Sexydadbod Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 8 hours ago, Duracell said: Talking of Michael Owen: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/04/13/well-done-hes-13-revisiting-michael-owens-soccer-skills/ He was a quality player in his prime. I remember watching as a young lad Owen bursting into the England squad in the 1998 world cup where he had no fear. It's a shame that injuries seemed to ruin a lot of quality players in that period, Owen, Ronaldo etc. Maybe ruin is a bit harsh but stop them from reaching their full potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sexydadbod Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 10 hours ago, Bris Vegas said: Michael Owen is as bland as you can get, so he then purposely comes out with outrageous comments just to cause a bit of controversy and give his 'personality' a bit of umph. To be a pundit for one of the big broadcasters these days you need to purposely be controversial. Danny Higginbotham is the best out there by a mile, but he's forever pushed into commentary on the football league or European matches. Seems they don't want him for the games with large audiences because he rarely criticises. He's too positive for his own good. Richard Hughes(former portsmouth player) and Don Hutchinson are also decent commentators. Both have a lot of knowledge about domestic and european football but they seem to be ignored in the big games by putting them on Serie A games and Bundesliga games respectively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew3000 Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 On 6/1/2016 at 18:31, Posh Ram said: It's intriguing because all of the best squads have quite big areas of weakness. France seem to be lacking a number nine up front and it's bizarre in my opinion to have gone with Giroud and Gignac over Gameiro and Lacazette. That being said they may well play Payet as a "false nine" which means there's the frightening prospect of a Griezmann/Payet/Martial front line which imo will score goals for fun. The French defence isn't the best now Varane is injured, Koscielny is a good centre-half but I'm not convinced by Mangala. Will they start Evra and Sagna at full-back? Both of them are a little past it imo. Germany haven't been good recently. Like France they face the choice between playing an attacking midfielder out of position (Müller) or starting an old striker (Gomez). They've regressed from 2014 for sure but then again that side that won the World Cup was one of the most dominant ever. I'm intrigued to see how Draxler, Kimmich, Weigl, Rudiger and Sane do because that young group will probably form the core of their side by 2018/2020 and right now I'd say England's young players look better. Spain is a bizarre case because they've obviously been dominant in the past but they were terrible at the World Cup. Like Germany they seem to be caught between two generations - it seems a bit ridiculous that, for example, Thiago only has 9 caps. I could see them blowing a little hot and cold although I wouldn't be concerned about their lack of strikers. Morata is a v good player and Aduriz had a really good season. At Euro 2012 they brought Llorente, Negredo and Torres and ended up starting Fabregas up front so they could go with that option again if none of the strikers are doing it. I don't want to overhype England but we definitely have the best set of attacking players. Kane is world class, Vardy looks good in an England shirt and will be a great foil for Kane. Rooney and Alli will add goals from midfield. Rashford is an unknown quantity but I reckon he'll get a goal or two. Sturridge on his day is brilliant and he could make an impact as a sub. However, the defence is clearly an issue. Smalling is a good defender but realistically for Spain or Germany he'd struggle to make the squad. Cahill and Stones are coming off mediocre seasons. None of the full-backs have a lot of international experience although Rose and Walker had very good seasons and they'll link up well with Alli, Dier and Kane. Italy as always could be dark horses although their attack looks pretty woeful. Belgium have one of the best squads on paper, even with Kompany injured, but they never seem to put it all together and they're in the group of death. Portugal have a really easy group but they look like a one-man team. tl;dr: after lots of consideration, I have no idea who will win Euro 2016. I just can't resist. please forgive me...."we harry kane!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maydrakin Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 The issue is with the tv channels is they seem to think you need to know who the summarisers are. Therefore, they have to have played for one of the teams they are commenting on, or played for one of the highest ranked teams. Hence, we don't get well reasoned, intelligent overviews, we get Martin Keown or Alan Shearer instead. Danny Higginbotham didn't play for a "cool" team, so who cares what he has to say. Get Lawro in, he's a laugh a minute... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alph Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 All pundits should be used as cricket bats. Especially the Sky Sports Tan brigade. Thierry Henry is now the only white guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highgate Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 30 minutes ago, Alpha said: All pundits should be used as cricket bats. Especially the Sky Sports Tan brigade. Thierry Henry is now the only white guy Surely it's only a matter of time before Phil Brown becomes a regular Sky pundit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bris Vegas Posted June 5, 2016 Author Share Posted June 5, 2016 Crazy to think that Northern Ireland head into Euro 2016 on the longest unbeaten run (12 games) of any nation who has qualified. Goes to show how tactical nous can overcome the lack of quality players. Also you need the rub of the green. But that record is astonishing when you consider their team is made up of the likes of Kyle Lafferty, Jamie Ward, Chris Baird, Oliver Norwood... Sometimes in football, it seems easier to just play defensive and win games through set-pieces and counterattacks than having a quality squad trying to win games via possession and domination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highgate Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 5 minutes ago, Bris Vegas said: Crazy to think that Northern Ireland head into Euro 2016 on the longest unbeaten run (12 games) of any nation who has qualified. Goes to show how tactical nous can overcome the lack of quality players. Also you need the rub of the green. But that record is astonishing when you consider their team is made up of the likes of Kyle Lafferty, Jamie Ward, Chris Baird, Oliver Norwood... Sometimes in football, it seems easier to just play defensive and win games through set-pieces and counterattacks than having a quality squad trying to win games via possession and domination. Yeah, it says a lot for Michael O'Neill as a manager. Clearly seems to know what he is doing, even though he had no experience of managing at a high level. Sometimes it's worth taking a chance on an inexperienced manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alph Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 3 hours ago, Highgate said: Surely it's only a matter of time before Phil Brown becomes a regular Sky pundit? Needs to wear more make up though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadioactiveWaste Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 14 hours ago, Alpha said: Needs to wear more make up though. The only man who could work the railways with no orange hi-vis required Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 http://www.socceronsunday.com/article/roy-keane-walks-ireland-euros-camp/ Roy Keane has sensationally walked out of the Republic of Ireland’s training headquarters in Versailles. Assistant Manager Keane recently slammed the Irish squad after a poor final warm-up game against Belarus, and has reportedly been unhappy with preparations. McGeady “The usual nonsense,” Keane told Soccer on Sunday. “Players not tuned in, thinking we’re here for a jolly. I burst into Aidan McGeady’s bedroom this morning to tell him he’s *****. I was looking for a strong reaction, but the lad burst into tears. ‘Please Roy, not again, I can’t take it any more‘. Usual. Not strong enough. Mentally, afraid of that next step.” “And the facilities are a joke,” added the Corkman. “I went out at 3 am this morning with a hacksaw and had the goalposts down in 45 minutes flat. Shoddy craftsmanship. A bit of petrol, and the bibs went up like a bonfire too. Not even flame-retardant. Now we’ve no goalposts and no gear. Typical FAI.” Stool With Keane gone, several members of the squad admit to feeling relieved. “Roy frightens me,” James McCarthy told Soccer on Sunday. “He asked me how I was feeling yesterday, and when I said I found a bit of blood in my stool, he lost it. ‘It’s a man’s game’, he roared at me. ‘Your poo should be redder than Alex Ferguson’s nose’. Then he told me I was turning into a right little McGeady, which was horrible for Aidan because he was standing a few feet away with his parents.” “He also kept screaming that I’m just like my ould’ fella,” the Everton midfielder added. “I think he thinks I’m Mick McCarthy’s son. It would explain why he always asks after my dad, and seems disappointed when I say he’s doing well.” O’Neill Ireland manager Martin O’Neill is disappointed, but not surprised to have lost Keane. “Roy is Roy,” he told Soccer on Sunday. “It was always likely to end this way. Do I wish he hadn’t walked out? Yes. Do I wish he hadn’t sliced all of our footballs in two, and cut the nipples out of every match-day jersey? Absolutely. But the show goes on.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mafiabob Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 99% of pundits are failed/wannabe coaches who have taken the easy money to give out their views on football from the comfort of a studio. Yet we eat up their knowledge on football and think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Overpaid, overpriced egos who need 15 different camera angles to realise what they said first is wrong and change their mind all of a sudden as the producer shouts down their ear to make a incident "controversial" Amazing really. Ian Wright is the biggest culprit of them all. Absolute hypocrite to the nth degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sexydadbod Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 44 minutes ago, Anon said: http://www.socceronsunday.com/article/roy-keane-walks-ireland-euros-camp/ Roy Keane has sensationally walked out of the Republic of Ireland’s training headquarters in Versailles. Assistant Manager Keane recently slammed the Irish squad after a poor final warm-up game against Belarus, and has reportedly been unhappy with preparations. McGeady “The usual nonsense,” Keane told Soccer on Sunday. “Players not tuned in, thinking we’re here for a jolly. I burst into Aidan McGeady’s bedroom this morning to tell him he’s *****. I was looking for a strong reaction, but the lad burst into tears. ‘Please Roy, not again, I can’t take it any more‘. Usual. Not strong enough. Mentally, afraid of that next step.” “And the facilities are a joke,” added the Corkman. “I went out at 3 am this morning with a hacksaw and had the goalposts down in 45 minutes flat. Shoddy craftsmanship. A bit of petrol, and the bibs went up like a bonfire too. Not even flame-retardant. Now we’ve no goalposts and no gear. Typical FAI.” Stool With Keane gone, several members of the squad admit to feeling relieved. “Roy frightens me,” James McCarthy told Soccer on Sunday. “He asked me how I was feeling yesterday, and when I said I found a bit of blood in my stool, he lost it. ‘It’s a man’s game’, he roared at me. ‘Your poo should be redder than Alex Ferguson’s nose’. Then he told me I was turning into a right little McGeady, which was horrible for Aidan because he was standing a few feet away with his parents.” “He also kept screaming that I’m just like my ould’ fella,” the Everton midfielder added. “I think he thinks I’m Mick McCarthy’s son. It would explain why he always asks after my dad, and seems disappointed when I say he’s doing well.” O’Neill Ireland manager Martin O’Neill is disappointed, but not surprised to have lost Keane. “Roy is Roy,” he told Soccer on Sunday. “It was always likely to end this way. Do I wish he hadn’t walked out? Yes. Do I wish he hadn’t sliced all of our footballs in two, and cut the nipples out of every match-day jersey? Absolutely. But the show goes on.” That's pretty funny to be honest,especially the part about James McCarthy being Mick's son. Footballers 10-20 years ago wouldn't have cried like little b*tches. The problem Roy Keane has is that he is old school and not used to the modern way where footballers don't have the mental capacity to take criticism. That's what separates the good to brilliant players. The top players would use the criticism to help them to become better, just like Modric and Gareth Bale did when they were slaughtered by the Real Madrid fans. Now they are both fan favourites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockholmRam Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 On 3 Jun 2016 at 00:27, Highgate said: It is an exceptionally good league. Great crowds and atmosphere (helped by the terracing I'm sure), good attacking football and very well run clubs, with mostly fan ownership. It's a shame Bayern have dominated so much in recent years. I used to be based near Hanover in the 80s so regularly went to watch 96 play. It was an excellent league to watch in those days. Borrusia Munchengladbach, FC Cologne, Bayern, Hamburg all able to contest each other for the title. A few English players playing in those leagues then too. Fun days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posh Ram Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 3 hours ago, Mafiabob said: 99% of pundits are failed/wannabe coaches who have taken the easy money to give out their views on football from the comfort of a studio. Yet we eat up their knowledge on football and think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Overpaid, overpriced egos who need 15 different camera angles to realise what they said first is wrong and change their mind all of a sudden as the producer shouts down their ear to make a incident "controversial" Amazing really. Ian Wright is the biggest culprit of them all. Absolute hypocrite to the nth degree. I agree. The main problem, imo, is the perception that one has to have played football at a high level to be able to talk about the game or, even worse, that playing the game at a high level makes a former player insightful and his knowledge valuable. It's the same problem that damaged football management for ages - the assumption that having played the game at a high level makes you better equipped to manage a team despite the fact footballers are generally pretty thick. Managers like Wenger, Klopp, Mourinho, Loew, etc. are proving this isn't true. Hopefully in the future the same will happen with pundits; I'd much see Simon Kuper or Michael Cox or any of the writers at whoscored than some of the drivel put out by Garth Crooks, Wright, Michael Owen, Andy Townsend etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockholmRam Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 On 2 Jun 2016 at 15:23, Bris Vegas said: I just did this. Had England finishing top, and getting Croatia in the second phase. Then after winning, had them getting Portugal in the quarter-finals with Spain awaiting in the semi-finals and later France/Germany in the final. That's a tough run to win it! All I guess depends on the third-placed sides, and the inevitable shocks in the group stages where surely one of the so-called bug guns will finish second rather than top. It wouldn't surprise me if England ended up finishing second in the group. It's rare we just breeze through! Our group worries the cr@p out of me Bris. It's one of those that unknowns for me. I'm clueless about Russia these days and Slovakia have to be decent to score 3 past the Germans...friendly or not. Wales I watched yesterday lose 3-0 to Sweden. I know they will come all guns blazing and have some special talent but after watching them play over here I'd say they must be worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale The Ram Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 This really did make me realise how stupid match analysis is. Gotta love Cloughie, always said it how it was and by the way @McLovin I'm sure Roy Keane cried once when BC gave him a punch in the gut at half time because he was playing terribly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mafiabob Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 53 minutes ago, Posh Ram said: I agree. The main problem, imo, is the perception that one has to have played football at a high level to be able to talk about the game or, even worse, that playing the game at a high level makes a former player insightful and his knowledge valuable. It's the same problem that damaged football management for ages - the assumption that having played the game at a high level makes you better equipped to manage a team despite the fact footballers are generally pretty thick. Managers like Wenger, Klopp, Mourinho, Loew, etc. are proving this isn't true. Hopefully in the future the same will happen with pundits; I'd much see Simon Kuper or Michael Cox or any of the writers at whoscored than some of the drivel put out by Garth Crooks, Wright, Michael Owen, Andy Townsend etc Totally agree, and this is what gets me..... They are so far detached from the reality of football nowadays. Live in a complete bubble..... View them with the same treaperdition as politicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bris Vegas Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 I have a combined accumulator for a few Euro and Copa America group games. Just ones I believe will come happen, gut feeling rather than particular logic behind it. Anywhere here it is: France vs Romania Uruguay vs Venezuela Poland vs Northern Ireland England vs Wales Uruguay vs Jamaica Brazil vs Haiti Got around 10/1 on it. I know I shouldn't be advocating any betting here. But there are some interesting fixtures to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 C'Mon then @McLovin, give us a decent outsider for the golden boot! E/W so make it 16's or above, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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