I wonder if Mrs Beckham had anything to do with the choice between LA and Spurs.....?

nah..... I'm sure she flipped a coin...


heads - LA Galaxy, sun,hollywood,half-million pounds per week..
tails - spurs, English summer, London ,congestion charge....

Sounds like a good match for all involved, but his impact on American soccer is being overblown. The American Soccer community is growing naturally through participation and immigration but I don't think the game translates for folks who weren't raised on it. Star power doesn't keep butts in the seats during a 1-0 match. Heck LA folks don't even watch their baseball team's full games even after the game was rui...altered for them. The NFL, which I love, is where its at for the American attention span.

soccer isn't going to explode because beckham shows up, but he will have an impact. the truth is that even though his skills have deteriorated he is still better than 85-90% of MLS players. Fans of good soccer will show up for the curiosity factor. fans of celebrity will show up for the curiosity factor. kids will buy the beckham shirts. it all adds up to more attention for the game which is good.

i won't get really really excited unless Henry or Ronaldhino sign on with the MLS.. (holds breath)

Wouldn't that be something?

He's still a fantastic player in my opinion; as good as anyone in terms of passing and set pieces, and he has an amazing work rate. In terms of making an impact, I guess it's a start. If it gets more people going to MLS games, and watching on TV, then that's all good. You can't build a good football league without good support. It's a cycle; better players--->better attendences--->more money--->better players and so on.

i think he'll put some butts in seats for the mls. if that works out hopefully it will result in some of our young talent choosing to stay in the states and some talent coming in from foreign clubs. i expect we'll see some south american and mexican names make their way into MLS over the next few years due to the "beckham rule" paving the way for marquee players.

Having the best American players play in the MLS is obviously very important for building the league. If you look at the top three leagues in the world; England, Spain, and Italy, most of the best players from those countries play in their own league. One reason why leagues in France, Portugal, Holland etc. are a level below is because their best players often move to the big three. In this way, the top leagues stay top, and the lesser leagues stay lesser; it's very difficult to break this trend.

Problem is Beckham isn't that great anymore. True he is virtually indomitable in free kicks. However, the rest of his game has deteriorated. He can't defend anybody with a modicum of dribbling skill anymore without getting carded. His passing is mediocre at best, and his finishing skill in the penalty box is shockingly lacking for a striker. He may get enough goals to send the fans home happy, and sell Beckham shirts by the buttload. Alas, he is not the person he once was.

trevis smith in jail 4 life ?
 

A Regina woman who alleges a former Canadian Football League linebacker knowingly exposed her to HIV testified Monday that she had no reason to doubt him when he told her he wasn’t infected before the two had unprotected sex.

What makes you think that? He's one of the best passers in the world, especially over long distances; only a handful of other players can even come close to the quality of his passing. (Suchlike as Scholes, Fabregas, and Pirlo)
Well that's because he's not a striker, he's a midfielder. His finishing isn't particularly great, but then it's not particularly bad either. He can shoot from outside the box as well as anyone. Sure, he's not perfect, but he is a great player, if you want to use that term. What seperates him from a player who is just a good passer, like Michael Carrick for example, is his work rate, which makes him as effective at defending as he is at attacking.

The transfer window closed in Europe yesterday. Here's a list of all the deals involving Premiership and Championship clubs.

http://www.football365.com/story/0,1...886466,00.html

There hasn't been that many players moving to the big clubs. Most of the money has been spent by Aston Villa and West Ham, who have both been bought by new owners this season, and West Ham need to spend the money in order to try and escape relegation.

c'mon watford.

I just got home from the USA vs Mexico match. Good game, ugly play. We Won. That event was a wonderful argument in favor of tighter border security.

64,000 tickets sold. 55,000 obscenely drunk, belligerent, and crude illegals. 5,000 embarrassed mexico fans. 4,000 timid US fans.

when the US scored their first goal two fights broke out within 20 feet of me. as i walked out two drunks started throwing beer at the concessionaire then a bunch of folks started throwing punches at each other. their friends quick to get involved didn't pull their friends apart - they pulled out their phones and cameras and taunted the cops to start abusing their 'innocent' friends. of course, it was good to hear that they could at least speak a little english

fucking stain on a good night of football.

Donovan is starting to look like the real deal isn't he? Conrads work was awesome as well. I thought Convey was a little off last night but he kept grinding it out, that guy has a future.

It was impressive how the US kept their composure when Mexico turned up the pressure in the 2nd half.

INS get any work done after the game?

nope, cops were all huddled inside their little command post goofing around as usual.

the mexico team proved they have no class when they refused to shake hands after the game then they pissed and moaned about how horrible the americans are in their post-game interviews.

I didn't see the game, but it sounds like a pretty good win for the U.S. I think Mexico are a quality side, but you guys seem to keep getting the better of them. Good work.

Hey King, I was just looking at the Premiership and it's really amazing to me that only 4 teams have won it since 1992. And only three teams really compete for top position. Do you think it'll stay that way? Was it always that way, or is this a more recent thing, with different rules about transfers?

with the infusion of cash Liverpool is getting they'll regularly bump arsenal now IMO. i think more clubs will start looking for investors to the detriment of their supporters.

Nowadays, it's a 'Big Four', Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. This is probably down to how qualification for the Champions League has been run for the last few years; the top four Premiership teams qualify for the Champions League, and these teams consistently finish in the top four positions. Teams earn a huge amount of money from playing in the Champions League, and so this helps them to stay on top. It wasn't always this way; after Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal, it was generally a top two of Manchester United and Arsenal, which Liverpool later broke into, and then Chelsea with the huge investment from Roman Abramovich. It looks like staying this way for the forseeable future. It's difficult to break into the Big Four, but it's not impossible; Everton finished fourth two years ago, and Tottenham were only one game away from doing so last year. It's possible that Bolton or Reading could get in there this year, but it takes more than one good season to shift the balance of power.

This is fascinating to me, probably not to anyone else.

In the US, things are usually structured so that it's really hard for any one team to remain dominant. In all major sports, the teams at the bottom are given first pick of new players each year. There is never a promotion/relegation system. Every team in the league feels it has the chance, with a few good years, to win the national title.

In American football, basketball, and now I think in hockey, there is a "salary cap" - teams can only spend up to a certain limit on players. Only in baseball can a team spend as much as it wants - and only in baseball are there dominant teams that are expected to lead the league. But baseball is also a very random sport, and subject to a lot of strange whim, so it's impossible to guarantee victory just by spending.

I think it's interesting that in nations that are more socialist, the league setup is less so. And here in capitalistic US, the leagues are run in a socialist way.

I also think it's intersting that where governments are fiercely controlling, the dominant game is soccer which has relatively few rules. You can lean 95% of the rules of soccer in five minutes. The rule book for Am. football is ridiculously huge and requires precision management, with an entire squad of referees, line judges and umpires.

Even with the last place/first draft systems, money is what rules the day in American sports. One need look no further than baseball, where there is very definite and long-term correlation between dollars spent on talent to success on the field.

Most European leagues have traditional big teams; Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, the 'Seven Sisters' in Italy, etc. Money is a factor of course, but I think sometimes it's overstated and used as an excuse for failure; you can get good players for very little, and similarly, you can spend a lot of money on failures. I don't like the idea of salary caps or the draft system being brought into European football. Also, the simplicity of football is part of what makes it great; you can play it anywhere, anytime.

I haven't been able to get on here for a while but I just thought I'd comment on the League Cup Final. Chelsea beat Arsenal's 'League Cup team' (basically Arsenal without the stars) 2-1. It wasn't so much about the Chelsea win though as that was expected, but how good Arsenal's young players continue to be. They did brilliantly to reach the final, beating the full Spurs team and a strong Liverpool team 6-3 on the way, and put up a good show in the final, taking the lead in the first half. If they can find some consistency and toughness, then Arsenal will be unbelievable in 2-3 years I think.

i agree. that loss, and then the FA cup knockout in one week was heartbreaking. PSV worries me too. a two week period could see the whole season change for Arsenal.

the young gunners really have me excited for the future though. although it wasn't unexpected i was disappointed to hear fabergas say he plans on landing in spain within a few years. he is by far my favorite player.

Yes, it's pretty much season over for them if they go out to PSV. It probably depends on how successful Arsenal are as to whether Cesc stays. If he does then he'll probably become their most important player in a few years. So many quality youngsters though, I'd like a few of them at United.

yes, because your side is really lacking in quality.:rolleyes: who's that guy? ronal, ronol, ron... anyway, i hear he's got pretty good touch.

Last night I was channel surfing and happened upon a game between the Tottenham Hotspurs and West Ham United. The commentators were quite excited about how the game was going ... West Ham was up 2-nil, Tottenham scored to even things up (at least one goal on a penalty kick by a fellow West Ham had traded), and then West Ham scored again to move ahead, much to the delight of the home crowd, whose hopes were eventually dashed by that same traded player, with Tottenham winning 4-3.

Pretty exciting stuff.

Yes, we have some quality. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like Walcott or Fabregas or Denilson or Flamini etc. etc. :) We're better right now, but Arsenal's future is far more secure.

I know, and I missed it live.:mad: West Ham are screwed now. (If they weren't already).

When did that game actually play?

Sunday 4.00 PM (GMT)

Thanks!

Unlike the World Cup, in the Premier League they sometimes actually shoot and score.

The standard of football at club level (in the top leagues) is better than at international level, mainly because the players get to play and train together much more at their club, and the manager gets much more time to work with his players. This is why international teams often look like they've never played together before. (England at the moment).:mad:

I was really impressed by the grace of play in that game. Reminded me of what I'd always liked about soccer. I miss the NASL. :( Somewhere in a bag o' buttons I have a pin for the Philadelphia Fury.

11 days. 11 days from being in the running for all the cups, to complete and total disappointment. oh well, there is always next year.

Yes, the future looks bright for Arsenal, it's just a shame about the present for you. The other three Premiership clubs in the Champions League have got through to the last eight of the Champions League though. With the best team from Spain, Italy and France all going out, England is the most likely destination for the trophy. It's still a strong draw though:

AC Milan vs. Bayern Munich
PSV Eindhoven vs. Liverpool
Roma vs. Manchester United
Chelsea vs. Valencia

your boys certainly have the talent to take their tie. liverpool should as well. i'll just pray for chelsea's demise.

I agree that we have the talent; on paper I think we're the better side, and if we played the way we do in the Premiership I wouldn't be worried, but our outlook in Europe is all wrong. Ever since we last reached the semi-finals against Leverkusen in 2002, we've just been far too cautious in Europe, and it hasn't worked; we've never looked like a threat. We struggled past Lille in the previous round, and we've already lost to Celtic and Copenhagen away from home this season. If we don't up it a gear in Europe, there is no way we'll win the Champions' League this season.
Liverpool should get through. Chelsea have a difficult draw, but I just have a feeling that they might win it this year; the Champions League is the big one for them, it's the reason that all the money was spent in the first place.

I can't believe it a football thread.. My team won a cup on sunday first time they've won anything in 16 years..

That guy getting hugged on the right looks like Steve Carrell!

Yes be-bop, a football thread. I'm glad you've found it; most of the time it's just me keeping this alive. Well done to Hibs by the way.

cheers to your side. i think you appreciate the cups more when it has been a long time since the last one. i hear Arsenal fans bitching about the problems with the team because it has been *gasp* 2 YEARS without a cup!

A lot is expected of the big teams though isn't it? Too much, I guess.

i don't know. my perspective may just be a little different. i prefer to win the awards but as long as we are playing attractive, entertaining football i'm content. i've tried and tried, but i just can't stand watching chelsea play. they may be winners, but they are boring. if i just want to watch rough and tumble clinical football i'd prefer watching the lower table sides who are still more club than business oriented. but that is just me.

I see where you're coming from; winning trophies isn't everything. But that said I do want us to win every game. It's the nature of being a fan to want your team to be successful, and when you have all the tools necessary for success but you still aren't getting it, it can be frustrating. I prefer to look to the future though rather than looking at what we missed out on, though.

I haven't been able to post in a while but a lot has happened. Manchester United are now 5 points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premiership with 3 games each to go. 3 out of the 4 Champions' League semi-finalists are English, which along with the high standards that United and Chelsea have set domestically makes me think that the Premiership has been by far the best league in the world this season. Unbelievable season so far. Oh and I'm going to post this picture, well, just because I like it.

your boys are doing just great King. I hope they stick it to Chelsea every chance they get. I'd much rather see a Manchester United v Liverpool Champions League, though. Of course if I'm making wish list how about 1) Mourinho figuring out that anybody not wearing Blue feels he is a whiny little biotch, 2) Abromovich deciding he doesn't really like owning the side that much, and quit investing in it while the players have a mass exodus (mid-table here we come!), 3) Tottenham supporters make a move to becoming the classiest fans in England (ha ha ha), 4) Arsenal settle all the boardroom upheaval, 5) Henry, Van Persie, Fabergas, Rosicky, Adebayor, Hleb, Silva, Gallas stay healthy and combine beautiful football with finding the back of the net. Come on, Untouchables round two anyone? One can dream.

While I'm at it I'd like to see the FA get a better quality coach. Mainly one that understands picking the best player for each position doesn't guarantee success. Finding the right balance of egos and skills does. Gerrard and Lampard CANNOT play together, figure it out already.

Hey lookout! Long time no see! How're things?

things are great! just busy as usual. i don't have enough time to keep up on all the new threads and new cellarites so i just pop in to browse when one of the old topics i was involved in resurfaces.

*still waiting for more photos of labrat*

Sad but true, the first thought in my mind was this thread when the results came in.

I'm not going to gloat, but am pleased to be vindicated :jig:

Incredible! This thread is as boring as the game. Only three months until REAL football starts.

you mean the kind where overpaid prima donas dance around after tackling someone, even if they are getting beat 28-0? yep, that'll be back in a few months.

and yes, i do like our american brand of football. just don't get the "big dic" (where's tw?) attitude about "real football".

Oops. Now I feel really guilty about holding a gun to your head and forcing you to read it...

that's "real football" where they don't usually use their feet to move the ball? :neutral: More a sort of handball/wrestling thing?

Thanks for that excellent contribution.

I haven't been able to post since before the Premiership ended, so thank to the admin for sorting that problem for me. Anyway here's a link to the final table:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...le/default.stm

Manchester United finished as champions (Yes!) which was a great achievement considering Chelsea's resources. Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal will play in the Champion's League, meaning that the 'Big Four' has stayed intact for another year. Spurs, Everton and Bolton will play in the UEFA Cup. Sheffield United, Charlton and Watford are relegated to the Championship, meaning that the two Sheffield sides will play each other next season. Of course, this is unless Sheffield United's legal action over the transfer of Tevez and Mascherano to West Ham succeeds, which Sheffield hope will keep them up. It's unlikely, but not impossible. It's been an excellent Premiership season to be honest, with the title race going down to the penultimate week of the season, and the final relegation place being decided on the final day.

I actually quite like Mourinho; he's entertaining, so I'd rather listen to him than somebody like Southgate or Coleman. I also like how he just doesn't care what people think of him and will just wind them up. I don't know why I like that, but I do. From a footballing standpoint, I'd love him to go, as it would weaken Chelsea greatly; the team spirit he has built amongst what is essentially a bunch of mercenaries is unbelievable. Chelsea wouldn't be the same without him. I would definetly like to see Abramovich go; so that anything Chelsea do would actually be an achievement rather than just buying trophies. Arsenal will improve eventually I think; they're going through a period of transition at the moment. They need to keep Wenger and Henry though, whatever happens. I think a lot will happen this summer concerning the big four, and a few other Premiership teams that have big money to spend. The 'silly season' is going to be sillier than ever apparently.