Real Football (Soccer to you Yanks) Thread

[Springsteen]

Press conference at 4PM (so it'll start about 4.15PM) to announce Roy Hodgson as the new England manager.

Geoff Shreeves is going to Harry Redknapp's house to tell him he isn't England manager, definitely isn't.

 

[Zorak]

All I ask of Hodgson is he picks players based off of their current seasons performances. Sick and tired of bringing big name players to a tournament who then have to be carried.

 

[TGLucario475]

All I ask of Hodgson is he picks players based off of their current seasons performances. Sick and tired of bringing big name players to a tournament who then have to be carried.

That's why they didn't pick Harry then, he would of chosen players based on form.

 

[Springsteen]

He should say to the older players, look I want to do this my own way, bring in some younger players, because the likes of Lampard, Gerrard, Terry and Ferdinand shouldn't really be first choices now, it should be younger players. Don't so much do it for the Euro's, but England do have a couple of warm up matches before them and maybe he can play a team full of youngsters (he'd still have his provisional squad then) and see how they get on. If England get to the quarter finals, that's perfectly fine, because he hasn't had much time with the players. It's the 2014 World Cup qualifying which will give us a better idea.

 

[Springsteen]

Roy looks dignified and well in his press conference here. He also used the words "Liverpool" and "in the past" in the same sentence, well played. :cool

The media need to get over the fact that Redknapp isn't the manager though.

 

[CaptainTurtles]

Just wanted to share this with all of you...

9 years a go to the day, Swansea City played Hull in a game that would determine our survival in the football league. We won the game 4-2 (highlights below if any are interested). And today, we unveiled our centenary year away kit for our second season in the premier league! Flying the flag for Wales =)



[video=youtube;EIkFuYD9Q2g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EIkFuYD9Q2g[/video]

 

[porterjack]

Just wanted to share this with all of you...

9 years a go to the day, Swansea City played Hull in a game that would determine our survival in the football league. We won the game 4-2 (highlights below if any are interested). And today, we unveiled our centenary year away kit for our second season in the premier league! Flying the flag for Wales =)



[video=youtube;EIkFuYD9Q2g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EIkFuYD9Q2g[/video]

do you have to have a certain number of welsh players in the same way that CFL teams need so many Canadians?

 

[CaptainTurtles]

In the premier league, since (I think last year?) they introduced a new rule that each squad has 25 men, and 8 of those has to be "homegrown". However I think the "homegrown" rule is something like the player has to have been in a clubs academy in the country for three years between the age of 16 and 21.

 

[TGLucario475]

I kinda think the home-grown rule is a joke, teams should have a spending cap (per season) for transfers instead.

 

[Springsteen]

Yeah the player doesn't have to be necessarily British, just in the English/Welsh system for 3 years before the age of 21. For example Cesc Fabregas was homegrown for Arsenal before he left.

 

[porterjack]

For example Cesc Fabregas was homegrown for Arsenal before he left.

so if this is to protect the English or Welsh FA it obviously is a joke

 

[Zorak]

Cesc is an exceptional example to the rule. Overall, it does do it's job of getting homegrown players into squads.

However, it usually means for the big clubs they just play as back up players. So it's probably pretty harmful to some, and beneficial to others.

 

[Springsteen]

Just a note about the 25-man squad, you don't have to include under 21-s in it, they can be additional players as long as they are under-21 on January 1st of the same year as the new season. That's pretty beneficial to youngsters because they won't be hanging around the reserves because the squad isn't big enough.

 

[Springsteen]

Clive Tydsley on Drogba

"And Didier Drogba...just a big, loveable lump, really...Graham Norton seemed to get inside him last night"



I'm not sure who I want to win here, it's kinda like choosing between a kick in the balls or running into a wall head first.

 

[skyblue]

Clive Tydsley on Drogba

"And Didier Drogba...just a big, loveable lump, really...Graham Norton seemed to get inside him last night"

i'm guessing he was put up to that

 

[Springsteen]

Had to be, though he has a history...

1-0 Chelsea, dreadful defending from Liverpool and Reina should have done better. Chelsea are bossing the midfield at the moment.

 

[Zorak]

2-1. Deserved chelsea victory.

Carroll's header was never over the line.

 

[Springsteen]

Yeah Chelsea deserved it overall.

The whole of the ball never crossed the whole of the line, which it has to. No doubt KKK will have something to say about it.

 

[Zorak]

I don't get the debate on ITV. To me; it is clear. It wasn't a goal.

 

[Springsteen]

Townsend's a bit of a prick. He tried to say it looks over, then Clive told him "the whole of the ball needs to cross the whole of the line". He quickly shut up.