LEN Teh Footy God's Footballodium

**naut** · 08-27-2010, 10:59

Originally Posted by drone

Haven't heard his name in years, but that's a superb goal.

Aye. I remember watching Milan and Juve, and he was always the player I'd look out for.

**johnhughthom** · 08-27-2010, 15:34

A game involving Inzaghi:

Nothing........ Nothing..... Offside...... Nothing..... Offside..... Nothing...... Nothing....... Nothing........ Nothing..... Offside...... Nothing..... Offside..... Nothing...... Nothing....... Nothing........ Nothing..... Offside...... Nothing..... Offside..... Nothing...... Nothing....... GOALLLLL!!!!!! Nothing........ Nothing..... Offside...... Nothing..... Offside..... Nothing...... Nothing....... Nothing........ Nothing..... Offside...... Nothing..... Offside..... Nothing...... Nothing....... Nothing........ Nothing..... Offside...... Nothing..... Offside..... Nothing...... Nothing....... GOALLL!!!!!

And his team win 2-0.

**drone** · 08-28-2010, 19:05

Nice to see Wigan finally get on the board.

**InsaneApache** · 08-28-2010, 21:04

Originally Posted by drone

Nice to see Wigan finally get on the board.

Shhhh......a certain texan might hear you.

**LittleGrizzly** · 08-30-2010, 04:07

Quite happy with the draw. Valencia are the only big name but I think they sold off most of thier big players and even with them they trailed far behind madrid and barca so United should get the better off them. Rangers might have been a good match once upon a time but thier financial problems combined with SPL seemingly going backwards means I expect them to finish bottom of the group.

Bursapor (haven't checked sp, apologies) are a completely unknown quantity to me, I have heard of them and probably clicked on them a fair few times in FM Galatasary and Fenerbache are much more familiar to me and even besiktas. So any info on these guys LEN, did they win the league, any players to watch ?

Tottenham's draw wasn't the kindest, but probably sounds worse than it is, Inter could be beatable at home, Werder are at a similar level imo and hopefully 6 points the other team I forgot the name of. Though my main aim for Tottenham is for them to deny Man City 4th spot again.

This is all from the person that predicted England would win the world cup though so what the hell do I know...

Ok having scrolled down I can see FC Twente are the fourth team in Tottenhams group, probably the weakest of the teams but still a good side, hopefully this could work in Tottenhams favour as they could steal points from other sides...

**naut** · 08-30-2010, 10:27

Originally Posted by LittleGrizzly

Quite happy with the draw. Valencia are the only big name but I think they sold off most of thier big players and even with them they trailed far behind madrid and barca so United should get the better off them. Rangers might have been a good match once upon a time but thier financial problems combined with SPL seemingly going backwards means I expect them to finish bottom of the group.

Bursapor (haven't checked sp, apologies) are a completely unknown quantity to me, I have heard of them and probably clicked on them a fair few times in FM Galatasary and Fenerbache are much more familiar to me and even besiktas. So any info on these guys LEN, did they win the league, any players to watch ?

Tottenham's draw wasn't the kindest, but probably sounds worse than it is, Inter could be beatable at home, Werder are at a similar level imo and hopefully 6 points the other team I forgot the name of. Though my main aim for Tottenham is for them to deny Man City 4th spot again.

This is all from the person that predicted England would win the world cup though so what the hell do I know...

Ok having scrolled down I can see FC Twente are the fourth team in Tottenhams group, probably the weakest of the teams but still a good side, hopefully this could work in Tottenhams favour as they could steal points from other sides...

Yeh. You have a rather kind draw, but with a few potentially tricky ties based on form and injuries, etc. The key issue, like the Gunners is the travel and then the subsequent league game, especially away ties, that's where points get dropped in the league.

The Sp*ds main problem will be managing the squad across 4 competitions. The league game after a mid-week European tie is always a toughie. As their loss to Wigan (lol) shows. They may progress with 2nd spot or 3rd and drop into the Europa league. But, it will be to the detriment of their league campaign. They'll come 6th this season, mark my words, with Liverpool 5th and Citeh 4th.

**Ronin** · 08-30-2010, 16:08

And the Roberto saga has a twist!

On last saturday's game of Benfica against Setubal, Benfica's coach bowed to the pressure and put Roberto on the bench for the game, starting Julio Cesar as goalkeeper instead.

At 22 minutes, when benfica was winning 1-0, Julio Cesar fouls an attacking opponent in the penalty box, he gets a red card, and Setubal get a penalty kick.

Benfica's coach looks around, what can he do?...nothing else but put the "terrible" Roberto in....

and then...

HE SAVES!!!!

the crowd erupts like he just scored a goal, and he gets cheered everytime he touches the ball for the rest of the game.

funny how quickly you can go from being "a disgrace" to "a hero".
ahhh the fickle football fans.... :P

and benfica went on to win the game 3-0

**naut** · 08-31-2010, 06:48

Great emotion in that clip. Yes we football fans are a fickle bunch indeed. But, it also shows how much a keeper relies on confidence to perform at his best. How they respond to mistakes is the difference between a great keeper and an average keeper. With 24 hours left before the transfer window closes, keepers are on my mind. Specifically the big Aussie, Schwarzer, not spectacular, but consistent and imposing.

Sandro no show for Spurs

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has been angered by the non appearance of the club's new signing Sandro.

Spurs confirmed that a deal with Internacional for the Brazil international had been agreed back in March for a fee reportedly in the region of £8million.

It was also announced that the 21-year-old would join the North London club following the end of the Copa Libertadores, which finished on 18th August.

Internacional claimed the 2010 Copa Libertadores with a 5-3 aggregate win against Mexico's Chivas Gudalajara and the midfielder was expected to show up in London last week, but Redknapp is still awaiting his arrival.

The exasperated Redknapp told The People: "Have we really signed him - or is he just a myth? I've never seen him here. He's supposed to be here...but not today!"

**InsaneApache** · 08-31-2010, 07:53

Now that is funny.

I wonder if 'Appy 'Arry will shaft Spurs as he did Wet Spam and even more so, Pompey. His daughter in law is fit though.

**naut** · 08-31-2010, 10:05

Originally Posted by InsaneApache

I wonder if 'Appy 'Arry will shaft Spurs as he did Wet Spam and even more so, Pompey. His daughter in law is fit though.

He didn't leave Southampton or Bournemouth in particularily good shape when he left them either.

Hahaha. Apparently there's a random bloke outside Highbury House in full goalkeeper kit "in case they get desperate" (in his own words).

Even the Sp*ds signed a keeper. Man I hate deadline day.

**LittleGrizzly** · 09-01-2010, 00:47

lol thats quality about the keeper...

In fairness and I have heard the argument made a few times, the chairmen of the respective clubs are (supposed to be) in charge of the financial side of things. The manager will judged on his short term results and one of the easiest ways to improve these is transfers so Arry if anything fought his corner too well... I think Levy will keep things under control up (up? maybe over is a better word) there...

I think Man City probably have more chance of the 4th spot than Tottenham but I really can't see Liverpool finishing above those two... I just don't see a huge amount of real qaulity in the team, I suppose it depends what Hodgson can get out them...

**LeftEyeNine** · 09-01-2010, 15:54

@LittleGrizzly

Bursapor (haven't checked sp, apologies) are a completely unknown quantity to me, I have heard of them and probably clicked on them a fair few times in FM Galatasary and Fenerbache are much more familiar to me and even besiktas. So any info on these guys LEN, did they win the league, any players to watch ?

BursaSpor (made S capital so that you may be able to figure out many other Turkish teams' origin of their names in the future), after Trabzonspor having done it only twice, latest one in '78-'79, is the second and of the rarest Anatolian teams to be crowned in Turkish Super League.

Their teamwork is stunning. Very dedicated backbone with an extraordinary set of offensive choices, possibly possessing more quality than even Galatasaray this season.

Volkan Şen, flanker #10, was the most notable figure behind their success after the coach, Ertuğrul Sağlam, who was hailed among the "promising coaches" by the UEFA's CL mag "The Champions" when he was managing Kayserispor in 2006.

Volkan has great pace, can get past his opponents very swiftly, always having some tricks up his sleeve to penetrate down the line or cut inside. He is a playmaker that is positioned as a winger which also underlines his creativity, technique and vision.

Ozan İpek, who was the lefthand side counterpart of Volkan Şen last season, was a big surprise putting up a season-wide explosion for Bursa. He, in addition to his very slightly more moderate offensive skills compared to Volkan, has stamina that can dominate whole left line zone, defensively as well as offensively.

Sercan Yıldırım, counted among the candidates for being a wonderkid Turkish football scene has been missing for quite some time now since emerging of Emre Belözoğlu (Fenerbahçe). The guy is as agile as a cheetah, having a parallelled amount of pace, who lost the interest he was shown in by major clubs from both Turkish and European clubs, due to his mishandling of the ball in the last-ditch moments such as making a clean finish or passing to a teammate for an assist.

Hüseyin Çimşir, a former national and Trabzonspor player, is anchored right in front of the backline for his ball-winning and leadership qualities that are vital to the success of an unexperienced team from Anatolia. He's not the fastest guy on the planet, but hey, his role is tolerant when it comes to pace.

Ivan Ergic, coming from Basel possessing a lot of experience, despite being a behind-the-strikers kind of player, thanks to the team spirit constructed within, is always on the lookout to help his teammates whether they have the ball or not.

Pablo Martin Batalla, another short and explosive player that Bursaspor has a lot of, snapped from his homeland last year, "relishes big occasions" as FM would call it. His direct contribution to the team against the giant contenders have always been appreciated. Not really being a man of 90-minutes, he's a player that you'd either drive onto the pitch from the very start to disturb the opposition and let him take advantage of chances like a rat sneaking in or one that you could summon from the bench when things get stuck or feel that it's time that Bursa should strike.

The well-positioned, towering defender, Ömer Erdoğan, 33, recently made it to Turkish national football team due to his consistent amd hard-working performances.

Right back, Ali Tandoğan, a former Beşiktaş player, is a veteran of the league with a huge amount of pace and work rate, whereas his power on the shots may be deadlock remover at times.

Turgay Bahadır, a towering striker with surprisingly able feet, who was regarded as a transfer target for Lazio a couple of days ago, is another part of the attacking team Bursaspor was last year, which is what other Anatolian teams have failed so far.

When it comes to their transfers this year:

Federico Insua, who turned out to be almost a myth for Galatasaray for he was rumored to be joining them in every other summer transfer window for 4-5 years now, has the complete set of skills to qualify as a prolific playmaker some point which Bursaspor could be counted lacking, actually. And now that he's in, Bursaspor has less to think about who will provide the killer balls as the sneaky wingers and Sercan "Gollum" Yıldırım penetrates through.

Leonel Nuñez from Independiente, a striker with strength and height, so as to be able to hold up the ball to drag the team forward in offensive set plays and counter-attacks, has been captured and also he had shown some of his dazzling technique in his first league match where a bicycle kick from around the corner of the penalty box was denied by the point where crossbar meets the upright.

Hector Damian Steinert, a Batalla-alike Argentinian, who could be considered for matches which Volkan or Ozan are exhausted/banned/injured. Typical explosive winger.

Milan Stepanov, another former Trabzonspor and Porto player, I reckon, is the most accurate transfer Bursaspor have made this period 'cause you can't go too far with mediocre Turkish centre backs, while Zapatocny, whose loan deal from Beşiktaş ended and was not allowed/thought to return, is missing from the team considering he was another crucial part of the legendary show-off of Bursaspor last season.

Gökçek Wederson, a Brazilian "convert", departed Fenerbahçe, joining the ranks of Bursaspor for he is an energetic left back with European experience unlike most of other Bursaspor players. He's got strength, pace and dribble, yet his crosses are mediocre and despite being a beast when it comes to shooting, he may not be able to position it well.

To finish about players, Muhammet Demir, the young striker is someone to be noted.

Bursaspor, as aforementioned, is a TEAM. They may not be having the most quality backline or that their strikers may attempt too much to no avail but their desire to work as a unit, combined with their will to struggle and their energetic nature, is what giants were missing last season. And, as can be figured out, they as a team are hungry for scoring opportunities. Here are their sheet of results for the last season. You may spot the scores against the "giants":

Trabzonspor 1 - 1 Bursaspor
Bursaspor 0 - 1 Fenerbahçe
Bursaspor 1 - 0 Galatasaray
Beşiktaş 2 - 3 Bursaspor
Bursaspor 1 - 1 Trabzonspor
Fenerbahçe 2 - 3 Bursaspor
Galatasaray 0 - 0 Bursaspor
Bursaspor 2 - 1 Beşiktaş

Notice how they suffered only one loss which was against Fenerbahçe and eventually it was avenged.

With the flight of the season 10-11, Bursaspor is the only team that has not suffered any points loss after 3 matches.

All in all, Bursaspor no easy chew for Gers. I have also come across with some taunting news here.

Cheeky Turks Bursaspor will ask UEFA for permission to wear green-and-white hooped shirts in their Champions League showdown with Rangers.

The Turkish champions confirmed yesterday they hope to be allowed to play in their Celtic-style away kit for at least one of their Group C clashes with Walter Smith's side.

Edit: As the final moments of the transfer window passes by, IFK Goteborg have confirmed that they have let Bursaspor sign Gustav Svensson. Marvellous last ditch tackle if you ask me.

**Strike For The South** · 09-01-2010, 21:53

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hwr...8&feature=fvst

This is my happy dance :dance:

**johnhughthom** · 09-01-2010, 22:04

It'll be interesting to see how Spurs play with everyone fit. van der Vaart and Modric are both far better players centrally, but you have to wonder if 'Arry will stick one out wide or play with one up top. Surely he won't play a midfield of Bale van der Vaart Modric Lennon? Back to the Ardiles days if he does methinks, though I'd love to see it.

**Louis VI the Fat** · 09-02-2010, 00:38

Originally Posted by Psychonaut

Hahaha. Apparently there's a random bloke outside Highbury House in full goalkeeper kit "in case they get desperate" (in his own words).

All these hours have passed, and I still keep chuckling about this.

Fantastic stunt that.

**naut** · 09-02-2010, 03:44

Originally Posted by johnhughthom

It'll be interesting to see how Spurs play with everyone fit. van der Vaart and Modric are both far better players centrally, but you have to wonder if 'Arry will stick one out wide or play with one up top. Surely he won't play a midfield of Bale van der Vaart Modric Lennon? Back to the Ardiles days if he does methinks, though I'd love to see it.

They'll be great with Huddlestone in the DM spot. Now where's all my pies.... oh wait.... HUDDLESTONE!

**Jolt** · 09-02-2010, 14:15

Originally Posted by Strike For The South

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hwr...8&feature=fvst

This is my happy dance :dance:

Overrated player. Pretty much like Quaresma, he plays well until he goes for a top league, then his exhibitions sink and he is unrecognizable.

**naut** · 09-02-2010, 19:00

Originally Posted by johnhughthom

It'll be interesting to see how Spurs play with everyone fit. van der Vaart and Modric are both far better players centrally, but you have to wonder if 'Arry will stick one out wide or play with one up top. Surely he won't play a midfield of Bale van der Vaart Modric Lennon? Back to the Ardiles days if he does methinks, though I'd love to see it.

Seriously though. You'd have to think a formation change to 4-3-3/4-1-4-1/4-2-3-1 would suit them. A midfield three of Palacios-Modric-VdV at home and Huddlestone-Palacios-Modric away or against tough opposition. And move Lennon and Bale into the top three wide spots, as Bale has a fantastic shot on him (although he does look like the ape from Planet of the Apes) and it may see him contribute more goals. Drop Crouch and play Defoe as a false-nine, but bring on the bean-pole if route-one is required.

And, in other news Messi was cloned today:

**Strike For The South** · 09-02-2010, 20:22

Originally Posted by Psychonaut

Seriously though. You'd have to think a formation change to 4-3-3/4-1-4-1/4-2-3-1 would suit them. A midfield three of Palacios-Modric-VdV at home and Huddlestone-Palacios-Modric away or against tough opposition. And move Lennon and Bale into the top three wide spots, as Bale has a fantastic shot on him (although he does look like the ape from Planet of the Apes) and it may see him contribute more goals. Drop Crouch and play Defoe as a false-nine, but bring on the bean-pole if route-one is required.
]

This is what I use in FIFA

**johnhughthom** · 09-02-2010, 23:35

'Arry's always been a 442 man though, and with 4 top strikers changing to 433 would just give him a different headache. With any other manager I would say a move to 433 is inevitable, I'm not so sure with Redknapp.

**naut** · 09-03-2010, 01:35

Well, he's no wheeler deeler, so I can understand his reluctance.

**InsaneApache** · 09-03-2010, 08:39

Originally Posted by Psychonaut

Well, he's no wheeler deeler, so I can understand his reluctance.

I see that you've seen the video as well!

Shame that it's not postable here.

**Afonso I of Portugal** · 09-09-2010, 23:36

At last!!! Carlos Queiroz sacked as Portuguese manager!!!

**drone** · 09-10-2010, 05:15

Not a good international week for the North London managers. Walcott and Defoe out several weeks after the England-Switzerland game. With van Persie and Bendtner already out, Arsene has some work to do to prep for Bolton and Braga.

**naut** · 09-10-2010, 11:13

Originally Posted by drone

Not a good international week for the North London managers. Walcott and Defoe out several weeks after the England-Switzerland game. With van Persie and Bendtner already out, Arsene has some work to do to prep for Bolton and Braga.

The club has updated the crest in response to recent seasons:

I'm not worried though, Marouane will Chamakh my day. Sp*ds should be slightly worried, without Defoe for three whole months, they've only got the hilarious Crouchy, Robbie "scourge of the SPL" Keano and Donkey-chenko for their entire group stages, plus away at ManU. Plus Dawson (lol) is out too, which they are more prepared for though, with six CBs.