D'Juhn Keep on 1/4/2008 at 21:31

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I know sports thread have never gotten much shrift from TTLG. Too much reading about exercise while our pale carcasses get ever more unfit. But anyway! I hope that people can feel free to discuss whatever sport they are interested in within, even that thing they call "football" in America, known as "rugby with extra pads" here.

To kick off, Manchester United are looking a good bet to win the (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/champions_league_fixtures/default.stm) Champion's League in european football. For the uninitiated, this is a competition where the best soccer teams from the European leagues (and now the russian league) play each other. First in a league and then culminating in a knock out. Man Utd are also favourites to win the (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/table/default.stm) English Premier League and Ronaldo is looking like the player of the year, awards to the contrary.

In cricket, England just beat the mighty New Zealand in a hard fought test series in New Zealand so should be confident in the return fixture and the one day and 20/20 fixtures in England.

ACT SMILEY on 2/4/2008 at 02:34

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Bah. Champions League is rubbish (although I was admittedly a bit disappointed when I found out that Schalke lost their home leg, they're a good side with some good fans), the FA Cup is the best thing on Earth.

So, went to see Cardiff - West Brom and how that managed to be 0-0 I don't know. Cardiff's lack of strikers was painful, they ended up playing Trevor Sinclair on his own, they're really going to struggle with that at Wembley this weekend - while Barnsley are pretty tough to break down, the likes of Whittingham, Ramsey, Parry, Sinclair and Ledley are good enough to create chances against them but when the only out-and-out strikers are the out-of-shape and just back from suspension Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the inept lump of Steve Thompson (early on he had a chance on the edge of the six yard box, keeper's indecision gave him the perfect chance to put it into the bottom corner and he pretty much sent it out the ground) and the downright pathetic Feeney (at least if there were only 10 men the empty space couldn't loose possesion), it puts far too much pressure on the midfield to score. Pity they couldn't get Earnshaw back on loan, would have been the perfect signing for them. Having said that, Parry has done a good job being pushed up front considering, but he went off looking rather worse for wear so I dunno if he'll be fit for the weekend, which would be a huge problem.
Oh and Glenn Loovens is immense (and Roger Johnson isn't half bad either).

First FA Cup semi on the TV on Saturday, West Bromwich Albion vs. Portsmouth, I reckon Pompey'll win it 3-2 or so, because fucking hell West Brom cannot defend. At all. They're an absolute shambles, the other Paul Robinson is even worse than his namesake and the rest of the back 4 are just as bad. Kiely is past-it, indecisive and flaps at everything. On the other hand, they've got a quality midfield with Gera and Koren and they're pretty handy up front too. Can see them forcing David James into doing something stupid or creating chances of their own right. Still though, Portsmouth are better, if by far less than the Sky marketing machine would have you believe.

Next up, hopefully Sheffield Utd vs. Leicester City on Saturday, where we get a nice trip up to Sheffield to get humped by the other massively underachieving mediocre bunch as its an absolute impossibility for us to win twice in a row at the minute. Luckily Southampton are absolutely dire and Sheffield Wednesday's first game in hand was a draw with Coventry which doesn't help either of them, which means we can hopefully stay up. Then again, we do tend to cock things up in dramatic fashion, so we'll lose 2-1, with a last minute overhead kick own-goal from Matt Oakley or something. Bit annoying really that after Mandaric dumped in a load of cash we end up precisely where we were this time last year after signing about seventy players then telling most of them to leave and getting another seventy - on paper, we've got a good side now but in practice we get the basics wrong time and time again, its embarrassing. You're being paid thousands of pounds a week for crying out loud McAuley, you should be able to make a pass without saying " 'AVE IT!" in your head every time.

Following that, the other FA Cup semifinal on Sunday. Thanks to standing on the Bob Bank on a freezing cold night watching Cardiff beat Hull, I ended up getting some tickets, which I'm rather pleased about as it gives me the chance to go to Wembley, in order to rant about how awkward it is to get to, about how much of a waste of money it is, about how soulless it is and all the rest. Anyway, Cardiff vs. Barnsley, anyones guess really, pretty evenly matched sides, but can't see many goals in it. Pity it couldn't be the final really, as I want to see Cardiff do well and Barnsley've put out Liverpool and Chelsea so it'd be a bit gutting from their point of view to trek all the way down to London and lose to a team who they're playing in a couple of weeks anyway.

And yes, I'm well aware this post has combined the worst of blogs, terrible punditry that would make even the Channel 5 commentry team shudder and stating the obvious. :)

Matthew on 2/4/2008 at 08:49

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Anyone else here a member of Myfootballclub.co.uk? Rather stunningly the team we bought a controlling interest in, Ebbsfleet, just managed to get to the FA Trophy final at Wembley, so I'm going over for it. :D

nickie on 2/4/2008 at 11:11

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We aim to please. :)



(http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A34036256) Robbo's take on United and Ronaldo

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/7322202.stm) And some Quotes of the Week

Oops Chelsea lost - sure that wasn't in the gameplan. Bring back the Special One! Despite being very anti a number of teams, if they're in Europe, then I'm for them. But I unapologetically lmao whenever Chelsea loses anywhere. You've got a manager like Murinho - and you dump him for Avram Grant? Who? Can't even be arsed to fly to Israel to do his coaching thingy.

Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool - 2nd leg should be interesting.

Gray on 3/4/2008 at 02:06

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Oh yeah!

Um, that sports team you like, they're not nearly as good as that other team, competing in the same sport, whichever that may be, of an opposing town/country/contintent/etc. Clearly, the former, I'm sure, are quite used to losing to the latter, and how! Take that, national/regional/local pride! Hah! You suck!

So there.


Yeah, I know sports, me.