World Football Thread VII

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by CerberusIV
At most they could possibly restrict non-EU nationals - which won't be popular with non-european Associations whose international players would be denied the opportunity to play in the top european leagues.

The funny thing is, an adjacent argument to the one about foreign players '... ruining the heart and soul of the English game' is the one about the 'exploitation of 3rd world talent by nasty imperialist European clubs'. In fact Blatter has said more or less this.

It would be surprising if the top African players really want to play for local teams in Ghana or the Ivory Coast when they could be playing for clubs like Chelsea, Milan or Barcelona. So Blatter doesn't care about what the players want to do, or what's ultimately best for football both inside and outside Europe. His approach is narrow, parochial, protectionist and backward, in my view.

I strongly feel that football would be a lot better off without Blatter. How many more years will we have to endure him?

[CerberusIV]

Part of what Blatter is doing is desperately seeking a big stick to keep the clubs in line. If the current court cases, backed by the G14, to get compensation for clubs whose players are injured on international duty succeed then power will shift towards the big clubs.

[duke o' york]

Shift even further that direction you mean. But then surely it is not the international team's fault if an opposition player kicks the living Blackburn out of one of their stars - it's that individual's fault. Then footie would implode, because no-one would go into a tackle in case they lost everything to expensive lawyers/richer players.

[Urban Ranger]

Liverpool 3-1 over Everton with one man less most of the time. Showed that they really are one of the top tier teams.

[C0ckney]

two teams promoted today, congrats to reading (promoted to premiership) and gretna (promoted to scottish division one).

[C0ckney]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Liverpool 3-1 over Everton with one man less most of the time. Showed that they really are one of the top tier teams.

yeah was a good game to watch, but what was the ref thinking, i've seen less cards at christmas!

[reds4ever]

..only 'cos nobody sends you them.....

[Frozzy]

Originally posted by C0ckney
two teams promoted today, congrats to reading (promoted to premiership)

[Urban Ranger]

Reading turned around without Uri Geller mucking up in a couple of seasons. Funny and at the same time.

[C0ckney]

juventus 8 points clear in serie A, hardly fashioned an opening all game against the mighty gunners.

arsenal 2-0 juventus

if you didn't see it, you missed a great game of football.

[Cort Haus]

Arsenal now just need to score once in Turin. Juve won't score four times against that defence. Toure

- and that tackle from Pires on Vieira! Never seen him do that before. Speaking of Vieira - £13.5m looks a very good price now that Fabregas has come of age. Another one from Arsene Wenger's magic hat!

[Footie Mad]

Originally posted by C0ckney

if you didn't see it, you missed a great game of football.

I don't really think it was a great game of football, it takes two to tango. Fun if you like Arsenal maybe.

[C0ckney]

well i never claimed to be unbiased

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Footie Mad


I don't really think it was a great game of football, it takes two to tango. Fun if you like Arsenal maybe.

I didn't know you supported Spurs, FM?

A ton of non-Arsenal fans who posted on the 606 forum certainly didn't agree with you. Any objective observer would surely have found it more interesting than, say, Milan vs Lyon, which was about as exciting as Chelsea vs Chelsea without the handballs.

[Footie Mad]

They probably found it good because all english hate italian teams with a passion, one team played very good but in my opinion that does not make a great game. If it had been your team that got outplayed you would probably remember it as "that game where every player underperformed". Not a great game.