Can't wait for west ham vs stoke lol!
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
2016/17 Soccer/Football Thread
- Thread starter Aurious
- Start date
- Status
Or Sunderland. Looked hopeless currently.
Speaking of Everton, this is quite interesting
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...sports-science-guru-transforming-everton-fc2/
Can't wait to see how this gamble turns out
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...sports-science-guru-transforming-everton-fc2/
Can't wait to see how this gamble turns out
Yeah Everton is definitely one to watch this season, just keeping hold of Lukaku meant they already did good business in the transfer window. And signing Williams was a great move for their defence. They look solid in every area of the pitch.
I'm not sure they have the overall quality to make top 4, but with Lukaku getting goals and if Barkley and Bolasie end up having really good seasons, you never know. Leicester proved that all you need is a solid defense, 1 amazing playmaker and 1 striker scoring a load of goals to go all the way. The rest of the team just have to be well organised and work hard.
I think the race for top 4 is especially exciting this season. I can't see anyone beating City, but other than that, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs and Everton are all in contention to get the other 3 spots. I hope Liverpool, Everton and Spurs continue to challenge the 'big 4' and the league moves towards a 'big 7'. It will make every season a lot more interesting if we don't know who's gonna end up in the champions league places.
I'm not sure they have the overall quality to make top 4, but with Lukaku getting goals and if Barkley and Bolasie end up having really good seasons, you never know. Leicester proved that all you need is a solid defense, 1 amazing playmaker and 1 striker scoring a load of goals to go all the way. The rest of the team just have to be well organised and work hard.
I think the race for top 4 is especially exciting this season. I can't see anyone beating City, but other than that, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs and Everton are all in contention to get the other 3 spots. I hope Liverpool, Everton and Spurs continue to challenge the 'big 4' and the league moves towards a 'big 7'. It will make every season a lot more interesting if we don't know who's gonna end up in the champions league places.
Hope that humiliating defeat taught Conte a a tactical lesson; playing both Matic and Kante is madness. He must also drop Ivanovic, Alonso looked good whenever he played, it's about time he starts starting games at LB so Azpilicueta can take Ivanovic's place on the right. Unfortunately, we're stuck with Cahill till Zouma's fit to replace him.....horrific reality.
It took you guys 3 years to realise that? Ferguson tried to sell him in 2013; that should tell you guys everything.
Rooney's good, he just needs the right squad to back him.
Also, Man City will win it all this year
What a fucking win. Carbon copy of our match vs United tbh. Squad is looking good, defense for the most part still has their moments, but honestly every club has those moments.
The funniest thing about this win is how vibrant and enthusiastic every Arsenal fan is being, yet days/weeks before they were constantly moaning and bashing everything about Wenger and shit. Enjoy the ride and enjoy your club. Fuck. Sure it's first real win in 5years vs Chelsea apparently, but we didn't win the Prem. People are flipping the fuck out over this win.
The funniest thing about this win is how vibrant and enthusiastic every Arsenal fan is being, yet days/weeks before they were constantly moaning and bashing everything about Wenger and shit. Enjoy the ride and enjoy your club. Fuck. Sure it's first real win in 5years vs Chelsea apparently, but we didn't win the Prem. People are flipping the fuck out over this win.
I hope that's concentrated sarcasm. Anyway, I'm impressed with Man City's start. Didn't look like they'll drop many points this season and they manage to make Sterling replicate his Liverpool form. Not bad at all.
As a Liverpool fan, I'm also really pleased with the way we destroyed Hull. They were camped in their half for almost the entire game bar one chance which they scored from.
Not sarcasm. It takes a good player to be able to survive after RVP left, and a crapload of great players get bought
Compared to MOST fws in the Barclays? No. Compared to the top ones, like Agüero, Lukaku, and Kane? Yeah, sure
Forget the Top FWs, I'd even take Benteke, Deeney, Origi or Giroud over Rooney anyday.
Zlatlan is Zlatlan. He's in the Messi, Ribery, CR7 class, world-class. Rooney's good as 2nd, or playing next to Zlatlan. If you deny THIS, I doubt you follow ManU, or the Barclays in general. ;)
Besides, Rooney's better than Rashford. Pure fact *drops mike*
Sounds like you just don't like Rooney at all. There's a reason why Rooney went from Everton to ManU
Cause he was really good when he 18 and decided to transfer. 400+ games later he isn't that great, he has spurts of the former glory but not like he used to
Fifa has disbanded its anti-racism task force, declaring the work complete despite ongoing concerns about discriminatory behaviour in Russia, the hosts of the 2018 World Cup.
Fifa has written to members of the task force to say that it has “completely fulfilled its temporary mission” and “is hereby dissolved and no longer in operation.”
“I wish I could say that I am shocked by the decision, but unfortunately I am not,” task force member Osasu Obayiuwana said on Sunday. “The problem of racism in football remains a burning, very serious and topical one, which need continuous attention.
“I personally think there remained a lot of very serious work for the task force to have done – the 2018 World Cup in Russia being one such matter. But it is evident the Fifa administration takes a different position.”
The task force was established in 2013 by then-Fifa President Sepp Blatter and headed by Jeffrey Webb, a vice-president of world soccer’s governing body until he was arrested in 2015 as part of the American investigation into corruption in football.
Webb, who pleaded guilty to racketeering charges, was replaced exactly a year ago as the task force chairman by the Congolese federation president, Constant Omari, who also sits on Fifa’s ruling council.
“We never had a single meeting under his chairmanship,” Obayiuwana said. “I wrote [to] him, more than once, asking for when a meeting would be held. But I never received a reply from him.”
Obayiuwana, a journalist, broadcaster and qualified lawyer, received the letter from Fifa on Friday announcing the end of the task force.
“The Fifa Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination was set up with your help on a temporary basis to develop recommendations for Fifa,” wrote Gerd Dembowski, Fifa’s diversity and anti-discrimination manager.
“We are therefore delighted to inform you that all of the task force’s recommendations have been implemented and all resulting projects are ongoing.”
Fifa pointed to the introduction of an anti-discrimination monitoring system at matches, the launch of a “Good Practice Guide ,” starting a team of footballing legends and a new diversity award. Fatma Samoura, Fifa’s first female and non-European secretary general, will present the award on Monday at the SoccerEx convention in Manchester.
Fifa also told task force members that its own initiatives “actually exceed the working group’s recommendations” – trumpeting its “Say No to Racism” campaign, women’s leadership conferences and programs in Russia. There are less than nine months until Russia stages the Confederations Cup, the warm-up event for the 2018 World Cup.
The most recent research from the Moscow-based SOVA Center and the Uefa-affiliated FARE Network reported a surge in the number of racist incidents involving Russian fans, with most cases going unpunished. Researchers logged 92 incidents of discriminatory incidents by Russian fans in and around stadiums in the 2014-15 season, against a total of 83 for the previous two seasons put together.
Fifa has written to members of the task force to say that it has “completely fulfilled its temporary mission” and “is hereby dissolved and no longer in operation.”
“I wish I could say that I am shocked by the decision, but unfortunately I am not,” task force member Osasu Obayiuwana said on Sunday. “The problem of racism in football remains a burning, very serious and topical one, which need continuous attention.
“I personally think there remained a lot of very serious work for the task force to have done – the 2018 World Cup in Russia being one such matter. But it is evident the Fifa administration takes a different position.”
The task force was established in 2013 by then-Fifa President Sepp Blatter and headed by Jeffrey Webb, a vice-president of world soccer’s governing body until he was arrested in 2015 as part of the American investigation into corruption in football.
Webb, who pleaded guilty to racketeering charges, was replaced exactly a year ago as the task force chairman by the Congolese federation president, Constant Omari, who also sits on Fifa’s ruling council.
“We never had a single meeting under his chairmanship,” Obayiuwana said. “I wrote [to] him, more than once, asking for when a meeting would be held. But I never received a reply from him.”
Obayiuwana, a journalist, broadcaster and qualified lawyer, received the letter from Fifa on Friday announcing the end of the task force.
“The Fifa Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination was set up with your help on a temporary basis to develop recommendations for Fifa,” wrote Gerd Dembowski, Fifa’s diversity and anti-discrimination manager.
“We are therefore delighted to inform you that all of the task force’s recommendations have been implemented and all resulting projects are ongoing.”
Fifa pointed to the introduction of an anti-discrimination monitoring system at matches, the launch of a “Good Practice Guide ,” starting a team of footballing legends and a new diversity award. Fatma Samoura, Fifa’s first female and non-European secretary general, will present the award on Monday at the SoccerEx convention in Manchester.
Fifa also told task force members that its own initiatives “actually exceed the working group’s recommendations” – trumpeting its “Say No to Racism” campaign, women’s leadership conferences and programs in Russia. There are less than nine months until Russia stages the Confederations Cup, the warm-up event for the 2018 World Cup.
The most recent research from the Moscow-based SOVA Center and the Uefa-affiliated FARE Network reported a surge in the number of racist incidents involving Russian fans, with most cases going unpunished. Researchers logged 92 incidents of discriminatory incidents by Russian fans in and around stadiums in the 2014-15 season, against a total of 83 for the previous two seasons put together.
Well done, FIFA for being so good at your job.
Is he not living up to his full potential?
maybe he already reached his potential and is now on a decline? Maybe that is why he can't be used so often because the club wants to get better while he is on the decline
No, people are just pissed that he doesn't play as well as he should, and has shown to play at. If he truly tried, he'd be AS good or maybe better than Zlatlan and Messi. MAYBE
Rooney at 16 was better than Messi when he was 16, but he peaked at around age 26 and has gotten slower and slower ever since. Players who physically develop early also tend to peak early and Rooney is showing all the signs of that. He's playing like a 35 year old not a 30 year old. When was the last time he was trusted as the main centre forward at Utd? Even Fergie ditched him for RVP in his last season. He hasn't fulfilled the potential he showed at such a young age, and with hindsight it's because he was near his peak anyway. Rooney isn't bad yet but he's pretty average now, there's no point even arguing.
Also is FIFA deliberately trying to be as out of touch as possible lol? For someone who genuinely enjoys football as a sport I am legit tempted to stop watching it on principle because of how greedy, corrupt and generally vile the organisation is.
Also is FIFA deliberately trying to be as out of touch as possible lol? For someone who genuinely enjoys football as a sport I am legit tempted to stop watching it on principle because of how greedy, corrupt and generally vile the organisation is.
- Status