The Football Topic (Page 51 of 52)

What will the Giggs role be? Is it known? I haven't read it yet.

I like the fact that he has been there his whole career. But I can't see him getting the job ever. It is just too big a risk for United. That said Real haven't done so bad by pushing Zidane into it have they?
Maybe Giggs could go somewhere and get the additonal total responsibility experience he might need but from his point of view it might too much of a risk. If he isn't successful then the United chance is forever gone.
I like Mourinho, but I think the job is going to be a challenge even for him. The EPL just got harder this seaso and will the next. United's squillions should see them able to buy and find the best talent but fighting on so many fronts?

My thinking is they should abandon the Europa League early on and go all out for the title / CL places. The Europa League only makes sense once you have won it. But getting there to have a shot at it just buggers you for achieving much else.

I wish Jose well. He's got himself a very impatient bunch of supporters on his case now. Let us not forget his last title win with Chelsea was about grinding results out for half a season. His all for glory attacking days were pretty much only in his first Chelsea stint. I expect the bus to be parked as often as it needs to be. Hopefully not at home or he won't last longer than LVG!

It should be a battle royale between him and Pep!

At least they lost today. If everyone does what they should then Russia should finish bottom of the group and we can say goodbye to them.

Serious questions will have to be asked before the WC. The corruption that got them it in the first place probably won't be further investigated. We can only hope that it is taken away from them before 2018. Hopefully Coe finds the backbone to ensure that Russian athletes are banned from the Olympics as well.

Unfortunately we live once again in a time of appeasement where doing the right thing comes second or third to commercial and/or political expediency.

Well, you folks across the pond have your tournament going on and we have one here.
The US is facing a huge challenge tonight in the Americas Cup semi-final. Mighty Argentina with a Messi who's banged up but still scoring goals at a torrid pace off the bench. The US will be short three starters who are off due to accumulated cards. A challenge indeed.
Once mighty Mexico is in disarray after being crushed to the point of just giving up by Chile. I never have seen a national side lose spirit before, but that one was ugly. Chile was scoring goals at will with the defenders just going through the motions in the last half of the second period. Mexico's worst defeat ever will take a long time to recover from. Final score: 8-0! The huge group of Mexican fans in sold-out Houston's arena were tossing garbage on the field.
Rick

Wales has shocked the world. Up with them. I have been watching many of the Euro matches. A fun time for fans of the game right now. I hadn't heard anything about Russian hooligans, England's have been getting some press. Brazil was eliminated in the early rounds here and their coach's head was summarily lopped. Not looking like a powerful team now running up to the Olympics. If they go out early it will not be pretty. the big powers in S.America now are Chile, Ecuador and of course Argentina. I don't see Brazil getting past any of them even if the draw fix puts them in a cupcake group.
Rick

Major triumph for Ireland and Iceland making it through. The gnats have a sting after all.

Klinsmann asked our National Manager for friendlies against the likes of Chile, Columbia and Argentina. He says, rightly, that it is the only way for our NT to progress beyond the midrange talent of CONCACAF. The performance against Argentina showed the gulf that exists to climb to the next level. Our missing three starters would not have made any difference. We were spanked in every way. The best way to learn is by playing the best. Argentina was breathtaking in the level of play and skill they exhibited. The team is full of brilliant players, and then there's Messi, arguably the best player in the world at the moment and I'm a believer. We play for 3rd Saturday vs. Columbia. I'm not too confident we can prevail, much less keep it close. The match for the cup on Sunday will be a dandy. Argentina vs. Chile. Chile is tired after the game finished in a lake yesterday when a torrential downpour and lightning storm delayed the second period for hours. The pitch was ankle deep in spots.  I hope you get a chance to watch two of the best teams in the world go head to head.

Good luck to you folks across the pond. My son sent me a picture of the grandkids all decked out in German colors and painted up. I'll be rooting for them.
Rick
I just read of Ronaldo tossing a cheeky reporter's mic in a lake before he erupted with goals. Maybe that is what it takes.

I predict that we score 5 own goals tonight. Having democratically got ride of our paddles we have taken control of our boat which is now up sh1t creek....

well England got what was coming, - once again ignorance combined with arrogance based on something that happened 50 years ago made so many fans blind to reality. Waddle actually said it this morning, - “we are not as good as we think we are”. Sure everybody has an opinion on the lineup, on the tactics, but at the end of the day despite the number of strikers in the squad we could not score enough goals, and equally could not stop enough being scored against us. It is as simple as that.  So many in this Country are still living in a fantasy land - they need to wake up and face reality, - at the moment Europe and the World is moving away and on from us.

And I am sure your country will relish the opportunity and do their very best, which is all you would ask of them in this company.

To be fair I think the majority of England's fans expectations are incredibly low. We only want the same, which I was why I so enjoyed the first half display against Russia in the first game. But it was a false dawn. This time they have disgraced themselves properly.

Whilst Coleman makes the best of what he has has Hodgson unfortunately squandered the opportunities to discover who should be using and playing during the qualification process.

All academic now. The players will have to live with the memory of it.