2000 season After a late-season loss to Columbus doomed the Fusion's playoff hopes-- "We had them pinned so much of the game. I was very confident coming out of halftime," said Hudson about all the chances his team missed. "We still did enough to control the game, to swing it around. We just didn't put the dagger in." "We don't have a ruthless streak. We're like Dracula looking at a beautiful neck� we don�t have the fangs to sink in," added Hudson. After seeing the Fusion giving up a couple of 'silly' goals in another late-season game against D.C. United that had a role in shaping the playoff race-- "Their two goals were out of Looney Toons, weren't they? The last goal was a comedy of errors� They played with a lot of guts and they put us under pressure and that led to the goals." After a flat Fusion performance against Dallas (7/15/00)-- "Anybody have a gun? I take full responsibility for this loss," said Hudson afterwards, with a completely straight face. "I got convinced the lineup needed to be altered while I knew in my heart of hearts we shouldn't have used this lineup, and the boys paid the price. I didn't give these guys a chance to win tonight and this is fairly and squarely down to Ray Hudson." "I have to apologize profusely to our fans for this performance, and I wish I could give them the money back one by one from my own paycheck, because the Fusion deserves better than that," added Hudson. On the impact of a Nick Rimando save from the foot of Bobby Convey in a 3-1 win over D.C. United on August 5-- "That was a world-class save," said Hudson. "That is the kind of thing that gives you the belief that Nicky is a pure 14-karat star. Overall, the kid was magnificent." After Diego Serna's four-goal performance paced a 4-1 win over the MetroStars on September 2-- "Diego was the jewel in the crown tonight. We had ten payers who worked and committed themselves right from the first whistle," said Hudson. "Diego was brilliant and erratic, beautiful and terrible and everything all at once. He was out of control, and he was under control. He was frustrating, and he was wonderful." On some profligate finishing against the MetroStars on July 22 (probably my favourite quips from that season)-- "I just want to vomit now. It was finger-down-the-throat finishing," quipped Hudson. "My heart was really bleeding for them guys after a performance like that and to have nothing to show for it." But Hudson was willing to give credit where credit was due. "But it doesn't matter-- you've got to hand it to [the MetroStars] with full complement. They have finishers. They have a team that complements each other and they can weather a storm like that and create your own luck. They dodged bullets the size of howitzers tonight and they still had enough to come back and cut our heads off," added Hudson. More to come tomorrow...
"Release the Hounds !" I don't blame Ray for all the problems with the team last season - he had to play the cards he was dealt - by management, injuries, officiating, etc. He still got us back in the playoffs for the first time in ages, and c'mon, the guy had a nervous breakdown, so you can't fault his committment !! I will miss his colorful personality and his heart-on-the-sleeve honesty. GOOD LUCK, RAY
Bump, only to tell you good folks that we're adding quotes to Ray Hudson's Wikipedia page. Feel free to add to this page. And mods, feel free to move this thread to the Alumni section.
I absolutely love ray hudson. But, someone has to get to him and explain to him the definition of "wet dream". Twice this weekend he described a particularly pretty play as "like watching a wet dream". I think he thinks that a "wet dream" is just a really good dream than, ick, what it really is.
He said that someone on Inter Milan had a "meaty head." Perhaps that goes with the wet dream? And another one: "How can you go wrong with a nickname like The Flying Donkeys?"
Saw a recent match with Villareal and Hudson had a huge man crush on Riquelme. "I send him Valentine's Day cards every year but he never responds." LOL.
After the '06 Cup game vs. Czechoslovakia: "Bruce Arena has to pick these boys up by their jockstraps and put lobsters in their jockstraps.." Lobsters.
You know, lobsters. With big claws. To pinch them and wake them up. 90 minutes of nipping terror. Ghana wouldn't have had a chance.
When describing a through pass in today's Celta-Valencia game, he said it was "as sweet as a nut." He also bashed Celta for missing chances, saying that Valencia could "come out of the closet and bite your head off if you give them a chance." I didn't know there were gay vampires ...
Hudsonisms from Real-Barcelona today: "Gudjonsen is just not a spearhead." "Cannavaro is running around like a three-legged giraffe out there, but it's effective." "You'd have bet the mortgage he's have put that one in, but you'd have lost it." "Robinho's scrambling around like a squirrel on a telephone wire." "Emerson, defying his age, like Peter Pan." "Ruud Van Nistelrooy says to Lilian Thuram, 'You're my little lollipop here tonight, mate!' " "Well, they radiated confidence right from the get-go, they were full of manly machismo, and commitment and focus."
A doozie from today's Bundesliga game: "It's not as easy as gravy coming off of meat." I guess there was a good roast at the Hudson household last Thursday!
On Ronaldinho's spectacular goal.... "It's like some one threw a blow dryer in the bath tub and shocked this crowd into delirium"
After Ronaldinho's goal (one of the multiple replays): "He's like Beta Max. They don't make 'em like that, anymore."
Here's the whole vocal orgasm: "As electrifying as a hair dryer thrown into a hot tub, my friend. Absolutely breathtaking! It puts the Haitian Voodoo rattle on this one. When he finishes -- oh! Like Betamax, they do not make them like him anymore! What more can you say? An extraordinary goal by an extraordinary player! That will send these people into their dreams tonight thinking of heavenly things. Absolutely bamboozles his defender with this virtuoso goal ... Look at this, gets all of his angles right, sets it up for himself. Cygan is just a spectator, looks down at him and says, 'That's not human.' And it is not. It is superhuman." As long as Ray doesn't make the coach ask for a T.O., baby.
[at the top of his lungs] De La Peña! De La Peña...put's away the masterful cross that his grandmother knitting a quilt could've put away.
"I'll eat sauerkraut naked on next week's show if the German doesn't get the job. ... I didn't say which German; I'm keeping my options open." Any German lineage for Bob Bradley???
"Like a Turkish bellydancer on a surfboard, Ronaldinho's tiptoeing through the tulips." Three mixed metaphors?
I saw that. Cheap ass Ray didn't give the other guys anything. "I'll get ya later" or something like that.