i loved the way he handled ciani. "tu moques petit? t'inquiète, je vais laisser lolo te calmer!" years they've said they're going to clean up les surfaces... in the same vein, love the way bré handled the "hand ball" at the end of sainté-grenoble too. after every genius "analyst" explaining about hands collées and décollées the league decided to misinterpret rule XII the same way. bré sees a ball go to hand in he dying minutes, completely unintentionally and with no effect on play, so he doesn't whistle. interviewed afterwards he explains his decision in complete disregard of the circular from the DTNA and good on him because the circular is an ass.
Montpellier have a very good starting 11 that's been rounded out with very astute summer signings, especially Dernis, Jeunechamp, and Spahic. The problem will be depth. If injuries pile up, or if players are suspended in defense, it will be hard to avoid a barren run. Every year a promoted team starts off well, but more often than not they're still in the relegation dogfight by March. I'm holding out hope that MHSC can avoid that, but they'll need some younger players to have real coming-out seasons to finish better than 15th. Ait Fana is one to watch.
there's always one great reason for rooting for montpellier. that big irascible but loveable teddybear they have for president louis nicollin! he's unique (thank god, two of him would be more than one could bear) but he's been missing from L1 for too long.
I just had to share this from the Arsenal board, it such good news. Gael Kakuta is the culprit in this. He's been involved with the les blues youth sides, a promising player, but STAY IN FRANCE FOR A BIT YOU TWAT, you're only 18. (left when he was 16!??) Maybe clubs will starting thinking twice about tapping up our talent.
I'm sure there's tons of clubs that could have similar action taken against them. It's sort of similar to only suspending Eduardo.
No the eduardo incident was just plain atrocious. I'm still trying to understand how you can ban someone two matches for a yellow card offense.
If this were April 1, I would think it to be an April Fool's joke because I never thought FIFA would punish Chelsea for something that has been perpetrated by other teams previously. That being said ... hooray for FIFA. It's about time.
Well it appears that Monaco maybe regaining some form of respectablity. About time too, it would be a shame if they had gotten relegated.
I dont think they were a real relegation candidate really. St. Etienne really isnt bad enough to warrant relegation either.
I mean it seems like they've been in the lower half of the table since their champions league final, and this year maybe that can push for a top six or so.
Maurice Cohen is out as president of Nice. http://www.mercato365.com/infos-clubs/nice/article_349141_Nice-Cohen-s-en-va.shtml
Monaco continues to do well as they took their derby in good fashion. Lille were unlucky not to take the Northern Derby, two clear penalties in their favor not blown down. It think this going to be a real exciting season, all the teams that are supposed to be good, are. I wonder who's going to let up first.
rami was awesome, besides scoring he would have saved the lens goal if butelle hadn't stopped him. awesome against valencia too. he's quickly becoming the best CB in L1. i hope ray has his phone number!
Oh I'm sure he does, I think he's on the fringes of making the squad, and CB is currently wideopen for the most part. He's only 23 and has had a B side call up. I just wish Lemerre would leave him alone.
http://www.asse-live.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=64224 Huh ? He said no one wants to invest in football. Are you telling me that there are no wealthy foreigners out there who want to invest in a historic club ??? I dont believe it. They buy lest prestigious clubs like Manchester City and Porstmouth at the drop of a hat. Is Ligue 1 really that un desireable, even for the teams that have great support ???
We have historic clubs, but we are hardly a fashionable league. What would convince some rich sheik to invest in a ligue 1 club, especially since we actually have regulations on what clubs can do and what not?
He's not selling his share, he's just looking for an investor but I think there has to be someone in France with money who's interested.
Well yea, someone in France. I'm just saying you'd be pressed to find a non-european to invest in ligue 1, or even a non-frenchman. Even that American who got involved with Monaco, wasn't he of french decent?
Yeah but he wasnt a shareholer though. By the way, the possibility of Bernard Taipe coming to Nice has me very excited. The 40,000 seat stadium will be built there and Taipe could give that club a huge boost.
yew main, ze prainz? if by a huge boost you mean everyone à la correctionnelle... business as usual for nice perhaps!
Well Stellardo has come out and said he's not opposed to Taipe coming in so looks like it could be on.
you know why i (in my most cynical moments) might hope this really comes to pass? to show up tapie for what he is ONCE AND FOR ALL. because even if le grand nanar loves to sound off as the elder statesman on everything from football to subprimes to the environment, when all is said and done, he's just a clown. a punk. in his glory days he was no more than a straw man fluffed up by some eminence grise*... but mitterand's been dead long so long now that pretty soon even the media will be able to stop paying attention to him. * maybe someone like pierre-henri can give us some facts and opinions on all this. my ignorance on all the goings on surrounding this... this... individual... is almost total. but you don't have to be jean daniel to realize that bernard tapie is the one politician in france more unsavory than jean-marie le pen