The Ultimate Football Thread 2013-2014 Vol. 4 EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A etc

ICE CITY FC said:
 
CoupeIt88 said:
I think MLS is on a mission to lose money after approving Miami and now Atlanta. No worse sports city in America than Atlanta, but not only that, to bring a soccer club to the city? Recipe for disaster

Funny names tho
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CoupeIt88 said:
 
eiddyfouw said:
Isn't there a relatively large African and Mexican population in ATL?
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Large African-American community not many latinos tho. Very little compared to most US cities.

Even with that said ATL is not a good place in general to have a soccer team. It would have been one of the last places I'd put a soccer team in. Still amazed.
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Soccer in ATL is stupid to me because that city fan base is pathetic 

when you're giving away lower level playoff tickets for $49 then you know your sports fans aint **** 

wish raleigh/durham area got a team before atlanta 
 
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CoupeIt88 said:
Maybe North or South Carolina if they were targeting the south. Somewhere where there is not another 3 sport franchise that directly competes with the MLS for local attention. Somewhere where people make some good money.

Atlanta is horrible man, no one shows up to hawks games even when they're good. I just don't think its a good market for soccer. I thought Miami was bad, but Atlanta takes the cake. I bet OKC would have been better.
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Nobody cares about the Hawks because they haven't been to the Eastern Conference Finals ever. We all know how that story will end. ATL gets a bad wrap sports wise which is fine I guess but there is a large hispanic population in Atlanta so that point is incorrect. Mexico has hosted a couple of friendlies in the Georgia Dome. ATL is a top 10 metro market in the country and by far the biggest in the south(other than Miami I guess). ATL won't be Seattle or Portland but they will fit in just fine. Its not like Chicago Fire and NYRB are selling out either.
 
Howard Contract Extended

Howard Contract Extended
Thursday 17th April 2014 22:19Twitter@Everton
Keeper to remain a Blue until 2018.


Related Links

Boss Hails Howard Influence
Tim Howard's outstanding service for Everton has been rewarded with a contract extension which will see the US shot-stopper remain a Blue until 2018.

The goalkeeper, 35, has been a mainstay of Roberto Martinez's side this term - providing a series of outstanding performances in what has been a hugely memorable campaign for the Blues.

And as the side embark on their final assault for a top four finish with just four games of the current season remaining, Howard has been provided with the deserved boost of a two year extension to his existing deal - ensuring he will remain at Goodison at least until the age of 39.

Already ranked 22nd in the Club's all-time appearance list, another four seasons at Goodison will ensure he joins the ranks of the Club's most loyal servants. Howard is likely to have the opportunity to reach the prestigious 500 appearance mark - a feat only achieved by three players in Everton's long history.

Originally signed on loan from Manchester United in 2006 before making the move permanent in early 2007, the USA international has been a model of consistency throughout his time with the Blues. And this term, as well as regularly making key saves and marshalling his backline in typical fashion, he has been given the opportunity to captain the side in the absence of Phil Jagielka and Leon Osman.

Howard Save Pen
Howard producies a brilliant penalty save at Villa Park


Howard’s previous deal was due to last until 2016. The news thrilled manager Roberto Martinez, who described the American as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season.

“It is fantastic news,” Martinez told evertontv. “To have Tim Howard performing as he has been this season, I cannot see past him to choose the best goalkeeper in the league.

“For him, in such an important year with the World Cup around the corner, to commit his future for the long term is an incredible moment for the dressing room.”

Howard had a Premier League club record of 16 clean sheets in 2008/09.

“I am extremely proud of Tim’s achievements for the football Club,” continued Martinez.

“On top of his goalkeeping it’s his overall demeanour and personality in the dressing room. He is a strong leader.”
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Gareth Bale booked by Valencia police for speeding and reckless driving (Humour)
by TomConn | Posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2014
Real Madrid winger, Gareth Bale had one of the most impressive runs we’ve seen all season, flying down the pitch, being shoved out of bounds, only to come back in and score the game-winning goal with his left foot and a picture is now making the rounds that will leave you in tears.
CopadelReyBalespeedingticket.jpg

Shortly following Bale’s run, a parking ticket was issued to the Welsh international for speeding and temporarily going outside his lane, which almost looks like the real thing.

“Temporarily going over the lines.

“Going over the maximum speed limit permitted for this street.”

The other items of note are just as humorous.

Street: Mestalla Stadium
License Plate: 11
Class: A lot
Brand (Marca in Spanish means brand or score): and Assist
Model: No, not at the moment
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Aston Villa set for £200m US takeover - if they stay up
American billionaires plan huge investment in players but talks put on hold until top-flight status is secure
Aston Villa set for £200m US takeover _ if they stay up
Unrest: Randy Lerner has backed Paul Lambert after Villa's turbulent week Photo: ALAMY
By Matt Law10:30PM BST 17 Apr 2014 Comments2 Comments
Aston Villa are set for a £200 million takeover if they manage to stay in the Premier League.
It is understood an American consortium, fronted by two billionaires, wants to buy Villa but will withdraw from the deal if the team drop into the Championship.
Details of the consortium plotting to take control from American owner Randy Lerner are being kept private, with Villa's Premier League status on the line after four successive defeats. Survival in the top flight would guarantee Villa at least £40 million in television revenue and would mean the club remains attractive to sponsors.
Early indications suggest the consortium would be prepared to invest heavily in trying to significantly improve Villa's playing staff. It is unclear whether a takeover would affect the future of manager Paul Lambert.
Lambert has admitted Villa must change their policy of spending small fees on inexperienced youngsters and instead invest in strong players to avoid even more pain in the future.
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Lambert backed by Villa owner 16 Apr 2014
Lambert suspends Villa deputies 15 Apr 2014
Lambert ready for Villa clear-out 14 Apr 2014
Five Lambert transfer flops at Villa 14 Apr 2014
News of a possible takeover will excite Villa fans who have become frustrated with the current regime and successive relegation battles.
Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner insisted the club were not for sale in February, but sources claim an agency based in the United States has been talking to potential buyers.
Lerner made a rare intervention this week by declaring his support for Lambert after assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and head of football Gary Karsa were suspended.
That move has been seen in some quarters as a desperate attempt by Lerner to try to help Villa avoid relegation and ensure the club remain an attractive proposition to interested parties.
Lerner paid £62.6 million for Villa eight years ago and has spent another £250 million on players and facilities. He would ideally want his money back but a £200 million offer would most likely be too good to refuse.
Shahid Khan paid £190 million for Fulham last summer, but that reflected a premium because of the club's London location.
Villa's last accounts revealed the club lost £51.8 million in 2012-13 and that Lerner had waived £90.1 million of loans, converting them to equity.
Lerner initially invested huge sums to help former manager Martin O'Neill achieve top-six finishes, but he has since made big cutbacks. It is unclear whether Lerner has attended a Villa game this season, with the
52-year-old accused of being an absentee owner by the club's disgruntled fans.
The football acumen of Lerner and Faulkner has also been called into question following their managerial appointments and poor signings that cost the club a fortune.
After O'Neill, who Lerner inherited when he took control from Doug Ellis, Villa have failed to gain any success with Gérard Houllier, Alex McLeish or Lambert.
During last week's defeat at Crystal Palace, a section of fans called for Lambert to be sacked. Villa go into this weekend's fixtures just four points above the Premier League relegation zone. They entertain Southampton tomorrow and one more victory would probably be enough to secure safety.
After Southampton, Villa face Swansea, Hull, Manchester City and Tottenham, and Lerner will be nervously watching the club's results.
The departures of Culverhouse and Karsa are believed to have lifted the mood among the squad this week, together with the increased influence of Shay Given and Gordon Cowans.
Given is a particularly popular voice in the dressing room, despite falling out of favour as a player under Lambert.
Villa players complained of a lack of training and coaching under Culverhouse and the squad have been worked much harder ahead of the Southampton clash.
American owners in the Premier League:
ARSENAL Stan Kroenke (66)
His sports empire includes NBA side Denver Nuggets, Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids and NHL franchise Colorado Avalanche. His son is owner of NFL side St Louis Rams.
Net worth: $4bn (£2.4bn).
ASTON VILLA Randy Lerner (52)
Used to be the majority owner of the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise before taking over Villa in 2006.
Net worth: $1.5bn (£900 million).
FULHAM Shahid Khan (61)
Currently owns Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL, as well as an automobile parts company.
Net worth: $3.8bn (£2.3bn).
LIVERPOOL John W Henry (54)
His Fenway Sports Group replaced the disastrous reign at Anfield of Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Henry is also principal owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team.
Net worth: $1.4bn (£850 million).
MANCHESTER UNITED Malcolm Glazer (85)
President and CEO of holding company First Allied Corporation, which also owns NFL team Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Net worth: $4.5bn (£2.7bn).
SUNDERLAND Ellis Short (53)
Founder of private equity fund investing in struggling European propert assets. Also owns Skibo Castle in Scotland.
Net worth: $4bn (£2.4bn).
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Sepp Blatter wants points deductions to help fight racism

Fifa president Sepp Blatter wants to see more sporting sanctions used in the fight against racism.
Blatter, 78, thinks points deductions would have more of an impact than making teams play behind closed doors.
"Sporting sanctions are the only effective punishment," he said. "It has to cause the clubs real hurt otherwise nothing will change.
Atletico Madrid v PSV Eindhoven
Atletico Madrid played PSV Eindhoven in a Champions League game in 2008 in an empty stadium following racist abuse at a previous match
"The troublemakers must be punished and it is clear to me that clubs are responsible for the hooligans."
Ukraine were ordered by Fifa to play a World Cup qualifier against Poland in an empty stadium after fans made monkey chants and performed Nazi salutes.
The punishment was subsequently imposed on the 2018 qualification campaign following an unsuccessful appeal by Ukraine Football Federation.
Blatter, in his column for Fifa Weekly, wants "drastic and severe" sanctions for racism but admitted that "football without a crowd is like a concert without sound".
He also believes stadium closures "represent a disproportionately collective punishment" and is against excluding innocent fans of opposing teams.
Fifa's disciplinary code punishes racism by a warning for a first offence and then more serious sanctions such as stadium closures, points deductions or even expulsion from competitions for further offences.
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babam11218719 said:
Nobody cares about the Hawks because they haven't been to the Eastern Conference Finals ever. We all know how that story will end. ATL gets a bad wrap sports wise which is fine I guess but there is a large hispanic population in Atlanta so that point is incorrect. Mexico has hosted a couple of friendlies in the Georgia Dome. ATL is a top 10 metro market in the country and by far the biggest in the south(other than Miami I guess). ATL won't be Seattle or Portland but they will fit in just fine. Its not like Chicago Fire and NYRB are selling out either.
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Stop.

Barely any Latinos in Atlanta, compared to your average cities nationwide - wayyyy below.

So if no one cares about the Hawks why will they care about a soccer franchise. If you can't sell basketball to a city like Atlanta, what the hell makes you think Soccer will? Atlanta gets these Sports teams because I guess they're the biggest city in the South, but thats not saying much to me. The south is the south and barren for a reason. Multiple cities deserved a soccer franchise before ATL.

i thought Miami was a mistake, but god damn Atlanta - god damn joke to me. Get at me in 20 years I guess, we're not budging from our positions so the argument is pointless. :lol:
 
I'm probably the biggest Robinho fan on this board, and a fan of Real Madrid...

But Neymar's Confederations Cup > Robinho's career. Let's stop with those comparisons.
 
Raleigh/Durham area supports the Hurricanes hockey team and I'm sure they would latch on to a MLS franchise also. Atlanta's team will fail. Complete joke that they're getting a team.
 
Y'all bout to look foolish talking in absolutes. :lol:

I'm wagering Atlanta hits the grown the running and establishes itself as a successful middle tier MLS franchise.

Guess we'll have to wait till 2020 or so to find out.
 
rck3sactown said:
for some reason, I really thought Howard would also head back to the MLS :lol:
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i thought so too i think they should all come back i'd like to make it known that even though i like the usmnt being from america and all but all american players are very over rated imo
 
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Flyeed said:
I'm probably the biggest Robinho fan on this board, and a fan of Real Madrid...

But Neymar's Confederations Cup > Robinho's career. Let's stop with those comparisons.
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Robinho :frown:

I thought he was next man.
 
CoupeIt88 said:
I don't think SFc is talking about "bad games" or a "bad stretch" he's talking about effort.

I'm not going to question Messi's effort, I'm going to question Tatas tactics first. Messi's given me the benefit of the doubt.
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Re. Messi, I agree with this this for the most part. Leo has't given it his all for the shirt at times this season, and that can't be overlooked. Perhaps it is because he's prone to muscle injuries and thus he doesn't want to risk overextending himself before the world cup, but that isn't an excuse because the club signs his checks. I don't like it, and he is rightly getting his fair share of criticism in Catalunya atm, but I can understand it.

That said, the tactical aspects are being overlooked, and there's some exaggeration. Tata was the one who shunted Messi to the right, and after the CL actually said "we were not interested in Messi being involved that often." I'm still baffled over that admission. The system is broken, and needs a rethink or a reboot. Players aren't being put in the best position to succeed, and there are some passengers. I'd blame Cesc before Messi, who has once again done nothing in a second half of the season. Messi papered over the cracks last season, and somehow it enabled the board to go blameless despite refusing to by a defender. It's not that hard to see: when you're a possession team vulnerable to counters, and your defense is lacking, you become scared to lose the ball and the play becomes predictable.

And Leo just isn't going to run around like a Gattuso. At this point, he's a player like a Baggio or a Zidane. Both greats, both affected the game in bursts and both were accused of being lazy at times in their careers. Let's not compare him to CR, whose game is based on movement - countering, getting on the end of throughballs, positioning for headers, etc.
And while Messi has't exactly covered himself in glory this season, he's still the best in the world. No one can match the range of his ability.
 
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