 years old, and clients are liable if they are not of legal age. The offence is punishable by three years in prison and 45,000 euros fine under French law.

During the investigation, Zahia had told the police she had sex with players - including Franck Ribery, in 2009, and Karim Benzema in 2008 - when she was under-age.

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

LINE-UPs have been announced.

PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY
Wednesday July 21st, 7.45pm

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 0

COVENTRY CITY 0

Attendance:

Cobblers: Paul Walker, Paul Rodgers, Dean Beckwith, Andy Holt, Marcus Hall, Kevin Thornton, Abdul Osman, Nathaniel Wedderburn, Liam Davis, Steve Guinan, Billy McKay. Subs not used: Mihai Gherasim, Malachi Farquharson, Chris McCready, Seb Harris, Charlie Death, Ryan Gilligan, Alistair Slowe, Greg Kaziboni, Alex Konstantinou, Michael Jacobs, Tadhg Purcell.

Coventry: Keiren Westwood, Ben Turner, Richard Keogh, Michael Doyle, Jordan Clarke, Chris Hussey, James McPake, Roy O'Donovan, Carl Baker, Shaun Jeffers, Freddy Eastwood. Subs not used: Sammy Clingan, Martin Cranie, Aron Gunnarsson, Gary McSheffrey, Michael McIndoe, Lawrence Thomas, Jermaine Anderson, Nathan Cameron, Michael Quirke.

berliner · **Joined:** Fri May 09, 2008 7:00 pm **Posts:** 1516

nothing's confirmed. officially vfb stuttgart got a "request from another country" but latest news (2 days ago) didn't contain a specific club. both, stuttgart and khedira denied that everything is already on its way...

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

I reckon Madrid.

berliner · **Joined:** Fri May 09, 2008 7:00 pm **Posts:** 1516

wouldn't be the worst for khedira and for stuttgart.

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

I hope he stays in germany for another season. All i hear here, is that he has rejected personal terms at Bayern.

berliner · **Joined:** Fri May 09, 2008 7:00 pm **Posts:** 1516

after the coming season he's for free. otherwise I think stuttgart would have more insisted in refreshing the contract. would be a chance for him to go to spain. we need some players with broader international experiences. that was obvious after the WC.

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 0 COVENTRY CITY 1 - LATEST SCORE
Posted on: Wed 21 Jul 2010

PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY
Wednesday July 21st, 7.45pm

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 0

COVENTRY CITY 1
James McPake 6

Attendance: 1,829 (759 away fans)

:cry:

Flying Rabbit · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:46 am

Pete Roach Wrote:

Attendance: 1,829 (759 away fans)

:cry:

That about sums up this thread.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

Jamie Murphy shouts "get it right up you ya puffin eating bastards!" as he equals Motherwell's
European goal scoring record, drawing level with Stevie 'The White Pele' Kirk on 5 Euro goals.

You can tell target marketing is really quite sophisticated now which is why we are sponsored by a suicide helpline.

It was two kinda crappy performances from the not so Mighty 'Well but you can't grumble too much at two 1-0 wins and we are into the prestigious 3rd Qualifying Round of the Europa League with a decent chance of getting past Aalesund FK and getting a big team in the play offs.

Is Akinfenwa stilll at Northampton? He's been touted for every team in the SPL. Must have a good agent.

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

Congrats on the win, i did try and find a live feed for the game, but no luck. I was also suprised to see Coke is no longer on your books and is in Sheffield now.

Yeah sadly Akinfenwa will now longer be casting his giant shadow over the Sixfields stadium, he was offered a new improved contract way back in March i believe, but failed to meet the deadline to re-sign given by the club, so he was released. He's been touted everywhere, like you say, nearly all SPL sides (although i believe he has ruled out going Scotland), he was training with Leyton Orient and is now training with Millwall but is expected to sign for Southend once they have a transfer embargo lifted. Although yesterday i heard he had been linked with a big money contract at a conference side, which is very strange.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

Out of all the players we lost during the summer Giles Cokes would have been the last one I'd have kept. He was OK but he'd fallen out of the first eleven after a good start and we'll miss Ruddy, Jutkiewicz and O'Brien much more.

berliner · **Joined:** Fri May 09, 2008 7:00 pm **Posts:** 1516

haha, raúl is going to play for schalke 04 next year... that's ridiculous. he's 33ys old now.

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

berliner Wrote:

haha, raúl is going to play for schalke 04 next year... that's ridiculous. he's 33ys old now.

A two year contract as well which suprised me as i thought his legs had gone when i saw him last season. Anyway good luck to him.

I was disappointed to see that Guti has gone to Besiktas, i was hoping he'd end up in England.

On another note: Akinfenwa signs for Gillingham.

tehobner · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 8:48 pm **Posts:** 4479

NOT A SPORT

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

Bob Bland Wrote:

The Sunderland Experiment

July 23, 2010

Bob Bland Sports Premier League, soccer, Sunderland A.F.C

As I’ve previously admitted right here on this very blog, I’ve never been much of a soccer fan. It still hadn’t yet blown up as a huge youth sport here in America back when I was a kid, so most of my interest in the sport has been limited to the World Cup and an occasional FC Dallas game (even then, only if free tickets were involved). But with the World Cup still fresh in the recent past, I’ve allowed myself to become intrigued with England’s soccer version of the NFL: The Premier League.

Thanks to a co-worker who is a hardcore Premier League follower, I have decided to follow the lead of The Ticket’s Craig “Junior” Miller and choose a team to root for in the upcoming Premier League season. But while Junior limited his options to only those teams with a legitimate shot at contending for a championship (he settled on Arsenal), I decided to take the opposite tack and support and underdog who very well could get relegated (the bottom three teams at the end of each season get demoted to a lower tier).

Admittedly, my remaining selection criteria were highly superficial, at best. I condsidered such largely insignificant things as how much I liked the logo, uniform and nickname. I also looked at the city in which the team is based, wanting to avoid some of the larger and better-known metropolitan areas.

I came very, very close to going with Blackpool, but they had just been promoted last season for the first time ever, so their risk of relegation seems too high. I need at least a sporting chance, which is why I decided to cast my lot with The Black Cats of Sunderland A.F.C. Located in the City of Sunderland (population 280,207) up in far, far northeast England on the coast of the North Sea, this team was actually founded all the way back in 1879.

Their history is storied and includes six First Division (what is now known as The Premier League) championships, though the last one was in 1936. They’ve also won two F.A. Cups, with the most recent in 1973. So, this is a once-proud franchise desperately seeking a long-awaited return to glory. Plus, they play their games on a pitch in the awesomely-named Stadium of Light.

Like Junior Miller, I may find that my interest will wane after several months, but the only way to find out is to give it a go. It should be fun!

timmyjoe42 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:59 pm

I'm on the edge of my seat. Did Iceland ever pull out that win?

paper · **Posted:** Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:18 pm

I watched some of that MLS all-star game vs MAN U and it was some entertaining soccer(futball), but it didn't seem like a fair contest to me. I mean you take a team as good as Man U that plays together all the time and knows each other and put them up against some guys that are just thrown together for one night, granted they are all stars, and it's pretty obvious who will play better....I don't know, maybe I'm wrong and it shouldn't matter, but I would think it should. It's like pitting the Lakers against the all-stars of a European league, I'd take the Lakers.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

Bit pissed off about the 93 minute penalty that denied us victory in Norway but I'm actually feeling confident about the home leg; always a bad sign for the provincial football fan.

If we get through maybe we would get Liverpool in the play-offs. I remember when we played them in 1986 and got a 2-2 draw at Fir Park and the current Liverpool team is no where near as good as that one.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

Murderwell 3 Some Norwegians 0

Europa League Play-Off round, bring out your big guns. I want Juventus.

FT · **Posted:** Thu Aug 05, 2010 7:01 pm

I DON'T LIKE DA FOOSBALL, BOBBY BOUCHER!

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

Telemachus Clockz Wrote:

Murderwell 3 Some Norwegians 0

Europa League Play-Off round, bring out your big guns. I want Juventus.

That's awesome, congrats. I predict a tie with the mighty Dundee Utd! Edit..ah both unseeded.

Sidenote: Did the Aalesunds goalkeeper make any kind of impression (at fault for any of the goals?), he's being touted as a possible replacement for Van De Sar at Man Utd.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

I don't actually remember him making a save.

He had no chance with any of the goals, two great strikes and a two on one on the goalkeeper. We were 2-0 up in 15 minutes and after that we were just sitting back so as not to concede an away goal and try and hit them on the break so he didn't have much to do.

Our new keeper, Darren Randolph from Charlton, was excellent. They had a 6' 9 striker (and most of the rest were six footers) but he came and got every cross and corner. Looks a good buy.

We got Odense BK from the Play Off draw. Probably the weakest team in the our pot, we could have got Villareal, Fenerbache or Manchester City. Probably never have a better chance to make the group stages.

berliner · **Joined:** Fri May 09, 2008 7:00 pm **Posts:** 1516

real madrid got another one: özil leaves bremen. why not. I'm actually a fan of it.

Roach · **Joined:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:39 pm **Posts:** 955

This is fucking ridiculous. What hope do lower league teams have? Man.

BBC Sports Wrote:

Chelsea have signed 11-year-old Northampton Town striker Michael Gyasi for an undisclosed fee.

The switch includes a variety of add-ons, which are subject to particular targets being met.

Cobblers centre of excellence boss Trevor Gould said: "Michael has progressed well and has improved with our coaching.

"Financially the deal is good for us, and the money we will receive will aid our youth development."

Gyasi had been part of the Northampton centre of excellence for the last three years.

"While we obviously want to produce and keep our best players, when a Premier League club like Chelsea come knocking, as long as the deal is right for the club, we will never stand in a boy's way," added Gould.

"Not only is this is a superb opportunity for Michael but it reinforces the quality of player we are bringing both into the club and through our centre of excellence."

2010/11 Football (Fußball) thread.

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