Global Football Odds & Ends

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,841
That sucks, but this:

Fuzhou were forced to purchase black hair dye for the offending players to resolve the problem but one player's hair still did not meet the requirements, meaning they were unable to field enough players for the game.
One player's hair was still not black enough causing them to not have enough?
 

PedroSpecialK

Comes at you like a tornado of hair and the NHL sa
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2004
27,164
Cambridge, MA
Definitely seems harsh - though the last 10 minutes of that match I have absolutely no clue how City didn't score, a combination of luck and great saves by Johnstone saw it out more so than any of Bilic's tactics
 

Section30

Member
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Aug 2, 2010
1,260
Portland OR

fletcherpost

sosh's feckin' poet laureate
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Jul 15, 2005
12,139
Glasgow, Scotland
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55436136
Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is the main contender to take over at Paris St-Germain after Thomas Tuchel was sacked.

It is understood PSG's players have been told that the Argentine, 48, will be joining the club.
Talks between PSG and Pochettino started at least two weeks ago.

Earlier, BBC Sport's Simon Stone reported that Tuchel, 47, was sacked hours after he took charge of Wednesday's 4-0 win against Strasbourg.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55436136
Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is the main contender to take over at Paris St-Germain after Thomas Tuchel was sacked.

It is understood PSG's players have been told that the Argentine, 48, will be joining the club.
Talks between PSG and Pochettino started at least two weeks ago.

Earlier, BBC Sport's Simon Stone reported that Tuchel, 47, was sacked hours after he took charge of Wednesday's 4-0 win against Strasbourg.
This was coming for a while. I’m curious to see if Poch is the right guy to push PSG over the finish line. I think he’s an incredible coach, but he’s made his name taking medium sized clubs to over-performance. I’m a bit torn now because I like Poch and think PSG can go get fucked...
 

67YAZ

Member
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Dec 1, 2000
8,729
It’s a mark of how wildly detached from the rest of the sport the mega-clubs have become when a manager who won consecutive domestic trebles and made a UCL final gets fired midseason and has seemingly hurt his reputation in the process.

Good luck to Poch.
 

Zomp

Moderator
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Aug 28, 2006
13,942
The Slums of Shaolin
My kids (3 and 1) got me these for Christmas. I read to them every night before bed and these are going into the weekly rotation...more if I can help it.

37392
37393
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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Dec 15, 2002
14,446
Gross' big task is staving off relegation from the 2.Bundesliga next season.
 

Section30

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Aug 2, 2010
1,260
Portland OR
ESPN puts out fodder about former referee Clattenburg calling Klopp a hypocrite about diving.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/liverpool-engliverpool/story/4287714/liverpools-klopp-is-a-hypocrite-over-penalty-jibe-his-players-dive-too-former-referee-clattenburg
But they don't mention the quotes about favorable bias for Ferguson.

"Now, in an effort to defend current Premier League officials from criticisms from Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp suggesting United are seeing favourable officiating, Clattenburg has said that any refereeing bias in favour of United has eased.
It’s rather damning, and seemingly without being at all aware of it. Clattenburg saying a club get fewer favourable decisions now, since the days Ferguson was in charge and he was officiating.
"


https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2021/1/14/22230663/former-referee-mark-clattenburg-admits-manchester-united-bias-favourable-decisions-ferguson
 

Zomp

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Aug 28, 2006
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Two notes.

- Bruno Fernandes has won the PL Player Of The Month for a 4th time. He's the only player in history to win it 4 times in a calendar year. Aguero has the all time record with 7.

- Wayne Rooney has officially retired from playing. He was a player-manager at Derby but will focus on being the full time manager now. He is, without question, my all time favorite player and I really hope he has success in his manager career. I've also really enjoyed his punditry when he's in studio.
 

mic99

New Member
Jul 18, 2005
490
I will be interested to see how people view Rooney's legacy in English football.

If talked about elsewhere apologies, but has anyone seen The Three Kings (Busby, Shankly, Stein)? The Trailer is fantastic.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
I love Rooney the footballer, the public personality, and the commentator, but his behavior and substance abuse issues are troubling. Athletes aren’t choirboys but he’s got a self destructive streak.
 

67YAZ

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Dec 1, 2000
8,729
His MLS legacy is secure.


Seeing Rooney gasping for air & too tired to join his teammates really resonates with me.
 

Zomp

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Espn did a feature on him the other day. A few pundits said at his best he could have played in any team in the world. I’d agree with that. I mean to be United’s all time leading goal scorer while only being the main goal option for a short time is incredibly impressive. His best quality was his selflessness which came with his football intelligence. Look at his strike partners. Van Nistelrooy, Saha, Tevez, Berbatov, Chicharito, Van Persie. All very different and he adjusted him game to play with all of them. His best role was always as a second striker. He could do it all. Score, pass, defend, good in the air. Young Rooney had a street style to his game that was hard to match. There are plenty of stories of him scoring the winner for Everton then going to the local park to play in a pickup game later. His temper got the best of him sometimes but that’s what endeared him to fans. His best partner was Tevez. That 2008 United team is still the best I’ve seen apart from Barcelona. Ronaldo, Rooney, and Tevez all running at defenders. Terrifying.

Some people think he under achieved. I can see that line of thinking because 18 year old Rooney was a phenom that is rarely seen. But again, United’s and England’s all time leading scorer. At the club level, won everything there was to win. But the combination of miles, bad genetics, and a less than ideal lifestyle made him flame out earlier than expected. However it’s also unfair to compare him to Ronaldo and Messi who are machines. Rooney played at the highest level of football from age 16 to 31. That’s a 15 year career.

If I had to pick a top ten best moments of being a fan. I’m sure he’s in nearly all of them.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Espn did a feature on him the other day. A few pundits said at his best he could have played in any team in the world. I’d agree with that. I mean to be United’s all time leading goal scorer while only being the main goal option for a short time is incredibly impressive. His best quality was his selflessness which came with his football intelligence. Look at his strike partners. Van Nistelrooy, Saha, Tevez, Berbatov, Chicharito, Van Persie. All very different and he adjusted him game to play with all of them. His best role was always as a second striker. He could do it all. Score, pass, defend, good in the air. Young Rooney had a street style to his game that was hard to match. There are plenty of stories of him scoring the winner for Everton then going to the local park to play in a pickup game later. His temper got the best of him sometimes but that’s what endeared him to fans. His best partner was Tevez. That 2008 United team is still the best I’ve seen apart from Barcelona. Ronaldo, Rooney, and Tevez all running at defenders. Terrifying.

Some people think he under achieved. I can see that line of thinking because 18 year old Rooney was a phenom that is rarely seen. But again, United’s and England’s all time leading scorer. At the club level, won everything there was to win. But the combination of miles, bad genetics, and a less than ideal lifestyle made him flame out earlier than expected. However it’s also unfair to compare him to Ronaldo and Messi who are machines. Rooney played at the highest level of football from age 16 to 31. That’s a 15 year career.

If I had to pick a top ten best moments of being a fan. I’m sure he’s in nearly all of them.
I have no problem putting him right up there. As you say it’s a shame that indulging in vices cost him, physically and otherwise.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
38018

NYC Evertonians arranged a group to go to a RBNY -DCU game. As you see our seats were right at the corner flag, two rows back - great seats for watching what the attackers snd defenders were trying to do.

He was middle of the pack in players on the pitch at best in terms of physicality and pace. It was interesting to see just how often the Red Bull CB who were very big boys would just dig an elbow into his ribs or give him a little shoulder to shoulder bump, even when the action was all the way down the other end snd the ball was 60 yds away. But his skill and most impressive his vision were miles ahead of anyone else. The little movements to shake free in the box, the deft passing, the organization of his teammates on the fly- his speed of thought and read of the game was just so much fun to see.

He was doing well in MLS, liked it at DC, spoke well of the league and was much more invested in his sides success than the usual retirement superstar in MLS, but then got shitfaced in the airport snd evidently was getting some American strange on the side, so Mrs M pulled the plug and they went home, to the Championship.
 
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Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
My favorite, especially in hindsight, was his first league goal...just shy of his 17th birthday he belted in the winner in a 2-1 game against Arsenal. The way he brings the ball down, turns, and once he realizes he has room, just smashes it off the crossbar and in. And the absolute limbs that followed.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNOszAgzuxQ
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
I guess I don't get why that response is incredible.

But I'm also bored silly of Ibra, though his exploits on the pitch (and in the dressing room by all accounts) with Milan are quite impressive.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
From what I had heard on a podcast, AVB asked out of Marsielle a couple of weeks ago too and was told no
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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I guess I don't get why that response is incredible.

But I'm also bored silly of Ibra, though his exploits on the pitch (and in the dressing room by all accounts) with Milan are quite impressive.
Count me among those who find Ibra's shtick to be extremely tedious and overplayed.
 

candylandriots

unkempt
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Mar 30, 2004
12,327
Berlin
A few months ago, there were a couple of Bayern Leverkusen vans parked in our courtyard. I thought that was weird, but didn't think too much of it.

One of my neighbors who I'm friendly with just told me that it's because Patrick Weiser lives three floors above me, and when his son Mitchell is in Berlin, he stays here.

I'm not sure I've ever even seen either one of them, but I'm going to be on the lookout now (it's not a big apartment complex, something like 45 apartments overall, and the one we share with Weiser has only 9).
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
Not sure where this belongs, but Tigres and Bayern Munich have advanced to the Club World Cup final. I was surprised to learn that it will be the first final appearance for a Concacaf side, because Liga MX teams usually avail themselves pretty well in Copa Libertadores. For whatever reason Tigres and Rayados (their main rivals) seem to do better in international competition than other clubs from Mexico. Bayern are heavy favorites, but I hope Tigres can put on an entertaining match.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Not sure where this belongs, but Tigres and Bayern Munich have advanced to the Club World Cup final. I was surprised to learn that it will be the first final appearance for a Concacaf side, because Liga MX teams usually avail themselves pretty well in Copa Libertadores. For whatever reason Tigres and Rayados (their main rivals) seem to do better in international competition than other clubs from Mexico. Bayern are heavy favorites, but I hope Tigres can put on an entertaining match.
this is the thing that I think of most re fixture congestion. It’s a neat idea but it just seems like one too many logs on the fire.
 

wonderland

New Member
Jul 20, 2005
525
Not sure where this belongs, but Tigres and Bayern Munich have advanced to the Club World Cup final. I was surprised to learn that it will be the first final appearance for a Concacaf side, because Liga MX teams usually avail themselves pretty well in Copa Libertadores. For whatever reason Tigres and Rayados (their main rivals) seem to do better in international competition than other clubs from Mexico. Bayern are heavy favorites, but I hope Tigres can put on an entertaining match.
I’m glad the Kimmich goal was ruled out because Lewandowski was offsides. Lewandowski was offsides and in the way of the shot even if he didn’t touch it.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
I completely forgot until Rob Stone reminded me. Tigres needed a miracle to defeat Alainza in the Champions League round of 16. That feels like a lifetime ago. TB wrote a good summary.
Oh, man. Alianza of El Salvador clawed back from a two goal deficit against the almighty Tigres UANL to be in a position to advance on away goals. They were denied an all-time CCL upset by a NAHUEL GUZMAN (the Tigres GK!) header with seconds left in stoppage. That's heartbreaking.

It also would have blown a massive hole in one half of the bracket, but alas, NYCFC have to deal with Tigres next round.

View: https://twitter.com/TheChampions/status/1232863263332950023
Tigres has already received a yellow for time wasting. Davies has played well, which makes sense as he was forged in the fires of Concacaf.