2007/2008 European football thread

[ukhotstove]

Group 1
China
Iraq
Qatar
Australia

Group 2
Oman
Thailand
Bahrain
Japan

Group 3
North Korea
Jordan
Turkmenistan
South Korea

Group 4
Lebanon
Singapore
Uzbekistan
Saudi Arabia

Group 5
Syria
UAE
Kuwait
Iran

North Korea v South Korea, anybody up for an OOTP away day trip to that one ?

[ukhotstove]

CONCAF
Group 1A Dominican or Barbados v USA
Group 1B Turks & Caicos Islands or St Lucia v Guatamala
Group 1C Bermuda or Cayman Islands v Trinidad & Tobago
Group 1D Aruba or Antigua & Barbuda v Cuba

Group 2A Belize or St Kitts & St Nevis v Mexico
Group 2B Bahamas or British Virgin Islands v Jamaica
Group 2C Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico v Honduras
Group 2D Canada v St Vincent and the Grenadines

Group 3A US Virgin Islands or Grenada v Costa Rica
Group 3B Surinam or Monsterat v Guyana
Group 3C El Salvador or Anguilla v Panama
Group 3D Nicaragua or Netherland Antillies v Haiti

Love how they keep these things easy to follow

[ukhotstove]

Group 1
Malta
Albania
Hungary
Denmark
Sweden
Portugal

Group 2
Luxembourg
Latvia
Moldova
Switzerland
Israel
Greece

Group 3
San Marino
Slovenia
Slovakia
Northern Ireland
Poland
Czech Republic

Group 4
Lichtenstein
Azarbaijan
Wales
Finland
Russia
Germany

Group 5
Estonia
Armenia
Bosnia
Belguim
Turkey
Spain

Group 6
Andorra
Kazakhstan
Belarus
Ukraine
England
Croatia

Group 7
Faroe Islands
Austria
Lithuania
Serbia
Romania
France

Group 8
Montenegro
Georgia
Cyprus
Ireland
Bulgaria
Italy

Group 9
Iceland
Macadonia
Norway
Scotland
Holland

[Rossi]

Guys on the radio said it would be an easy group for us (England)

Where have i heard that before?

[ukhotstove]

An half decent manager should take them through, with the talent we have and the talent coming through with a quality manager we should at least reach the last 8 and go further to be honest.

[KurtBevacqua]

Looks like Rafa Benitez is about to get canned. I'm not sure what to make of this. On the one hand Liverpool is always in the EPL top 4, has won a Euro Cup with him and played in the finals last season. On the other hand obviously he pissed off the new ownership, but besides that it doesn't seem like he will ever get the team over the hump to actually win the EPL.

You have to wonder what the future holds though for both the club and Benitez. I know there have been whispers about Benitez taking over team England, but I know of no evidence that he is suited to manage at the national level. And just who would Liverpool get who will be as good or better. Considering the way Rafa is leaving I couldn't imagine the Chosen One would want to work for these guys. So who else is there? Jol? McLaren?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2943513.ece

[mlyons]

Rafa Benitez is a lot more likely to take over the Spanish national team than the English one. I think Spain needs to reach the quarterfinals for Aragones to keep his job, and he's been awfully shaky at putting together lineups. Spain's got an awful lot of talented players who haven't found their way into the starting eleven.

[theasfl]

Im really not a fan of the Dutch qualifying group & Id much rather have the US switch with Costa Rica in the semifinal round.

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by Raderick

baby jebus cries when Manchester United loses

I usually do some form of a jig

[ukhotstove]

What did they expect, Derby in the top four. Just plain stupid imo, even if they get relegated they get a sack full of money that would probably get them promoted again next season and they could have let Davies build them into a mid table Prem team.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/7112846.stm

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by theasfl

I usually do some form of a jig

You and a few million others.

[redmarkYankees]

Originally Posted by KurtBevacqua

Looks like Rafa Benitez is about to get canned. I'm not sure what to make of this. On the one hand Liverpool is always in the EPL top 4, has won a Euro Cup with him and played in the finals last season. On the other hand obviously he pissed off the new ownership, but besides that it doesn't seem like he will ever get the team over the hump to actually win the EPL.

You have to wonder what the future holds though for both the club and Benitez. I know there have been whispers about Benitez taking over team England, but I know of no evidence that he is suited to manage at the national level. And just who would Liverpool get who will be as good or better. Considering the way Rafa is leaving I couldn't imagine the Chosen One would want to work for these guys. So who else is there? Jol? McLaren?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2943513.ece

Up until about 2 months ago, I'd never been entirely sure of Benitez as the manager to take us to the PL title. But there have been signs since then that he's learned the lessons of how to be successful in England. We're playing a more settled style of football - which, though you won't hear much in the papers, is actually looking very attractive: good tempo pass and move. The new signings are settling and performing. He's found a system that suits the personnel, with Gerrard marauding in the centre with 2 DMs behind him, Torres up top with Kuyt and Kewell or Babel (who's beginning to look outstanding) inside left/inside right; a very 'Dutch' 433, or 4231.

As for the PL... we're unbeaten. If we win our game in hand, we go second. Above Chelsea, above United (who lost at Bolton at the weekend). Arsenal are certainly going strong at the moment, but they've had a relatively comfortable start to the season (lots of home games against lowly opposition) and their youthful side has to prove it can battle out results through the winter. This season is far from over, and Liverpool are right in it.

Losing Rafa now, for what are non-football reasons, would be a disaster. There is growing feeling that Rick Parry, CEO and never a great ally for Benitez, has manufactured this current situation to a degree, possibly as part of power-games between Hicks and Gillet. There is to be a huge show of support from the fans for Rafa before and during Wednesday's "must win" CL game against Porto, when Foster Gillett will be in attendance.

BTW, a fans forum I post on is running a poll - who do you 'support' in the dispute: Benitez, the owners (includes Parry), or both (i.e. both sides have handled it badly). Over 700 votes so far, with a steady 83-85% supporting Benitez, 14%-15% 'both' and 2% the ownership. Mods on the site (who can see the votes) have said most of the 2% are fans of other teams, plus a couple of American posters.

[redmarkYankees]

Originally Posted by mlyons

Rafa Benitez is a lot more likely to take over the Spanish national team than the English one. I think Spain needs to reach the quarterfinals for Aragones to keep his job, and he's been awfully shaky at putting together lineups. Spain's got an awful lot of talented players who haven't found their way into the starting eleven.

I agree. If we sack Rafa or he tires of the politics and walks, the Spanish job is available from next summer (Aragones is retiring, regardless of results). Six years in the role, 2 world cups with a young exciting Spanish squad, before he gets the Real Madrid job for a few years before retirement. I hope it doesn't happen, but...

Benitez is hugely admired throughout Europe, except in England where the press have never warmed to him.

[KurtBevacqua]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

What did they expect, Derby in the top four. Just plain stupid imo, even if they get relegated they get a sack full of money that would probably get them promoted again next season and they could have let Davies build them into a mid table Prem team.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/7112846.stm

I saw Wenger had a rant in the Times over this. He made the excellent point that without Davies they'd still probably be in the Championship League. A guy takes a team that wasn't even considered one of the league's better sides and wins it to put it in the EPL where instantly they are the favorites to be relegated. You'd think that's one situation where you cut the manager some slack. Just amazingly stupid.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by KurtBevacqua

I saw Wenger had a rant in the Times over this. He made the excellent point that without Davies they'd still probably be in the Championship League. A guy takes a team that wasn't even considered one of the league's better sides and wins it to put it in the EPL where instantly they are the favorites to be relegated. You'd think that's one situation where you cut the manager some slack. Just amazingly stupid.

Some teams think their bigger than they actually are, if Derby think that Paul Jewell will do a better job I'd lay odds their going to be dissapointed.

[ukhotstove]

Who do you support and why.

Where I live most people either support Manchester United, Liverpool, Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers at work people either support Liverpool or Wigan Athletic but on here we have the biggest diverse group of supporters I come across. We have people who support Wigan Athletic, Liverpool, Fulham, Bayern, QPR, Manchester United etc and was just wondering why you support the teams you do, specially the people who live outside of the country where their team plays.

Myself I support Wigan Athletic and Celtic, Wigan are my love and my hometown team so it’s simple to explain why I support them. My passion however are Celtic, when my Dad died my Uncle became the father figure in my life until my Mum remarried and he’s a massive Celtic fan so used to take me up to Paradise and although I don’t really get on with my Step dad although he did bring his cousin into my life who just happens to live in Glasgow and supports Celtic so he was good for something.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by redmarkYankees

I agree. If we sack Rafa or he tires of the politics and walks, the Spanish job is available from next summer (Aragones is retiring, regardless of results). Six years in the role, 2 world cups with a young exciting Spanish squad, before he gets the Real Madrid job for a few years before retirement. I hope it doesn't happen, but...

Benitez is hugely admired throughout Europe, except in England where the press have never warmed to him.

One unmentioned and very real possibility is that Rafa is orchestrating his own way out of Liverpool by a few irresponsible statements. He could well have something else lined up and needs a way out of his present job.

[KurtBevacqua]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Who do you support and why.

Where I live most people either support Manchester United, Liverpool, Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers at work people either support Liverpool or Wigan Athletic but on here we have the biggest diverse group of supporters I come across. We have people who support Wigan Athletic, Liverpool, Fulham, Bayern, QPR, Manchester United etc and was just wondering why you support the teams you do, specially the people who live outside of the country where their team plays.

Myself I support Wigan Athletic and Celtic, Wigan are my love and my hometown team so it’s simple to explain why I support them. My passion however are Celtic, when my Dad died my Uncle became the father figure in my life until my Mum remarried and he’s a massive Celtic fan so used to take me up to Paradise and although I don’t really get on with my Step dad although he did bring his cousin into my life who just happens to live in Glasgow and supports Celtic so he was good for something.

I don't really have a favorite team. I like the way Arsenal plays and was a Thierry Henry fan so I guess that makes me a fan. I also like Celtic since we get them on Setanta sports regularly and they play a good style to watch.

But living between Cambridge and Birmingham I find my neighbors don't really have a consensus favorite. We're in the middle of nowhere with no big teams to support. I think most folks around here (there really since I'm in East Europe right now) go for the glamor teams like Man U or Arsenal.

I find English football is followed by an interesting dynamic. In American sports you have the big teams like the Cowboys, Yankees, and Lakers that have fans all over. But most teams have their fanbase built on local support. In and around Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Green Bay, or Buffalo you'll be very hard pressed to find more than one or two fans rooting for someone other than the local teams. But in England I find you'll have a large group of Man U or Arsenal fans pretty much anywhere. Now granted, places like Liverpool and Newcastle are much like the diehard American sports cities where the local team rules the roost. But I don't get that feel in Birmingham that Aston Villa is king. Walking around town you'll see more kids wearing Henry or Rooney shirts than Villa or the Blues. Maybe it's just because they have been so poor for so long.

[redmarkYankees]

Originally Posted by bababui

One unmentioned and very real possibility is that Rafa is orchestrating his own way out of Liverpool by a few irresponsible statements. He could well have something else lined up and needs a way out of his present job.

That would require a high level of cynicism. Rafa has gone well beyond the usual "I'm very happy at the club" level of statement over the last year or so. He does appear to genuinely love the club, constantly referring to "my club, my city and my supporters", how his young children regard themselves as Scousers, etc. He talked last week when linked with the Bayern job that he wanted to build a dynasty at Liverpool and be here as long as Ferguson (i.e. 20 years).

[redmarkYankees]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Some teams think their bigger than they actually are, if Derby think that Paul Jewell will do a better job I'd lay odds their going to be dissapointed.

It's difficult for a club like Derby, because they did have real success under Clough. Once tasted, that's difficult to forget. They can reasonably think of themselves as 'bigger' than several clubs who are in or have become established in the Premiership - Wigan, Fulham, Portsmouth, Bolton, for instance. I do agree that they'd have been better served by keeping Davies and going for a relegation/promotion, using the cash and experience to be better when they come back up.