General Football/Soccer Talk

[Joe the Space Marine]

Yeah, he has the facial structure of a girl.

But I apologise. I shouldn't be telling people what to do.


And City is going after Adebayor. Anyone thinks he will follow the money?

[kibaxx7]

And City is going after Adebayor. Anyone thinks he will follow the money?

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story ... rs&cc=3888

That sucks Adebayor was really effective, I guess he slowed down a little when Arshavin appeared. I know they don't play the same positions, but, you know.

[Srbija]

just got back from the australian institute of sport and heard about adebayor aswell while I was down there.

what about terry, going or not? what do you all think.

[Joe the Space Marine]

I doubt it. I wouldn't go for him either. Better try Lescott or someone like that.

Looks like Ibrahimovic and Etoo will be trading places.

[Srbija]

It's official now Adebayor is gone to City

Adebayor signs for Blues

and Utd have some 21 year old Senegalese striker from Molde F.K. (Norweigen club)

(article is below, wouldnt let me put it url tags)
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={F9E570E6-407E-44BC-800F-4A3110258114}&newsid=6636392

This is from a transfer website about Diouf.

According to Manchester United’s official website, Manchester United have agreed to buy Molde F.K. striker Mame Biram Diouf. Diouf will stay at his old club on loan until January where he will then join United. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said,

“We weren’t intending on signing anyone else after [Gabriel Obertan] last week - we feel we have a full squad - but the situation accelerated to a point where other clubs started to make bids, so we had a decision to make.”

“We decided to act now and he’ll be the last person we sign this summer.”

He looks promising 17 goals from 21 games this season but I reckon he'll be somethin like Manucho and won't have a big impact

Speaking on Manucho he got sold to Real Valladolid (article is below, wouldnt let me put it url tags as the previous one)

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6636405

[Joe the Space Marine]

Seems like lots of young prospects these days fail to live up to their expected potential. Could it have something to do with the extensive media attention or the wages being so big that it's not much of an incentive to give your all?

[Srbija]

Very true. Most of the time it takes a younger player (that hasn't already established himself in the world game) alot of time to settle in and get used to the big changes and with the media aswell as fans putting pressure on you to perform at a bigger club, it dosen't help.

[J@3]

I watched a Youtube video of that new United guy, the comments were interesting... well, until United fans started getting involved, but alot of people who watch him play week in and out are surprised a team that size would go for him. Apparently he's pretty wasteful in front of goal, and his scoring is aided hugely (which I can see in the video) by the playmaking of one of their midfielders Thioune who looks really good himself. This is what SkySports said about Thioune in their thing about Diouf:

Helped by the sublime passing and playmaking abilities of Molde's third Senegalese, El Hadji Makhtar Thioune - a new recruit this season

I'll try to find the video...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1gr6I5W1pM I think that's it, check out #8.

[Joe the Space Marine]

Going with what I saw in the video, he scores easily, seems quick on his feet and has a cool goal celebration. Let's hope for his sake he'll be a legend.

[Srbija]

Doubt he'll be a legend, but he does seem like a calm finisher, you can't just go by a couple of goals on YouTube to know what he is really like day in day out.

One things for sure him and Nani will have arguments over whos celebration is better.
but for the record Nani's celebrations >>>>>

and that #8 does seem to be a pretty good playmaker for the team, seems very good technically for a midfielder and knows when to give the ball at the right moment.



p.s Jae, you see the Fitness Thread? is Jackal serious or seriously retarded.

[J@3]

Unless I'm making fun of someone I tend to avoid the fitness thread . I'm excited about City this year, they should be fun to watch. As a Villa fan I should say, Stewart Downing's been signed.. I'm happy about it, always liked him but his injury problems are concerning. It will change the style of play I'd imagine, hopefully it doesn't mean Young is off to Chelsea or wherever.

[Joe the Space Marine]

I'm counting on city to add a little flavor to the premiership. I watch that league more than my own.

Downing was like boro's man of the season. That's a good addition.
I hope villa lose agbonlaghor and young.





just kidding.

I wonder if bayern are really going to sue real for their persuit of ribery. I for one would be amused by that.

[J@3]

Nah I can't see it happening, I think every season some team wants to sue Real for going after one of their players it would be good though. In an ideal World they'd get sued and lose a tonne of money, then have to sell all the guys they just signed to cover their debts.

[Joe the Space Marine]

I understand it's a free market and all. But sometimes I get pissed of that big clubs can buy the best players of my fav club and then end up not even using them. Why buy them in the first place then.

[Srbija]

I think every season some team wants to sue Real for going after one of their players

so true, like Manchester last season when Real were going for Ronaldo.

Villa last season I thought they would be the ones to finish 4th and for the first time in how long not have the same 4 teams finish top 4, then they just buckled at the end of the season. Still, for me Villa is one of the more exciting teams in the EPL players like Agbonlahor and Young make it a joy to watch them play.

edit: off-topic again but I need to know what's a good DVD burning program? besides Nero

[J@3]

Just looking through the tabloid headlines the BBC are showing, the transfer market is ridiculous at the moment. The prices are stupidly inflated...

Everton want £30 million for Joleon Lescott
Portsmouth want £12 million for Peter Crouch
Aston Villa want £30 million for Ashley Young
Crystal Palace want £5 million for some defender I've never heard of
Reading want £5.5 million for a midfielder I've never heard of
Gremio want £20 million for Douglas Costa
Liverpool want £32 million for Xabi Alonso
Real Madrid want £15 million for Alvaro Negredo
Leeds (who are in like the 3rd division) want £6 million for Fabian Delph

I know they're tabloids but they are generally fairly right when it comes to transfer fees. Compare those to some of these signings made in the last 5 years...

Arjen Robben to Chelsea £12 million
Petr Cech to Chelsea £8 million
Wayne Rooney to Man U £27 million (less than Young and Lescott)
Roque Santa Cruz to Blackburn for £3.5 million
Fernando Torres to Liverpool for £27 million
Ashley Cole to Chelsea for £5 million + Gallas
Dimitar Berbatov £10.9 million
Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Inter for £25 million

Some of those numbers are still high but when you consider the actual players being transferred... I mean in 2006-7 you could get freaking Zlatan Ibrahimovic for 25 mil, in 2009 you can get Joleon Lescott for 30

[J@3]

I understand it's a free market and all. But sometimes I get pissed of that big clubs can buy the best players of my fav club and then end up not even using them. Why buy them in the first place then.

This was my biggest gripe with Chelsea after Roman first took over. They went out and signed guys like Scott Parker and Sean Wright-Phillips then basically left them to rot on the bench. Thankfully SWP recovered and is getting back to what he was before they bought him but Scott Parker hasn't been the same since he left Charlton.

[Srbija]

Football is a booming business these days.

Looking back at those transfers. Rooney was what 17-18? when he got signed to Utd, 27 million is crazy money aswell.

[J@3]

I think he was, though he'd been around for a couple of years already with Everton. I was living in England when he scored against Arsenal at 16, he was all over the news and in the papers for days. Never thought he'd end up this good though.

[Joe the Space Marine]

I don't burn dvd's really. The few I have burned was with nero, so I can't help you there Srbija.

[Srbija]

Yeah I remember that goal aswell, he certainly has lived up to all the hype about him while he was young.

Also, on those transfers, some of those players weren't as established as they are now I mean who seriously knew Robben would turn out to be one of the deadliest wingers in the game before Chelsea ? You could also argue that Ronaldo came to Manchester for like 12 million and now Lescott's asking price is 30 million.

In football, even 1 season can make a big difference.

[Joe the Space Marine]

That's what women usually don't get about football. They are like, what's so interesting about kicking a ball? While I love the game itself as no 2 games are exactly the same as are goals, there's also so much going on beside the kicking the ball aspect of it.

[J@3]

Also, on those transfers, some of those players weren't as established as they are now I mean who seriously knew Robben would turn out to be one of the deadliest wingers in the game before Chelsea ?

Oh I did. He was a beast on FM/CM for years, most CM fans loved him by the time Chelsea finally got around to signing him. Zlatan was established, as was Berbatov, Cole and Torres. With guys like Santa Cruz and Berbatov it's just a case of the bigger EPL clubs hovering like vultures. If a smaller less established team signs a guy, he does well, then they swoop and take him rather than buying him cheaply the year before and waiting to see if he works out or not. Man U nearly signed Morten Gamst Pedersen but they let Blackburn take him in order to basically do the same thing... only he didn't pan out quite as good as they expected so they haven't gone back to get him.

Edit: I do realize how ridiculous it sounds to say you know a guy will be good because of a video game but those guys do their research, plus he was being looked at by quite a few clubs already. I think they were just put off by the price tag, which wasn't a problem for Chelsea.

[Srbija]

Cole for me was the only one that was established as world player (After Roberto Carlos he for me was the best LB in the world). Don't get me wrong everybody knew Torres & Ibrah but they would not know how they would go outside the clubs that had brought them up to that level. Alot of people had doubts about Torres not being able to handle the EPL and now he has proved alot of those critics wrong and just because of 1 season in the EPL if he was to go anywhere right now he would be sold for double than what he came for just because he proved himself on the world stage not just in and around Spain. With Zlatan it's a similiar story alot of people knew he was a good player but after he came to Inter he became one of the world's best players. But when I said some of those players weren't as established as they are now, I didn't mean any of these two, was more directed towards Santa Cruz, Robben, Cech (who is now probably the best GK in the world) who were promising players before but no one really knew if they would keep rising or fall. But yeah, hopefully you see what I was trying to say.

lol @ FM, I still remember that FM Thread we had. FM 06 was the last one I played I must get back into it again. You still play?

[J@3]

I always saw Torres as established personally, much like David Villa now (actually their situations for me are very similar). Obviously untested outside of Spain but when you're that good the failure rate is fairly low. I do think a big part of the inflated transfer fees for English-based players is because they are proven already in the EPL. If Valencia had've been playing in Spain instead of Wigan I doubt United would pay 17 mil for him.

I've been playing FM09 a little bit... it's kinda slow though, hard to get into. Loved FM08 though you should pick it up.