2012-13 European Football thread [R]

Pardew went through this with WHU. WHU was kicking ass and taking names, made it to the FA Cup to get pipped by a Steven Gerrard screamer from 35 yards out and lose on PK's.....and high hopes for next year came crashing down with a screeching halt that resulted him being fired to be replaced by Alan Curbishley. WHU had no business surviving the drop zone only to engineer "The Great Escape" winning something like 7 of the last 9 games.

 

I love Pardew. Don't get me wrong. I like his style. His problem seems to be that he can't catch a break after an awesome season. Injuries kill his squad the following season.

 

Mike Ashley being tight with his money I can't seem him firing Pardew to soon. That's going to be a hit.

Patience is needed. See how things go next season. All teams have their seasons where they finish lower than they should.

 

Patience and Mike Ashley will never ever belong in the same sentence. Ever.

 

I realize that but maybe a "new" Mike Ashley has emerge with that 8 year deal.

 

A little bit off-subject:

Tonight's 60 minutes features (featured) a segment on FC Barcelona. It's the last segment, starting around 45 minutes in to the program. They talk about how Messi is the best player in the world, how FC Barcelona has won almost every piece of hardware possible over the last several years, and how the youth academy has really helped the club get where it is.

I think it's this Wednesday on Showtime (they mention it during the 60 Minutes program) is another feature about Messi. I'm sure this will repeat several times.

In addition, there is a free preview of Showtime, and maybe even TMC, this coming weekend for many providers:

http://www.freepreview.tv/showtime/free-preview-of-showtime-for-tons-of-providers.html

 

How in the hell did the ref allow Suarez's goal to stand? That may be one of the worst no-calls in the history of the FA Cup.

Mansfield Town deserved a replay.

 

No one is arguing that. As for the replay, ain't gonna happen. Liverpool is busy, you see and the FA don't give two shits about Mansfield Town. Next question!

 

That has nothing to do with it. If the FA award a replay, or a re-run of the game, or whatever, that opens up a huge can of worms that I don't think the FA, UEFA, or FIFA want to even consider.

What should happen is that the FA stop protecting the referees and start putting them out there answering for their calls after every game.

 

You mean a ref missed a call? Never!

 

Typical reactionary knee jerkism. You gotta answer why you missed that call!!! You will never have a ref left in the game. I guess we can be like Turkey and boot out the best refs there are because they can't be bought and we will use dubious evidence to slam the refs ala Meireles spitting incident, but claim that matches aren't fixed. Really, sometimes people just simply miss a call. What a concept. It is one thing if they keep screwing up the same thing over and over, but Andre Marriner missed one major call in how many games because he is hardly ever in the center of a blown call controversy.

 

I don't get why a ton of people (mostly the press) are going after Suarez. He's out there to score goals and he does so until he's stopped by the ref. The reaction to this would have been extremely different if it was Mansfield Town that scored a goal the same way.

 

The Mansfield Town chairman even said that he would have accepted scoring that way.

I just don't understand when miss calls happen that people fly off the handle. It's sport. It's a game. Humans are making the calls. Not machines (however in the future!!) It's not like the miss these on purpose (unless you work in Italy or Turkey apparently)

 

It was a poor no-call but I disagree when people say it would have definitely been a draw if his goal was not allowed to stand. Yes, it was ultimately the decisive goal, but who knows how it would have played out.

 

Suarez is a cheater. Everyone knows this. The fact that he is actually a good footballer is disappointing.

If Mansfield had scored a goal like that there would be even MORE outcry because Liverpool fans would be outraged, incensed, oh my the world is ending...and the FA can't have that now can they?
The "Right" team went through..sweep it under the rug and move on.

 

Assuming this is true, I don't really see what that has to do with his handball yesterday. I don't think it was a deliberate handling, but it should have been called. What's he supposed to do, stop and hand the ball to the goal keeper?

 

Nope. Not at all.
He is supposed to get a two footed tackle later in the game so he can never play again and when children look at his newly deformed leg they run away screaming in horror at the atrocity.

 

Actually I don't blame Suarez at all. I am amazed that the ref and the AR on that side didn't react when every player on the field stopped playing, all the Mansfield players put their hands up and even the Liverpool players seemed to expect the call to be made. I saw it as a handball live from the back/side angle of TV.

Suarez kissing his arm doesn't help matters, either.

 

Surprised it didnt happen in this match.

That's what I thought too, even though it's his typical goal celebration.

 

This conversation has as much warmth and tact as meeting between Sigi and Busch

 

The "media" are supposed to make money from their content, whatever that medium is, the thing about suarez, balotelli, mancini, fergie, terry, abromovich - they all make the people who live and work in media's jobs so much easier.

 

I see a few players doing that celebration, thought it was something to do with a wrist tattoo or something.