Re: All threads are temporary. This one's about soccer.
Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:51 pm
Blackmail FC.P.D.X. wrote:Blackmail?degenerasian wrote:Sounds ok, those must be the rules going in.
It's the sixth version of The Swamp. What could possibly go wrong?
http://www.sportsfrog.net/phpbb/
Blackmail FC.P.D.X. wrote:Blackmail?degenerasian wrote:Sounds ok, those must be the rules going in.
wlu_lax6 wrote:Holden's knee again. Got 23 minutes with the Bolton reserves and is now heading back to the US for a scan.
http://www.soccerbyives.net/2014/03/sho ... ravel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Just what UEFA needs - more teams in the qualifying rounds.wlu_lax6 wrote:So Kosovo is supposed to be playing Haiti in their first FIFA recognized match. Guess the Swiss have a few players who would have been eligible. Adnan Januzaj (Man U) turned down a chance to play. He could be tied to Belgium, England, Albania or Kosovo.
Similarly Gibraltar played its first match as a UEFA member (was up 1-0 but lost 4-1 to Faroe Islands). They have Germany in their Euro qualification group. Ouch
Yes they should take the same approach as CONCACAF, but having a FIFA recognized team is a big deal for some of these places. For Gibraltar that was a huge fight with Spain. The Basque people who want independence and put a "regional"/national team out there (beat Peru in December).Pruitt wrote:Just what UEFA needs - more teams in the qualifying rounds.wlu_lax6 wrote:So Kosovo is supposed to be playing Haiti in their first FIFA recognized match. Guess the Swiss have a few players who would have been eligible. Adnan Januzaj (Man U) turned down a chance to play. He could be tied to Belgium, England, Albania or Kosovo.
Similarly Gibraltar played its first match as a UEFA member (was up 1-0 but lost 4-1 to Faroe Islands). They have Germany in their Euro qualification group. Ouch
I know all four of the reasons against the idea ($$$$), but at some point, reasonable minds will have to step in and say that the "minnows" of Europe (Kosovo, Faeroe Islands, Liechtenstein etc.) will have to play a knockout round to qualify for the qualification marathon.
That was impressive. I've seen it happen a couple of times where the player awarded a penalty waved it off to the ref, but both times the refs refused to reverse the call. I've also seen a couple instances where a player waved the ref off before making a decision. I could see being embarrassed about taking the penalty when you weren't touched. Now that I think about it, I once saw a player intentionally shoot wide after being given a cheap penalty.wlu_lax6 wrote:Guess Werder Bremen take the FIFA Fair Play thing to heart.
http://www.businessinsider.com/aaron-hu ... erg-2014-3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
When you watch that clips do you feel it's bad refereeing or is refereeing in soccer an impossible job?The Sybian wrote:That was impressive. I've seen it happen a couple of times where the player awarded a penalty waved it off to the ref, but both times the refs refused to reverse the call. I've also seen a couple instances where a player waved the ref off before making a decision. I could see being embarrassed about taking the penalty when you weren't touched. Now that I think about it, I once saw a player intentionally shoot wide after being given a cheap penalty.wlu_lax6 wrote:Guess Werder Bremen take the FIFA Fair Play thing to heart.
http://www.businessinsider.com/aaron-hu ... erg-2014-3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This has been making the FB rounds and giving everyone the warm fuzzies, but I have to nitpick. WB is basically dominating the match, and there's only 15 minutes left. Is this cat going to do the same thing if they're down 0-1? What about in a critical CL or WC game? He gets some kudos, but I'm not sure he's deserving of the sportsmanship handy that everyone seems to be giving him.The Sybian wrote:That was impressive. I've seen it happen a couple of times where the player awarded a penalty waved it off to the ref, but both times the refs refused to reverse the call. I've also seen a couple instances where a player waved the ref off before making a decision. I could see being embarrassed about taking the penalty when you weren't touched. Now that I think about it, I once saw a player intentionally shoot wide after being given a cheap penalty.wlu_lax6 wrote:Guess Werder Bremen take the FIFA Fair Play thing to heart.
http://www.businessinsider.com/aaron-hu ... erg-2014-3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I thought about that. I also think he wouldn't want to be seen as a diver. It's not uncommon for players to intentionally kick their heel to make for a realistic fall. Not to mention the possibility of a suspension for intentionally taking a dive, if that is how it was seen. But I don't think that much thought could go into it while in the heat of battle.P.D.X. wrote:This has been making the FB rounds and giving everyone the warm fuzzies, but I have to nitpick. WB is basically dominating the match, and there's only 15 minutes left. Is this cat going to do the same thing if they're down 0-1? What about in a critical CL or WC game? He gets some kudos, but I'm not sure he's deserving of the sportsmanship handy that everyone seems to be giving him.The Sybian wrote:That was impressive. I've seen it happen a couple of times where the player awarded a penalty waved it off to the ref, but both times the refs refused to reverse the call. I've also seen a couple instances where a player waved the ref off before making a decision. I could see being embarrassed about taking the penalty when you weren't touched. Now that I think about it, I once saw a player intentionally shoot wide after being given a cheap penalty.wlu_lax6 wrote:Guess Werder Bremen take the FIFA Fair Play thing to heart.
http://www.businessinsider.com/aaron-hu ... erg-2014-3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
He's done about the opposite of his knee issues in that department.Sabo wrote:Stuart Holden out six to nine months after ligament surgery on his right knee.
He also announced his engagement today.
Watching Arjen Robben's dives today were hilarious. Dude, give it a rest and go down immediately or stay up. Don't run another step or two and flail.The Sybian wrote:I thought about that. I also think he wouldn't want to be seen as a diver. It's not uncommon for players to intentionally kick their heel to make for a realistic fall. Not to mention the possibility of a suspension for intentionally taking a dive, if that is how it was seen. But I don't think that much thought could go into it while in the heat of battle.P.D.X. wrote:This has been making the FB rounds and giving everyone the warm fuzzies, but I have to nitpick. WB is basically dominating the match, and there's only 15 minutes left. Is this cat going to do the same thing if they're down 0-1? What about in a critical CL or WC game? He gets some kudos, but I'm not sure he's deserving of the sportsmanship handy that everyone seems to be giving him.The Sybian wrote:
That was impressive. I've seen it happen a couple of times where the player awarded a penalty waved it off to the ref, but both times the refs refused to reverse the call. I've also seen a couple instances where a player waved the ref off before making a decision. I could see being embarrassed about taking the penalty when you weren't touched. Now that I think about it, I once saw a player intentionally shoot wide after being given a cheap penalty.
Drove me nuts. If I was Koscielny, I would have punched him in the face. Would have been worth the suspension.Total reminder of why he was my most hated player when he was with Chelsea. That, and he is an incredible player. As soon as he got the ball in the box in the 88th minute, I said he was guaranteed to go down. Sure enough, another flop. I couldn't believe the ref called it. when I heard the whistle, I cheered, thinking he was finally going to book him for the dive. It really didn't matter at that point, but Fabianski's save was awesome. The way the ball spun on the line and that he was able to swat it away was fantastic.Brontoburglar wrote: Watching Arjen Robben's dives today were hilarious. Dude, give it a rest and go down immediately or stay up. Don't run another step or two and flail.
USMNT fans are more than aware of this.degenerasian wrote:Stupid refs make games unwatchable. World Cup will be a disaster since they'll take less experienced refs from different regions.
degenerasian wrote:What are you going to do, soccer refs are stupid and players get away with it.
Speaking of Koscielny he's seen it all. In the World Cup playoffs in Kiev and the Ukrainians were diving all over the place and Koscielny finally had enough and just placed his hand on the guys face. No punch, no slap, nothing. Instant red card as the Ukrainian of course dove like he was shot.
Stupid refs make games unwatchable. World Cup will be a disaster since they'll take less experienced refs from different regions.
The good guys are coming for you!The Sybian wrote: In the end, I'm kind of glad Arsenal bowed out of the CL. Let them focus on winning the FA Cup and the 4th place trophy.
Speaking to this and the Coulibably example above. I've noticed a trend of refs calling almost any foul in the offensive zone. This is what happened to Beasley. Next time you watch a game, take notice of how often a forward takes the ball away from a defender. It is almost impossible because the defender just has to fall over and he'll get the foul. Ever see a defender booked for diving? Never because it's a safe and easy call to make. It results in a free kick in the defensive zone.. a nothing play. But it takes away so many goal-scoring opportunities because refs referee scared now. They would rather blow a play dead then find out later that their mistake led to a goal. The same goes for offside, so many good play called offside because it's the safe play. No one really knows what would have happened.The Sybian wrote:degenerasian wrote:What are you going to do, soccer refs are stupid and players get away with it.
Speaking of Koscielny he's seen it all. In the World Cup playoffs in Kiev and the Ukrainians were diving all over the place and Koscielny finally had enough and just placed his hand on the guys face. No punch, no slap, nothing. Instant red card as the Ukrainian of course dove like he was shot.
Stupid refs make games unwatchable. World Cup will be a disaster since they'll take less experienced refs from different regions.
It's really hard to blame the refs. the speed of the game and the distance from the infraction, it is impossible to tell at times whether a player took a dive. Like someone else said, the NFL has 7 officials on a smaller field. The only solution is to allow federations and FIFA fine or suspend players after the fact with the benefit of video replay.
Yahoo Sports wrote:Rimando's anticipation has allowed him to hold opponents to a remarkably low 37.5 percent conversion rate (3 for 8) on regular-season penalty kicks from 2012-14, while the conversion rate against all other MLS goalkeepers over the same time period is 80.7 percent (121 for 150). Rimando acknowledged he has his own strategy for facing spot kicks but was predictably low-key about this particular stop.
Is Rimando that much worse than Howard? I would imagine if his anticipation in PKs is good so would his anticipation of shots and crosses in regular play. So why not just start him from the beginning?wlu_lax6 wrote:This is pretty interesting. Which leads to my next question. You are in a WC knockout round game. I can't imagine saving one of your 3 substitutions to slip a PK specialist goalie into the mix (especially after 120 minutes of field players running), but makes you wonder.Yahoo Sports wrote:Rimando's anticipation has allowed him to hold opponents to a remarkably low 37.5 percent conversion rate (3 for 8) on regular-season penalty kicks from 2012-14, while the conversion rate against all other MLS goalkeepers over the same time period is 80.7 percent (121 for 150). Rimando acknowledged he has his own strategy for facing spot kicks but was predictably low-key about this particular stop.
If all things were equal (which they're not – Howard is a better keeper), you still gotta go with the guy who's playing regular EPL ball over the guy playing MLS.degenerasian wrote:Is Rimando that much worse than Howard? I would imagine if his anticipation in PKs is good so would his anticipation of shots and crosses in regular play. So why not just start him from the beginning?wlu_lax6 wrote:This is pretty interesting. Which leads to my next question. You are in a WC knockout round game. I can't imagine saving one of your 3 substitutions to slip a PK specialist goalie into the mix (especially after 120 minutes of field players running), but makes you wonder.Yahoo Sports wrote:Rimando's anticipation has allowed him to hold opponents to a remarkably low 37.5 percent conversion rate (3 for 8) on regular-season penalty kicks from 2012-14, while the conversion rate against all other MLS goalkeepers over the same time period is 80.7 percent (121 for 150). Rimando acknowledged he has his own strategy for facing spot kicks but was predictably low-key about this particular stop.
DC47 wrote:It's hard to compare field players to keepers. And hard to compare players between eras. But in my view Tim Howard is the best soccer player the USA has ever produced. I'd appreciate the views of those who know the game better than me on two things.
Am I over rating Tim Howard?
Why has Howard never moved to one of the top EPL teams? Has he never been as good as the guys that they have between the pipes? Or are there other factors at play?
Howard played great his first season at United but then had a shocker against Porto in the UCL Quarters the next season and that was reason enough for SAF to move him on to Everton. SAF has stated more than once that Howard is a top, physical GK but he wasn't sure if he was up to playing at United in all the big games they played. Plus, he had his eye on VDS and the rest is history.DC47 wrote:Didn't know Howard started at ManU. Did he work his way up from the reserves?
Are there reasons other than quality as to why Howard (and Guzan) weren't with one of the big clubs in their prime? Did his failure with ManU permanently scare off other teams?