The Ultimate Soccer Thread 2012-2013 Vol. 3 Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga etc

If you could promote a team from any league in the world, who'd you promote?
I'd promote Nottingham Forest
 
san antonio scorpions.

been hearing nothing but good things about this organization.

coundlt watch the game cause of work but from the highlights, that donovan penalty call was freaking soft lol
 
Last edited:
"Robin Van Persie has promised not to celebrate if he scores against Arsenal tomorrow but has yet to reveal whether the boy inside him will."- StupidFootball

In more RVP news....

Goal.com published how the transfer really went down...


Van Persie was finally ready to talk about his future after delaying contract talks until the last ball had been kicked of a campaign which had finished with him carrying off a clean sweep of the player of the year awards.

Goal.com can reveal for the first time, 24 hours before the pair are due to meet again as Arsenal take on Manchester United at Old Trafford, the explosive details of the summit, which was to sour the relationship of Wenger and Van Persie beyond repair.

It set the wheels in motion for a £24 million move to United that would be completed three months later, but only after Wenger went to extreme lengths to steer his star player into a cut-price move to the Continent.

As revealed by Goal.com in May, the talks took place on Wednesday, 16 May, less than 72 hours after Arsenal had sealed third spot in the league - and with it a prized Champions League place for the following season - courtesy of a fortuitous 3-2 win at West Brom.

Van Persie and his agent Kees Vos, a long-time family friend, met face to face with Wenger and the Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis. The meeting took place at the manager’s home because he had just undergone eye surgery and was wearing an eye patch.

Discussions did not centre on what kind of contract Arsenal were willing to offer or, indeed, the type of deal that Van Persie wanted. Instead, the reigning PFA and FWA Player of the Year demanded to know the direction in which Arsenal were heading.

Wenger explained Lukas Podolski, a signing that had been announced in April, would provide greater penetration on the left flank and there were plans to add greater depth and quality to the squad.

Van Persie was not happy with what he heard. Emboldened by his remarkable performances in 2011-12, when his 37 goals inspired the team to heights that had seemed impossible following a disastrous start to the season, the Dutchman spoke his mind.

“There were very heated discussions,” a source with knowledge of the talks told Goal.com. [COLOR=#red]“Van Persie told Wenger which players to sign and who he should appoint as his number two. He wanted an external coach from outside of the club to replace [the retired] Pat Rice and didn’t want Steve Bould to get promoted because he felt the current staff were all ‘yes’ men and too comfortable in the job.”[/COLOR]

Arsenal were unwilling to comment when contacted by Goal.com but it is understood that Wenger was furious. He had once axed Thierry Henry from the team for declaring in his national newspaper column that the club should sign Shaun Wright-Phillips and did not take kindly to his judgement being questioned, however celebrated the player.

“Van Persie challenged Wenger and no-one really does that,” the source added. “It developed into quite a row.”

Subsequently, the relationship between the one of the most respected managers of his generation and one of Europe’s most feared forwards broke down.

Van Persie left for Euro 2012 with his future unresolved, while Wenger pushed ahead with plans to sign not one, but two stellar replacements.

The Arsenal board were keen to stick to their guns and refuse to grant Van Persie the simple exit out of the club that he wanted, while Wenger vowed to sell the player no matter what.

This view was strengthened when the Dutchman went public with his misgivings by releasing an incendiary statement on July 4 which effectively said he wanted to leave because he disagreed with Wenger and the board of directors "in many aspects… on the way Arsenal should move forward".

To Wenger, this amounted to treachery and, by twice crossing the line, he felt Van Persie had caused irreparable damage to their relationship.

The striker returned to pre-season training in mid-July but pulled out of Arsenal’s tour to try and force through a transfer. In the eyes of manager and player, it was not a matter of if but where.

The departure avenues had been narrowed down to the two Manchester clubs and Serie A champions Juventus. To Van Persie’s dismay, the two Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, did not bite when the hook was dangled, while he refused Chelsea’s tentative interest because he did not want to move to another London club.

“There was one price for European clubs and another price for English clubs,” the source added. “Wenger cut the £25m asking price by £10m to sell him abroad but Van Persie didn’t want to go to Juventus.”

The 29-year-old risked tarnishing his legacy even further by taking the already well-trodden path from Arsenal to Manchester City, a route taken by Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy.

Wenger told a shareholder after the Arsenal AGM last week than City offered Van Persie an astonishing £300,000-a-week. There was even a rumour that the Premier League champions were willing to pay for a helicopter to enable the Dutchman to commute from his Hertfordshire home to Manchester for training every day.

However, City were keen to end the overspending on transfers that accompanied their rapid rise from mid-table club to champions and refused to pay more than £15m for Van Persie’s signature.

In any case, the Dutchman did not want to tarnish his Arsenal legacy even further by making what would have been viewed as the greediest move available, to City. The forward vowed to accept an offer on the table from Manchester United.

However, Van Persie’s stance changed slightly in the first few days of August as rumours spread around the London Colney headquarters that Santi Cazorla was on his way to the club, and could be followed by Nuri Sahin.

He had been going through the motions while he waited for a move to materialise but, suddenly, he appeared more motivated and interested. “His attitude and body language was different,” the source added. “He seemed to be saluting the signing of Cazorla.”

Van Persie flew out to Arsenal’s week-long training camp in Germany ahead of a friendly against Cologne but Wenger’s mind was made up.

A few days before the match, which took place on a Sunday night, the Frenchman gave the go-ahead for Gazidis and his opposite number at United, David Gill, to open talks on a deal that would take Van Persie to Old Trafford.

Twenty-four hours after Van Persie had been jeered by some Arsenal fans during a cameo appearance against Cologne, United and Arsenal agreed a £22m transfer fee.

But, there was one final twist. Wenger, loathe to sell to a rival, said he wanted another £2m from United, which frustrated the 19-times league champions and delayed the deal by another 24 hours. It would be late on Tuesday, 13 August before a £24m fee was finally agreed between the two clubs, which was then announced to the media the following day.

Ever the gentleman, Wenger will no doubt shake the hand of Van Persie before proceedings gets underway at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon as the Dutchman prepares to play against the team that he graced for eight seasons.

Hiding behind the mask of politeness will be the face of a manager let down by someone he had helped nurture into a superstar.


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...-persie-told-wenger-which-players-to-sign-for
 
So Wenger sold off RVP because of a disagreement on a new assistant? God. Dammit.

*sigh* At least van Persie was well aware of what it would mean to move to Chelsea or City. So, I guess thanks to him for keeping that in mind...
 
Jada2001Retro said:
We cashed in on RvP, no idea why anyone would want him to stay if his heart wasn't here.
Click to expand...

Can you really blame him though?

Nasri, Cesc, Clichy, Adebayor, Song...as I were in his position, I'd also thinking very seriously about leaving.

As consistent as Arsenal is (never dropping out of the PL, and recently always having CL footie), I think it would be difficult to hold any major player. Players are competitive, they've been winning their whole lives (through school, through the academy's, through reserve team up to first team of a smaller club then to a bigger club etc) the worst thing in a players mind happening to a footballer besides serious injury is being stagnant. Same reason Arteta came to Arsenal.

Similar to Modric, who is a very very good player, who should be playing at the top level, being stuck at Spurs simply was slowing him down...
 
Of course they can blame him. Sure you can adequately rationalize it, but at the end of the day he left for selfish reasons -more money, more titles, more recognition, etc. Though from what I've seen they won't be winning any titles with that midfield and defense.

Speaking of United, LOL @ them failing to extend Pogba. What a talent. He's been Juve's brightest midfielder this season in his limited appearances, and that's among Marchisio, Vidal, and Pirlo.
 
abovelegit1 said:
Of course they can blame him. Sure you can adequately rationalize it, but at the end of the day he left for selfish reasons -more money, more titles, more recognition, etc. Though from what I've seen they won't be winning any titles with that midfield and defense.

Speaking of United, LOL @ them failing to extend Pogba. What a talent. He's been Juve's brightest midfielder this season in his limited appearances, and that's among Marchisio, Vidal, and Pirlo.
Click to expand...

Pobga left for more money. Pogba felt he was a FT player and a often starter. Juve were willing to offer him more than Utd were. Can't really blame Utd, there's a couple other FT midfielders that should get the start over Pogba at this point (based on experience), even though he is a rising star. RVP didn't leave for money, but left for not winning or being competitive. If he left for money he'd be at City, PSG, or in China/Dubai/Russia somewhere. The fact is, he wanted to be at a competitive team pushing for CL and EPL titles, and since Juve pulled out, Barce and Real didn't call, United was the only logical option.

We shake our heads at our defence, but remember injuries are our problem at the back. Also as much as you want to laugh at United, don't forget this is pretty much the same squad that had the hand on the trophy for a few seconds, and also recently took the CL run all the way to the final. I would say that United are pretty damn competitive.

When was the last time you could say that about Arsenal?
 
eiddyfouw said:
Pobga left for more money. Pogba felt he was a FT player and a often starter. Juve were willing to offer him more than Utd were. Can't really blame Utd, there's a couple other FT midfielders that should get the start over Pogba at this point (based on experience), even though he is a rising star. RVP didn't leave for money, but left for not winning or being competitive. If he left for money he'd be at City, PSG, or in China/Dubai/Russia somewhere. The fact is, he wanted to be at a competitive team pushing for CL and EPL titles, and since Juve pulled out, Barce and Real didn't call, United was the only logical option.
We shake our heads at our defence, but remember injuries are our problem at the back. Also as much as you want to laugh at United, don't forget this is pretty much the same squad that had the hand on the trophy for a few seconds, and also recently took the CL run all the way to the final. I would say that United are pretty damn competitive.
When was the last time you could say that about Arsenal?
Click to expand...

If you've seen him play this season, you'd be blaming United. He's an incredible talent - better than Cleverly and Powell. He's not starting at Juve anyway, so that point is null. Young players want first team opportunities, or they'll look elsewhere for them. When Ferguson decided to field Park and Rafael in midfield ahead of him last season, he was as good as gone. He clearly has potential to be top class, so Ferguson made the mistake in not giving him enough opportunities, and/or not ponying up the few grand a week.

RvP is making more money at United than Arsenal, so that was obviously part of it. He wouldn't be at United if they weren't offering a pay raise. He gets a healthy percentage of his image rights too. Point remains that he left for more everything, so you can see why Arsenal fans would rightly be upset with him. Anyone can see the logic in why he left, but the reaction is natural.

Never said Utd isn't competitive, but I don't see them winning anything this season. Of course I could be wrong, but reliance on aging/injured players like Scholes, Ferdinand, Evra, and Vidic while not having enough quality/experience in the covering players leads me to think otherwise.
 
Last edited:
Time interview with Balotelli

Speaking after a postgame conference at the Euro 2012 soccer tournament, Mario Balotelli said, “I’m not a Super Mario or a Stupid Mario. I’m just Mario.” But being just Mario isn’t always simple. Only 22 and already a striker for Italy’s national team and for English Premier League champions Manchester City, the player is acknowledged as one of the world’s great sporting talents. Yet the young Italian is often as discussed for his volatile temperament as for his playing prowess and goal-scoring flair. And, as the first player of African descent to represent Italy at major tournaments, he has become both a target of racism and a symbol of Italy’s transition to a more diverse, internationalized country.

TIME’s Europe editor Catherine Mayer and Rome-based correspondent Stephan Faris traveled to Manchester for a rare interview with the mercurial star (read their story here). They found a clever, engaging, thoughtful adult, but one in whom the impact of childhood turbulence still seems clearly visible. TIME spoke with Mayer to get the story behind the story.

(MORE: Why Always Mario?)

Why did you choose to profile Balotelli?

Stephan and I have been discussing for a long time the difficulties encountered by black Italians in convincing their white counterparts that they are in fact Italian. Italy is a country I visit regularly and you are very aware, especially in contrast to a country like Britain where there is a substantial black middle class, of how black Italians can be marginalized. Balotelli was originally one of the names that came up in this discussion. He is somebody whom I have found endlessly fascinating not just as a sportsman but also as a character: he’s not just a cipher for these issues of race but very multilayered. So the idea then emerged: Why not profile Balotelli and get to some of these issues?

How did you persuade him to do this interview?

I had long conversations with people at Manchester City and also contacted his agent, in order to discuss what it was we wanted to do. The final and most important meeting was with Balotelli himself. Manchester is legendary for its rainfall, but it was one of the wettest days ever. They allowed me to watch him train, which is rare for journalists to be allowed to do. I was sitting inside looking like a drowned rat, and he came in looking extraordinarily glamorous with these beautiful diamond earrings he wears.

For somebody so flamboyant he is startlingly shy, so when I first met him, his reluctance to do this was very marked. I would say that I didn’t believe 100% until I was actually sitting down with him on the day that the interview was going to happen.

(MORE: Scoring the Goals That Sank Germany, Balotelli Says It Loud: He’s Black, Italian and Proud)

Did he speak much about his tendency to compromise his talents?

He did. During the interview he switched back and forth between English and Italian. His English is good but there were certain moments where he wanted to express something with a level of subtlety he couldn’t manage in English so he would then go into Italian. He talked a lot about his life. He does have an image of himself as someone who knows what he needs to do to succeed and to play well — but he may not always acknowledge the extent to which he does get in the way of himself.

But he is very much more perceptive and clever than you might assume from the very brash public image. He is also — and this is something that really tugs the heartstrings about him — incredibly serious and wants to explain things and wants to understand things. He breaks into this grin that is one of the most amazing phenomena – you understand where his magnetism comes from!

What did he tell you about his experience of racism in Italy?

He gave really quite a complex set of answers that I wish we had another set of several thousand words for. One of his interesting views on it was a distinction between racism, by which he meant hostility, and a kind of ignorance. Much of the experience he described was really about people not particularly being hostile toward him but just making a series of false assumptions about him and other black people. Since becoming famous, he has now encountered some very active hostility too.

(MORE: Racism and Euro 2012: Football’s Ongoing Struggle)

And he talks about experiencing that hostility in Italy rather than in the U.K.?

There are many things he does not like about the U.K., however diplomatic he was about that side of things, but he clearly thinks that Britain is a paradise compared with Italy in terms of attitudes to race.

Did he seem worried by his public image?

He is aware of it. He wants his mother to be proud of him, he wants the feedback from other people she talks to in Brescia [Italy], he wants that to be positive, and I think he would very much like to be the Mario he sees in his head — the one who behaves on the pitch and is brilliant at scoring goals and all of that. But he did also say he doesn’t like having the expectation of being a role model loaded onto him. I would say he has mixed feelings about it.

(MORE: In Italy, Racial Tensions Explode into Violence)

What are your own links to this story and to Manchester?

I’m American-born but I spent a chunk of teenage years at high school in Manchester. People defined themselves at school by whether they were City or United supporters. As it happens, I am married to a Man U supporter. I did admit that to City so that they didn’t think I was a spy in the camp.

In terms of the history of football in Manchester, a lot of this I know in my bones, it is not something I had to research particularly. It is also another reason why the story appealed to me so much. The transition of a club in the doldrums to a team that beat United to the League title last season, though deeply painful to my husband, was absolutely one of the great dramas in sport. It was spectacular. The fact that City really has come from such a lowly status, and the fact that their closest rivals were United really did make it fabulous.

How much of an impact has City’s investment had on Manchester?

It’s very obvious how recent the investment is to City itself. For example their media center is this hilarious little building which has a toilet that stinks to hell. The only facility we had for doing our photo shoot and our video was in this little hut that stank of toilet.

There is already a lot of change in the area around the stadium. Manchester is certainly feeling the economic turbulence of the last few years. But that part of Manchester that has historically been so poor is actually doing better as a direct result of City’s money. The impact of now having these two huge teams in one city makes the city itself a fascinating study.
Click to expand...


Can't post video for some reason :nerd:

http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/...ses-italys-mercurial-striker-mario-balotelli/

*edit*
 
Last edited:
fe4489.jpg


Why Always Mario?
 
Last edited:
I don't believe that story completely...
But I did read yesterday, with the source said to be AW.....that Wenger made moves to try and buy Hugo Lloris but the board denied him, refused to pay the transfer fee.
Gervinho is out for 3 weeks
 
Last edited:
My guy Mario :pimp:

He needs to bounce from City, to talented to not be playing a full match every match
 
Mastamind89 said:
I don't believe that story completely...
But I did read yesterday, with the source said to be AW.....that Wenger made moves to try and buy Hugo Lloris but the board denied him, refused to pay the transfer fee.
Gervinho is out for 3 weeks
Click to expand...

Nor do I. That story is a joke and its pretty **** like most things goal.com publishes. So City were ready to offer 300K p/w and were willing to helicopter taxi him everyday only in the next sentence to say they were trying to lower their transfer spending and were put off by the transfer fee. Ok..


Even if the nonsense in the article is true, at the end of the day he felt he should pick the squad and manager and that isn't his decision. What is proven fact is that he chose to come out with that statement on the 4th and there was no turning back after that

Also :lol: @ goal.com's "source" saying RVP was happy again due to the thought of potentially playing with Santi and Sahin and Wenger pressed on to sell...again after he came out with the **** statement throwing the club under the bus on his website.

He couldn't be counted on to stay fit and he ****** off after one good season. Wenger showed faith in him he left the first chance he got and it could be argued we should have sold him long ago for a more consistantly fit CF (despite his performance last season, 1 in 8 isnt good enough). I have no respect for him and that story trying to paint the picture that he had no choice but to go to Manchester ******g United is a nonsense.


These stories are coming up now ahead of our clash and he will get a lot of **** (deserved) whenever he touches the ball tomorrow but no player is bigger than the club, he's burned his bridges, and he's gone so who cares about him now.
 
Anyways I'm still buzzing from the Reading game. I stayed away from anything and everything all day, downloaded it, and watched it as live and I couldn't believe the turn around. Yes it was only the league cup but it sure was fun to watch. We NEED to go on and win the cup after a game like that!

Some of our errors/defending are comical but I dont question the players quality (well maybe Ramsey's) but our lack of fight and commitment is worrying. If we give 100% tomorrow we should get something out of the game.


Having Gibbs and Szczesny both out is huge as Rooney and RVP will be licking their chops at seeing Mannone in goal and dont even ge me started talking about Valencia vs Santos :lol: :smh: :x

Hopefully the midfield will boss the area and create a tone of chances for our Giroud as Podolski will likely do little to nothing offensively as he'll be busy tracking back to help Santos most of the time and I'm setting myself up (for the disappointment) seeing Ramsey start on the RW to continue to add nothing and slow down each and every promising attack we muster.




With Ox looking like he picked up a knock, Theo playing 120 mins on Tues and Gervinho out 3 weeks Id go with

--- Mannone

Sagna--Per-Kos-TV

Arteta --Wilshere
-- Cazorla

Gnarby--Giroud--Podolski

Bring Theo on at 60mins or so.

Time to restore the pride was lost there last season!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest News

View All News

The ultimate sneaker enthusiast community.

Site contents may not be incorporated into AI training data or any other derivative works without prior express written consent.

Links to participating merchants may generate referral or affiliate commissions that help support our community. See our policies for details. NikeTalk is NOT affiliated with Nike Inc. in any way, shape, or form. All opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Nike, Inc.

© 1999-2024 NikeTalk.com

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom