12/21/24
September 20, 2004
Why wait?: Apparently six matches are enough for Camacho to decide he can't handle the Galacticos' truth while over in England Sir Bobby got dumped after even fewer matches. I can't even keep track of the constant coaching changes in Brazil where some teams have had three or four coaches since the end of last season and the velocity of change is approaching the speed of light. WTF, dudes and dudettes? Or is this just another of the differences from American pro sports...
posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 11:27 AM - 22 comments
This after Cloughie's Nottingham Forest unbeaten record was just broken by Arsenal. Did Arsenal kill Cloughie? btw, Robson is in his late 70s, isn't he? He's earned a good rest, and doesn't need the aggro, I think. Oh, and Benitez ain't doing too badly, eh? The Pool is starting to play like the champions of old. Kick Man U's ass today! (Hey, how to bypass the BBC block on Net radio listeners from the US? Somebody hope me!)
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:13 PM on September 20, 2004
I heard about that block thing but i don't know where from. Something about using another proxy. Anyway, i know Robson is old but he doesn't want to quit yet. And i think we all owe it to him.
posted by StarFucker at 12:25 PM on September 20, 2004
Oh hey everyone...the game is on FSW today and then again tonight. So do like me and avoid this site and all football site till you get home and watch it while eating dinner!
posted by StarFucker at 12:27 PM on September 20, 2004
Ooo, it's only on Fox Sports Espanol, as far as I can see. Which is a real bummer. We have the FSW down at the cafeteria, but I don't think it carries FSE. Man. I'll have to check in at lunch. It's nice to have TV at work.
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:39 PM on September 20, 2004
DUDE!! Don't ever scare me like that again...its ON FSW! http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2646572 I had to go check just to make sure AGAIN, even though i have already done that like 10 times over the weekend. And it on again tonight, like i said. Check the PDF for more info... Dammit worldcup...i almost left work to go somewhere to watch it...jeez.
posted by StarFucker at 12:44 PM on September 20, 2004
Hey man, sorry to freak you out. I checked the Yahoo TV listings and it just said PAID PROGRAMMING at noon. Some of my colleagues need a speaking to. And if you're right, I am so taking a long lunch break. OH. MY. GOD!
posted by worldcup2002 at 01:33 PM on September 20, 2004
Well, is FSW the same as FSBA (Bay Area)? I thought it was. But on my FSBA, it's Golf (repeat) at noon PST (= 3pm EST, which is the live time for the match, the right time). I have a bad feeling about this. :(
posted by worldcup2002 at 01:38 PM on September 20, 2004
Ohmygod - thanks to the fact that I work for FIFAworldcup ... one of my colleagues has DirecTV in his cube. We are watching it LIVE! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL. I love this job.
posted by worldcup2002 at 01:51 PM on September 20, 2004
I will not be back till tonight... Gotta watch it for the first time without knowing the score. Hope its a good game!
posted by StarFucker at 02:18 PM on September 20, 2004
I won't post any spoilers.
posted by worldcup2002 at 02:33 PM on September 20, 2004
WC, FSBA and FSW ARE NOT THE SAME CHANNEL!!! I am watching the game live right now. Also, be sure you are looking at Pacific times and not Eastern times for the schedule, since FSW has only one national channel and not two like the bigger nets. If you have Comcast (the cable provider in this area) in your office, the game is on channel 401.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:20 PM on September 20, 2004
And as for the first 66 minutes I will say the referees suck my a55 and so does our midfield play.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:24 PM on September 20, 2004
I am sorry to say that Kewell was crap today. But so was Cisse... Carragher was a fucking pile of nerves as usual... Was there even a shot on goal besides the two headers from Silvestre and the own goal fuckup by United?!
posted by StarFucker at 08:57 PM on September 20, 2004
Giggs's two assists helped me out fantasy wide, at least. Made four transfers this week too. I will be in the top ten this time next week....fuckers.
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:23 PM on September 20, 2004
holy crap - here's my analysis of the game: Teamplay - shapeless. Altho there appeared to be more passing than in the Houllier approach, still, there was little control over the direction that the ball was sent. Rhythm - see Teamplay. Again, unable to control the flow of the game. Shots on goal in the first half - ZERO. Cisse - shite. Totally useless. Not a single good touch. No effort made to contribute to the team. Calling him the next Heskey would be an insult to Emile. At least he worked for the ball. Every time Cisse got the ball at midfield, he couldn't wait to touch it away and run off so someone could give him the through ball. Never served any connecting role. Just wait for the "perfect" ball. Challenge for the ball, you overpaid plonker! Chase the ball as if you really want it! Kewell - anonymous. Shouldn't have started. I'd rather Hamann started behind Alonso and Gerrard, instead of Kewell picking flowers on the sideline. Garcia - what a joy to see someone trying to find gaps to play through. Experimenting, taking risks, tackling back. A welcome addition to the team. We need two more of him. Alonso - Less energetic than Gerrard, but didn't need to be. Cultured player with long-range vision and two-steps ahead passing. Unafraid to go into the tackle. Gerrard - Stevie is exciting to watch when he comes powering forward. Such intent and hunger in his play. Hyppia - solid Josemi - adventurous. Setpiece defending - where is it? Aside from posting players at each post, is there any marking plan? Silvestre - totally unmarked both times he scored. Also, both times, defenders were _behind_ him when he got the ball. Who was supposed to be marking him? Hyppia can't cover every inch of the box. My guess was Carragher or Riise, maybe Josemi, but nobody did their job here. After the first goal, they should have had someone doing man-to-man marking on Silvestre. Ronaldo - invention and trickery on a stick. Liverpool had no real answer to him. Allowed to play too freely. Man U - played well within themselves. Never troubled. Their own goal was just something they could laugh off. And Liverpool were lucky not to have let in more.
posted by worldcup2002 at 10:00 PM on September 20, 2004
Commentators suggested that your pal Cisse should have been marking Silvestre on the first goal. I will tell you know that I have Cisse on both league teams and even though it's going to cost me four points in the EPL, I am selling him off both tomorrow. And the second goal was a joke, that clearly should have been a goal kick and not a corner. However, I will pretty much agree with your analysis overall. Not on Hyppia, though, possibly he should have had better help at the back than Carragher and Finnan (you didn't mention them) but I thought he was generally giving the ball away too easily. Plus, can someone teach Dudek how to kick the ball to a teammate on goal kicks and the like? Please??? Overall I was just happy to hear the final whistle without ManU putting more in the net. We're just lucky Paul Scholes had a subpar game I think, because if he could have been closer to Ronaldo and Giggs it would have been four or five.
posted by billsaysthis at 10:27 PM on September 20, 2004
Easily four or five even with Scholes playing at half-tank - Ronaldo's first long-range attempt that hit the pitch and then ricocheted of Dudek's right post was the first let-off. Then Ruud's redirected header which went narrowly wide. And that weighted long-range header (or shot) from I-don't-know-who that had Dudek diving backwards to touch it over. I didn't mention Carragher or Finnan because they didn't bear mentioning. Would've liked to see some real solidity in defense. Some crunching tackles. Someone imposing their will on the game. Closing Ronaldo down. I mean everytime Ferdinand got the ball, nobody really messed with him. Cisse just ran back to the halfway line. I think only Garcia was challenging defenders for balls. Offense is the best defense doesn't seem to have been drilled into a lot of the old Liverpool players' heads. And Ciise marking back? You're having a laugh. He doesn't even attack the defender after he's lost the ball. You want him to run back and mark a defender? Standing on the halfway line with his hands on his hips, is more like it. If he doesn't play a blinder by the second half of the season, I see him being sold back to France. Let's get more players who will get the ball, rather than expect it only to be played right to their feet. I think the team would've been more solid with the following players starting: Dudek (he was unprotected - no real fault here) ================================ Josemi - Carragher - Hyppia - Finnan (I really don't have other options but someone help me out if you do) ================================ Hamann Riise - Alonso - Gerrard OR Alonso - Gerrard (drop Riise or drop Carragher and slot Riise in center w/ Hyppia) ================================ Garcia Baros OR Baros - Cisse (with Garcia always playing linkup behind one or two strikers)
posted by worldcup2002 at 10:51 PM on September 20, 2004
On topic, the reason why coaches/managers get the sack earlier in football than in US team sports, in general, is that it's considered fairly straightforward to tell whether the summer signings and the team in general is going to work. And if you're a team with championship aspirations, it's important to make the change and stop the rot early. (And ensure that any 'resting' managers don't get poached by other clubs.) I'd imagine that changing NFL coaches, in particular, is a pretty tough thing to do mid-season, given the complexity of the playbook that each head coach brings in. But it's interesting to compare national differences: in Italy, for instance, the big names tend not to stick around for more than a year or two, and have done the rounds of all the big clubs. There's less of a merry-go-round in England, though the days of managers with Clough-like longevity are over.
posted by etagloh at 11:52 PM on September 20, 2004
Well, WC, what's your lineup with Gerrard out for two months with a broken foot? End of the season for Liverpool? Or is this Igor Biscan's last chance to shine? As for yesterday, I know Riise was announced as MF but as far as I could see he was playing left back. Maybe if Finnan wasn't a ghost we might have had a bit more defending overall. And what is it with English players and broken feet anyway??? Etagloh, what do you think about Camacho leaving? Will SGE end up as the longterm replacement?
posted by billsaysthis at 11:16 AM on September 21, 2004
Well, bill, my new lineup w/o Stevie would of course have Hamann and Alonso in midfield. Benitez won't start Biscan but will use him as cover for Hamann. That leaves Invisible Man Kewell and Riise to start in midfield, with Garcia playing in the hole behind Baros (preferably). They could play it in a diamond, with Hamann anchoring Alonso and Riise, Garcia playing in a deeper role, Cisse and Baros pairing up, with Baros playing a little more back (because Cisse is a lazy plonker). Sorry again for going off-track.
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:34 AM on September 21, 2004
We need to get to the January transfer window without more injuries. Garcia, Riise and Dudek all looked close to leaving the field for hurting yesterday.
posted by billsaysthis at 12:00 PM on September 21, 2004
As long as Houllier is gone i'm okay... But honestly, i liked Bobby Robson the best. He seems like such a nice fella. I hope he gets another job real soon. And any stories about Brian Clough?