I'll freely admit (yet again) that I'm not now nor have I ever been a particular fan of English football. Don't particularly like the style or tactics traditionally associated with English football. There are a couple of other things that bother me and I'll try to explain them:

What drives me batsh!t, however, is the press. And this is a function of English being the lingua franca of today. The English press is very frequently quoted as an 'authority'. Which isn't such a bad thing if it's BBC, for example. It can be a really awful thing if it's the Sun, however (and yes you'll see the Sun quoted as an expert). That said, coverage of European football in this country is heavily anglocentric (look at the fsc or espn soccernet websites and you'll see that roughly 3/4 of the stories on the homepage are epl related) and the 'experts' (warren barton for fsc for example) are...well, really super biased. Anything Not English is Bad and Dangerous, an attitude that smacks of xenophobia and bigotry.

THat's the stuff that's forcefed to the US football audience and I'll happily admit that a small part of my negative impression toward the sport in England is because of it.

There's also the sense that some of the stars of the English NT have real entitlement issues (eg Ashley Cole almost crashing his bentley when he wasn't given an extra 5k a week) and while I'm quite sure that bigname players from other countries are just as bad, the whole thing is publicized and, again, forcefed down our throats here. It gets old.

I'll admit that a part of me holds onto the bias of English fan = hooligan, too. I'm old enough to remember Heysel (not sure how many others here are). I've also been to CL games in which English teams played (within the last 5 years). While there's a significant change inside the stadium, OUTSIDE is another matter. I was afraid for my life leaving one game because of some not paritcularly sober individuals with English accents (who I assume were english given that the game was at Stamford Bridge). Images such as the West Ham-Milwall thing don't help. Nor, really, does my sense (based on observation) that while the average English fan may be perfectly well behaved in London or Manchester or Liverpool, if he's going to Madrid to watch his team play, it's okay THERE to do things he would not normally do at home (from drinking to violence) because he is abroad.

So, that's why I hold my opinion. I know others probably disagree with me - and that's fine, this is a forum after all where debate is what makes it interesting -- but I'm not interested in getting into any arguments about the issue.

That is a brilliant goal. Great save from Buffon too, didn't look like it crossed the line.

As for your opinion Tennie, I don't think many disagree. English people hate the way we're portrayed in the media more than anyone else. It gives the rest of the World a false representation of what we think about our team. I won't knock them for their English-bias, they're English afterall, though it does get annoying at times. It's even worse as a Villa fan, teams with a big media hype like Spurs, West Ham and Newcastle get talked about all the time. While I don't think The Sun realises the Midlands actually exists.

What's the Midlands?

Look dude...Newcastle will have to stay in the relegation zone for 10 years, before people forget about it. I know it drives you up the wall when I blab on about Newcastle...but believe me as an Asian, when the EPL first came on TV...Newcastle were universally everyone's number 2 club..and quite a few supported them as numero uno club. It didn't matter whether your first club was Madrid, or Barca, or Milan or Manchester. Newcastle is part of footballing culture. Villa despite their bigger history, simply wasn't around when the initial globalization happened, so don't be jealous you missed out on the gravy train.

Some day I will make a billion dollars and buy Newcastle....

This has been one of the best World Cup Qualfyings ever, alot of the groups are still so close.



This is the best group I think.

You would think Denmark are assured of at least a play-off place as they only need 2 points to do so, from 2 home games. Portugal look likely to make the play-offs given that they have 2 home games, the teams around them are playing each other and they still have to play Malta (no offense, Han).

Germany and Russia are seperated by a point with 2 games left. Germany host Finland while Russia visit Azerbaijan in the final game, before that? The Germans have to take a trip to Russia, that will be a good one.

Switzerland, Latvia and Greece are seperated by just 3 points, Greece would need to beat Latvia for themselves to have a chance at winning the group.




I would rule Venezuela and Colombia out, both games are against the top 3 teams and they have the least points of this little group as it is. Uruguay have it i their hands, both games are against the 2 teams they need to leap-frog in ordder to qualify. Argentina play a diret rival in Uruguay, but they also play bottom placed Peru. Ecuador play 3rd placed Chile and direct rival Uruguay.

I think it will go down to the last game, between Uruguay and Argentina as to who qualifies outright and who gets the ply-off spot as I think they will both win their first game. The play-off puts them against either Costa Rica or Hondouras by the looks of things. Either way, I think Argentina will qualify, boo!

http://www.figc.it/it/204/22169/2009/09/News.shtml

The FIGC (the Italian FA) is donating the gate receipts from the Italy-Bulgaria game to rebuilding sports complexes destroyed in the Abruzzo earthquake.

+1 cookie to them.

There is a worst coach than Leo out there!

Man is this guy arrogant or what, dropping his european based players! what a joke. I hope they don't qualify, more chances for my team to win.

I don't think he's that crazy...

yeah lets cut, zanetti, milito, messi, aguero, tevez and all other Argentinian European based players He was going to get sacked on monday and he flies to europe What a guy!

Just saw something interesting regarding the 3rd place play-offs.


Portugal do look in danger of not qualifying, Germanys place isn't guarenteed yet.

Portugal...Portugal...

Here are Italy's call ups for their world cup qualifiers:

PORTIERI: Gigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Federico Marchetti (Cagliari).
DIFENSORI: Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Juventus), Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus), Davide Santon (Inter), Gianluca Zambrotta (Milan).
CENTROCAMPISTI: Mauro German Camoranesi (Juventus), Gaetano D'Agostino (Udinese), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Rino Gattuso (Milan), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Andrea Pirlo (Milan).
ATTACCANTI: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal).

I'm glad Lippi is not calling up Cassano yet. I don't believe Cassano has changed, he has looked more mature this season but this is the way to test if it's all fake.

Ukraine vs England to be first England game not shown live in UK

Shocking, I hope we lose.

Me too
Honestly, I hope to see a great England vs. Germany clash next World Cup. Those were always great matches. But first, we need to win our game against Russia next Saturday.

One of us (usually us) fails to get anywhere in the World Cup, so it hardly ever happens. Was it really 1990 the last time we met in a World Cup?

The Russia-Germany game should be great! I sort of hope we lose because I don't want Croatia at the World Cup, it's the least we can do after Euro2008 qualifying. But this is England, we'll probably go and win.

Damn you're such a loser... it's not Croatia's fault that England were playing like amateurs.

You're such a loser.. it's not my fault you make up my opinion and assume incorrect things.

Did I say it was Croatia's fault we had a 2nd string team out and they were horrible? No, it wasn't. But the fact remains they were the team that put us out and I want revenge.

i'm just happy that all 3 of my nations will qualify, Italia, Slovenja and Croatia*

(cu me slack on the croatian side kurt, in all fairness i found out last week i was part croatian...)

Weird eh, one day you're a SlovItalian then BANG! you're part Croatian too!

I wouldn't be so sure about the will qualify part, Ukraine are still in good position and look like they will qualify if they beat England. Given that England are already through, we may not take it so serious.

Slovenia have had a very good qualifying tournement though.

croatia may not , but in all fairness i care little as i have had so little time to deal with the shock of my newfound patriotism towards Croatia (i should have know by the way i loved Olic/Modric )

Handanovic and Novakovic have been KEY!! i just hope that inter Youth kid gets called up soon, he's amazing

and i honestly hate italy's chances everyday Pepe, Iaquinta, Palombo, Dossena, Rino, Zambro, Toni, leggrotallie spend as national team players. What happened to Pazzini, Cassano, Pellissier (i'm dead serious), Foggia, D'agostino???

oh and my friends find the term Slo-Talian to me wittier hehe

I'm pretty sure he came on as a sub against England.


Slo-Talian, I like it.

his name is Rene Krhin
and he has amazing potential
i know people are very sceptic about youtube videos but in his brief introduction to Serie A he set up a great goal for milito Vs Parma : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfeXs1AQJhk


most people outside of me do

You'll always be a bigger loser than me!

So, according to tuttomercatoweb, Pirlo will be the trequartista for Italy tomorrow against Ireland. We'll see.

Italy (and the gobbi) lose Marchisio, however. He's having knee surgery (meniscus tear) tomorrow and is expected to be out for around a month.

Italy better win.

i'll cry if they don't italy is my strongest country in the WC (even if i find the Croatia squad is very compettive)
Also let me take this momment to say FORZA SLOVENIA

You do know what will happen if Slovenia concede a lot, mtl? Fishdoll will be Very Displeased with you.

Pirlo as a trequartista? I thought Lippi was only allowed to do that once as it's forbidden!!! Or maybe it is not???? Carlo? Leo?

Play-offs to be seeded

What a joke. Surely you can't just decide something after a tournement starts!? FIFA have no balls at all, they're scared to death some big nations won't qualify.

FORZA HANDANOVIC PER SEMPRE!!! diavolino assures Fishdoll that Samir has been epic for his country only allowing england to score 2 goals while making awesome saves ...Back me up kurt.. Samir is Magical

HT Russia 0 - 1 Germany.

Klose with the goal; really pretty buildup to the goal with passing from Podolski to Ozil who crossed to Klose.

Loew to coach Milan!!

Russia - germany is a great game!!!!!!! Ozil/podolski , with not entirely german, are AMAZING!!!

the russian annoncer just swore at adler for a save....i think...

Shevchenko just missed a penalty against England.

No way we'll keep our 100% record now. 10 men, 1 down..

Nazarenko's put Ukraine ahead. As a Croatia fan, I don't like this at all.

Yeah, you're right. Revenge is so nearly complete.

Again, if you wanted revenge you should eliminate your own players, not Croatia...

Our players punishment was not playing in Euro 2008.

Why is it that you don't like Liverpool, I forget?

They pissed in his lawn when they came down for the 2007 final. He slept on the lawn after the night's festivities. It took him months to stop smelling of Scouse piss.

I seem to remember him talking about revenge after Istanbul. The silly boy doesn't even agree with what he preaches.

He is one of those missing links in the human evolution chain. I wouldn't trade dst for a billion dollars. He's one of the most unique human beings I know.

Ukraine playing really well today, really showing up Glenn Johnsons (lack of) defensive abilities.

FT Ukraine 1-0 England.

With the game being unimportant to us I could look at it a bit more objectively. James was incredible in goal, I think this performance (and Greens sending off) will confirm him as the indefinite #1. Glenn Johnson is the undoubted weakness, Milner came on for another good game so I'm sure he'll be going to South Africa. Decent performance with 10 men for 75 minutes. All in all decent enough.. we just need to get that RB sorted out.

Ah, I knew you're too stupid to get the difference... Milan played excellent football and lost from a team that did not play football at all... England were playing like amateurs. What you're basically saying is that Croatia should not have tried to win that game but instead let you beat them... way to go!

We played like ametuers because our back 5 were ll out injured!

Football is about putting the ball in the net. If you do that less than the other team, you won't win. Both cases are comparable, you're just being silly.

I'm being silly and right... you're being silly and wrong!

You're such a kid.