All threads are temporary. This one's about soccer.

All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013.

His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history. But both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways.

The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Dec 17, 2015 10:40 am

The Schadenfreude Thread is over there >>>>>>>>>>

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 10:09 am

Interesting old NASL story about the Detroit Express/Washington Dips ownership
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... bered.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 1:06 pm

wlu_lax6 wrote:Ah love good training games like this

I saw this video elsewhere and it's pretty amazing.

Having spent HOURS and HOURS playing crossbar and butts up, the amount of skill displayed in that clip is impressive. (Note, one of the guys who does pretty well is one of the keepers... We typically had a LOT of time to kill. It's one of the reasons a lot of keepers are brought in to take PKs before some of the field players... We have taken, literally, thousands of them and a lot more than most field players ever do.)

Anyways, the variation of having to finish to get the full 3 points is off the charts.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Wed Apr 06, 2016 8:13 am

Diving
http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... orst-crime" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
ht:sportsfilter

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Wed May 18, 2016 7:58 pm

This is a interesting story about the creation of a pro soccer team in Mr. D's old hood (actually the town across the river from my wife's home town).
https://thecauldron.si.com/so-lets-buil ... .ltf4s3cuw

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 12:27 pm

Okay this is just fun and why you don't leave David Luiz off your national team
http://soccer.nbcsports.com/2016/06/15/ ... d-players/

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:42 am

The conversation in the 2017 Premiership league/Euro league got me thinking about ranking the world leagues. So where would you put them. I am doing tiers. i think what makes it tough is outside of the big leagues in Europe you have one dominate team in the other Euro countries that you see in Champions league and Europa.

Clearly the top tier are:
Spain
England
Germany

Maybe Italy and Liga MX in the next tier

Then maybe
France League 1, Dutch League

After that?
English Championship, MLS, Russia, Scottish Premier League, Denmark

Then
China Super League, J-League, A-league (Australia), Israel

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:01 am

England has to be #1 now, and will be more so in the future (unless Brexit is that damaging). Spain and Germany are too top heavy to rank them ahead of England. The new Premier League TV deal will only bring more and more foreign talent to the UK. I'm not sure how leaving the EU could affect foreign players' ability to join the Prem in the future. Also, I don't remember if the big TV deals that have the Prem awash in cash are domestic or foreign. If domestic, there could be a huge problem if the pound falls. If foreign, and paid in foreign dollars, it could be a boon.

The Italian league is a mess, but there a clear #4, IMO.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:05 am

you don't have the Brazillian League on your list shows how far that league has fallen

I would put Portugal alongside France and Holland.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:59 am

degenerasian wrote:you don't have the Brazillian League on your list shows how far that league has fallen

I would put Portugal alongside France and Holland.

I could not name a team besides Porto in Portugal. I think I know more teams in the A-League, Russia, and Israel than the Portugal domestic league.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:09 am

wlu_lax6 wrote:
degenerasian wrote:you don't have the Brazillian League on your list shows how far that league has fallen

I would put Portugal alongside France and Holland.
I could not name a team besides Porto in Portugal. I think I know more teams in the A-League, Russia, and Israel than the Portugal domestic league.

Benfica? Sporting Lisbon?

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:56 am

govmentchedda wrote:England has to be #1 now, and will be more so in the future (unless Brexit is that damaging). Spain and Germany are too top heavy to rank them ahead of England.

I guess this depends on whether you are looking at the top two, the top four, the top ten, or something, but even then it is hard to think of the EPL as a better league than La Liga.

The only teams to beat Spanish clubs in the Champions League were other Spanish clubs. Except Villareal, which came in third in its group, and then made it to the semifinals of the Europa League before losing to Liverpool.

Which then was beat by Sevilla in the final. Who got there by beating Athletic Bilbao in the quarterfinals.

Spain had three of the eight quarterfinalists in both the Champions League and the Europa League. Of those six teams, only one (Villareal) lost to a team outside of Spain. I think La Liga has to be rated the best league, even if the tenth-best team in the EPL is better than the tenth-best team in La Liga.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:28 am

The Scottish League is Godawful. Other than Celtic (and once again Rangers) games, they tend to be played in front of crowds of 3-6,000 for a reason.

Definitely far below the English Championship's level.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:50 am

Steve of phpBB wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:England has to be #1 now, and will be more so in the future (unless Brexit is that damaging). Spain and Germany are too top heavy to rank them ahead of England.
I guess this depends on whether you are looking at the top two, the top four, the top ten, or something, but even then it is hard to think of the EPL as a better league than La Liga.

The only teams to beat Spanish clubs in the Champions League were other Spanish clubs. Except Villareal, which came in third in its group, and then made it to the semifinals of the Europa League before losing to Liverpool.

Which then was beat by Sevilla in the final. Who got there by beating Athletic Bilbao in the quarterfinals.

Spain had three of the eight quarterfinalists in both the Champions League and the Europa League. Of those six teams, only one (Villareal) lost to a team outside of Spain. I think La Liga has to be rated the best league, even if the tenth-best team in the EPL is better than the tenth-best team in La Liga.

You make good arguments, and you may be right. I'm just so used to seeing the big 3 just dominate, even the Villareals, Bilbaos, and Sevillas. I may have dismissed how far they've progressed in the Europa League.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:01 pm

govmentchedda wrote: You make good arguments, and you may be right. I'm just so used to seeing the big 3 just dominate, even the Villareals, Bilbaos, and Sevillas. I may have dismissed how far they've progressed in the Europa League.

Unless things have changed, Spain rarely has more than 4 decent teams. I give the EPL the nod now that even the bottom teams are getting a fuckton of money. The bottom teams in England will be better than the 6th team in Spain or Germany. Bayern, Madrid and Barca are probably significantly better than any team in England, though.

I have no idea where Liga MX, Argentina or Brazil fit in. I give Scotland bonus points for sweet names like Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:19 pm

P.D.X. wrote:
wlu_lax6 wrote:
degenerasian wrote:you don't have the Brazillian League on your list shows how far that league has fallen

I would put Portugal alongside France and Holland.
I could not name a team besides Porto in Portugal. I think I know more teams in the A-League, Russia, and Israel than the Portugal domestic league.
Benfica? Sporting Lisbon?

Yeah forgot about them.

I hate La Liga because I just don't want to watch Real and Barca every week. It is a shame they are so huge because there are some really fun teams lower in the table (Eibar just has a great story).

I put the Championship with MLS because I have heard some folks who have played in both talk about how those teams would compete against each other. Basically they say the top of the MLS would hold their own. I put SPL in that tier because the top of the league is good, the bottom is poor and us players who have played at the top have not blow it away when returning from Rangers to MLS. Russia is like the SPL, some very good teams with very good players (Hulk) and some garbage.

I had not South American leagues. Just so much corruption and fan violence has destroyed those leagues. But on the other hand I can't imagine an MLS team having any success in Copa Libertadores.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:30 pm

If the Libertadoes were played in Japan the MLS teams would be equal. But the play under those shenanigans down in South America? No chance.
They were/are so violent the European champions stopped going there for the home-and-away world club championship in the 60s and 70s

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:17 pm

The Sybian wrote: I give Scotland bonus points for sweet names like Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Years ago in Edinburgh I saw Hibernian play Motherwell. Great names. A turgid 0-0 draw.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 3:15 pm

At the Pope's Match for Peace, Maradona gets in a scuffle with Veron
http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/10 ... atch-peace

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:54 pm

New version of football manager makes you deal with Brexit
http://www.businessinsider.com/football ... os-2016-10

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Oct 18, 2016 3:10 pm

You know what I love about goal line technology? They still manage to get the adidas logo on the ball

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Oct 18, 2016 7:58 pm

And that went from being a brutally blown call be the ref to an absolutely amazing save!

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 2:59 pm

Sooo ... does Bravo suck?

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:39 pm

mister d wrote:Sooo ... does Bravo suck?

the best part was I think it would have hit his head if he didnt put his hands up

also if it didnt hit his head, Stones had it behind him

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 5:33 pm

The Worst Soccer Highlights You Will Ever See

Post by **Shirley** » Mon Oct 24, 2016 10:55 am

Pruitt wrote:The Worst Soccer Highlights You Will Ever See

The first one is hilarious. I LOLed.

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Mon Oct 24, 2016 12:35 pm

No love for Bob Bradley?

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:15 am

Pruitt wrote:The Worst Soccer Highlights You Will Ever See

Wow. There's some awesome stuff posted on that account. I like this one a lot:

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Oct 25, 2016 10:52 am

HaulCitgo wrote:No love for Bob Bradley?

Really happy for him, and I hope Swans do well.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu Oct 27, 2016 3:16 pm

Booked for showboating.
http://www.espnfc.us/blog/the-toe-poke/ ... howboating

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Fri Oct 28, 2016 11:28 am

I'd love to see Rakhale play for a MLS team.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 4:58 pm

Ozil's game-winning goal is sooooo sublime