LEN Teh Footy God's Footballodium

[ShadesPanther]

I'm rather surprised how good Serbia plays. When I saw the group, with Romania and France, I've pretty much written us off, and when I heard Antic became the manager, that only reinforced my opinion. He managed to get the last team he coached in Primera relegated and then was out of job for quite a few years. But, he started the game with 3 strikers against Lithuania and won 3:0 and now he plays against Austria away with 3 strikers again and it's already 3:0 for Serbia at half time.

If this continue, this is going to be a very interesting group.

Serbia I feel are a sleeping giant at international football. They have some very good players but they just never seemed to perform to their potential.

[naut]

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[Sarmatian]

Serbia I feel are a sleeping giant at international football. They have some very good players but they just never seemed to perform to their potential.

I don't know if I would say that, that goes more for ex-Yugoslavia, but there's definitely some potential in this team. Mostly younger players who were 2nd and 4th in the two last U21 European championships + some experienced players like Stankovic and Vidic. Our biggest problem was that we usually had coaches with loser's mentality. Unlike basketball, in football our coaches never made it to top clubs, with the exception of Antic. Most of the coaches worked in Serbia or China and South Korea, or lower division teams of bigger European leagues. After that we got Clemente who was also a coach that worries more about not losing than winning. It appears that Antic hasn't lost his touch, and he still has his winning mentality, like in the good old days when he coached teams like Barca, Real or Atletico Madrid.

Anyway, this is probably the hardest group, along with group 6 where you have England, Croatia and Ukraine. When I saw France and Romania at the draw, I pretty much prayed for any group but that one. France and Romania didn't have most encouraging start but they'll get their act together, no doubt about that.

What's up with Portugal? 0:0 with Albania???

[Rhyfelwyr]

I suppose the results last night are somewhat good news for Scotland.

[scotchedpommes]

We're going to need a second-placed team in another group to have more than a slight wobble,
because everyone is dropping points all over the shop in ours. Macedonia managed to lose in
Iceland last night, so it's just looking even less likely that any of the teams can get enough points.

[And if nobody stands a chance of getting out of this group with the cloggies, we might as well
just sit and twiddle our thumbs waiting to switch the tele on in a couple of years. I'd think our
only hope is that we beat Holland home and away, and stop dropping points. But to do that we
need to go at teams, and Burley didn't even set us up to go at Norway at home. A draw last
night in Oslo would have helped us more.]

[Rhyfelwyr]

Well hopefully the Serbian and Portuguese groups might be quite tight. They don't get any points from the bottom placed team when comparing to our 2nd place, do they? There was some rule like that IIRC...

[scotchedpommes]

Aye, result against the bottom-placed team is discounted in the other groups. I suspect we'll probably
know if we're in with a chance with a couple of games to go.

[Some more utterly fantastic misses. There's a couple in there from the other links, but I included this
mainly because it has an absolute beauty from Carew, in a similar position to Iwelumo, at Valencia- which
I'd imagine is partly why he wasn't too keen on dwelling on the subject.]

I'm guessing Queiroz is under a fair bit of pressure with Portugal now. Is it a fair assessment that he's
only shown any use as an assistant? It certainly looks to be the case.

[Afonso I of Portugal]

I'm guessing Queiroz is under a fair bit of pressure with Portugal now. Is it a fair assessment that he's
only shown any use as an assistant? It certainly looks to be the case.

Your analysis is correct. In fact Queiroz show his talent coaching younger squads when we won several titles including two U21 World cups (89 and 91). He has also a good reputation as second coach/assistant/player prospector. But as main senior coach his carrear is nothing but a total failure...it comes to my mind his poor performances with Sporting Lisbon and Real Madrid...he was fired soon after taking the job...

Next match is in March against Sweden...if he fails again we are out off the tournament...he will be fired again...and we will be looking for another coach...maybe Zico...who knows?...

[edyzmedieval]

Aye, result against the bottom-placed team is discounted in the other groups. I suspect we'll probably
know if we're in with a chance with a couple of games to go.

[Some more utterly fantastic misses. There's a couple in there from the other links, but I included this
mainly because it has an absolute beauty from Carew, in a similar position to Iwelumo, at Valencia- which
I'd imagine is partly why he wasn't too keen on dwelling on the subject.]

I'm guessing Queiroz is under a fair bit of pressure with Portugal now. Is it a fair assessment that he's
only shown any use as an assistant? It certainly looks to be the case.

Oh yes, the Carew miss at Valencia will remain in posterity as the most amazing blunder in history for me.

[Ferret]

FINALLY! Betis 3-0 Mallorca

BETIS HAVE LEFT THE BOTTOM!

[InsaneApache]

Spurs havn't!

[Rhyfelwyr]

Also Sons are going for Division 2!!!

And we won a game without Stevie Murray!!

[Rhyfelwyr]

at Celtic

Looks like an incredible game in Bucharest, Steaua 3-5 Lyon. And then somehow that was topped by Vallarreal, 6-3 v Aalborg.

[scotchedpommes]

at Celtic

Makes you sick to think that shower will be the ones doing your lot come the end of the season.

[InsaneApache]

"I was playing Scrabble and had enough letters to make 'Tottenham Hotspur Football Club'. I was gutted when I found out it was only worth two points."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...-hotspur-jokes

[naut]

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[Subedei]

Naaaasty! Poor spurs....yet they invested so much money.....

[naut]

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[Afonso I of Portugal]

Braga 3 - Portsmouth 0

[Quintus.JC]

Tottenham's streak continues. Living in my area, there are lots of Spurs fans to pick on, the jokes certainly helps.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Novo for Scotland

I really hope this happens, Novo is the man! Plus he's always supported Rangers so he should represent the other boys in blue.

[LittleGrizzly]

English teams seem to do crap in the Uefa cup, bar middlesborough run to the final under Mclaren they seem to mostly lose to sides they should beat, not that english teams are the best in the competition but they do seem to struggle against some bad sides, not talking about braga here, though i would imagine portsmouth to be better on paper (though i don't really know braga im making assumptions..)

[Afonso I of Portugal]

English teams seem to do crap in the Uefa cup, bar middlesborough run to the final under Mclaren they seem to mostly lose to sides they should beat, not that english teams are the best in the competition but they do seem to struggle against some bad sides, not talking about braga here, though i would imagine portsmouth to be better on paper (though i don't really know braga im making assumptions..)

Portsmouth is far better than Braga on paper and on the pitch for sure. Braga is a proud, historical but small team here. They never won a league title. I'm sure Crouch's or Defoe's salaries, alone, are superior to those of entire Braga team. I just saw the second half but it seams Portsmouth was totally overruned by Braga tactics. Maybe Portsmouth didn't study the opponent properly and pay for it...

[scotchedpommes]

Novo for Scotland

I really hope this happens, Novo is the man! Plus he's always supported Rangers so he should represent the other boys in blue.

You really are taking the piss now. Nacho is an ill-disciplined little wank. a detestable person
I'd sooner support Rangers than a Scotland side with him badge-kissing within its ranks.

[LittleGrizzly]

Portsmouth is far better than Braga on paper and on the pitch for sure. Braga is a proud, historical but small team here. They never won a league title. I'm sure Crouch's or Defoe's salaries, alone, are superior to those of entire Braga team. I just saw the second half but it seams Portsmouth was totally overruned by Braga tactics. Maybe Portsmouth didn't study the opponent properly and pay for it...

As i understand only villa won, i don't see why portsmouth wouldn't be properly prepared harry redknap is an awesome manager, it seems to be english teams in general play below par, consistently, i remember english teams scrapeing past on away goals or the smallest of margins... where england is supposed to be one of the top leagues...

Is it just english clubs can't play in europe apart from the top 4 ? Or that the english league is more lopsided than others so opposition from similar leagues is comparitively stronger ?

[scotchedpommes]

Did you watch Portsmouth's trip to Portugal in the last round? I'm guessing you didn't, because 'Arry got
it drastically wrong tactically then, and they were extremely lucky to come through. It seems in much
the same way they managed to set themselves up to go nowhere fast yet again- though to be fair, this
time the referee reportedly gave a shocking performance; disallowing a good Portsmouth goal, and being
unable to cope with the practice of simulation. [This in-no-way bitter person can just about believe it
without having to see it, because the referee was one of two Slovenians Uefa have seen fit to inflict on
European competition, the other one also being a disgrace.]

As for league quality; it's an old point again, but don't believe the hype. [Much of which tends to come
out of 'Arry's face.] I'd take the view that the lower teams in England are generally of a lower standard
than those in the other large European leagues. Whether you attribute this to finances alone [re: gap
between top four and their domination domestically and abroad vs. the rest] or narrow it down to lack
of organisation and focus is up to you. I'd expect lower teams in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Russia
and Ukraine to be more than a match for their counterparts in England. The first four simply because I
think it's already established [particularly as opposed to 'traditional' English and Scottish managerial
cultures] that there's a greater emphasis on the technical and organisational aspects in coaching, and
the latter two primarily because of the absurd injection of cash throughout their leagues. {They're
attracting or retaining high quality players.} Holland looks to be suffering at the moment, and I don't say
that because Ajax lost out, but for what I've seen the quality of some of the play in the league looks
like it's going down, even if it still ensures it's fairly entertaining.



Or maybe the gods of football were just feeling a bit narky and 'Arry and the Speshul Juande had to pay.

[InsaneApache]

It would be just my luck that Spurs end their losing streak this afternoon.

Aw c'mon Portsmouth! Hardly one of the top four are they? As for 'urry up 'arry, he's vastly overrated IMHO. His daughter-in-law's OK though.

[Afonso I of Portugal]

As i understand only villa won, i don't see why portsmouth wouldn't be properly prepared harry redknap is an awesome manager...

I didn't say he wasn't a good manager. But in the press conference before the match he said Braga was almost unknowned for him...that's why i assumed he didn't study them properly.

Did you watch Portsmouth's trip to Portugal in the last round? I'm guessing you didn't, because 'Arry got
it drastically wrong tactically then, and they were extremely lucky to come through. It seems in much
the same way they managed to set themselves up to go nowhere fast yet again- though to be fair, this
time the referee reportedly gave a shocking performance; disallowing a good Portsmouth goal, and being
unable to cope with the practice of simulation. [This in-no-way bitter person can just about believe it
without having to see it, because the referee was one of two Slovenians Uefa have seen fit to inflict on
European competition, the other one also being a disgrace.]

It's true, Portsmouth scored a clean goal that was cancelled - poor decision! Like i said, i just saw the second half but i can't remember of simulations - thats what Redknap said as excuse for the defeat. However, i do remember of some wild tacklings from Portsmouth players that irritated the audience. Again, referee's poor decisions allowed Portsmouth to end the match with 11 players...

[ShadesPanther]

Ramos got sacked and Redknapp has replaced him!!!!

Ramos got the boot along with Poyet and comolli


Why Harry Why??

[naut]

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