Jon Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 He is better than Drogba, that's not even me being bias. I reckon people will agree with me. Liverpool fans at a stretch.
Murr Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 He is better than Drogba, that's not even me being bias. I reckon people will agree with me. Who's better than Drogba? .... Henry yes.... Suarez
flameboy Posted May 23, 2012 Author Posted May 23, 2012 I'm very disappointed that Drogba has left Chelsea and looks set to leave European football behind as well. He is definitely up there as the best at what he does. Holding up play, a bullish physical striker (which granted makes his rolling around look stupid), great finisher, fantastic defender lol (except for that penalty give away), big game winner. I mean China has gone the route that MLS and such leagues are trying entice the big stars in to get the profile of the game up. It's something that happened in the past as well. I don't blame him really for wanting a nice fat pay cheque to sign off with, they will likely give him a 3 year deal on top whack compared to 1 he was being offered at Chelsea and he will be totally idolised there and the centre of attention even more so than here. As for the arguments about tactics at the end of the day Chelsea are an aging squad and played to their strengths and I don't have a problem with that. I compare it to Portsmouth in the Premiership the year we won the FA Cup we produced some fantastic attacking performances with the players we had in the squad like Defoe, Muntari and Kranjcar helping this cause, however Defoe was cup tied. So in the FA Cup we changed the way with Kanu our only real option up front (John Utaka doesn't count useless twonk), we played very defensively certainly against Man Utd who we beat on route and never would have done without this approach. Even in the Cup Final against Cardiff we approached the game with the same manner and took our chance when it came. I wouldn't change this for the world. I think there is something to be said about how incisive Drogba was in getting his goal and how it played to their strengths to play as they did for the 80 odd minutes until the goals and this doesn't deserve to be ridiculed in the way it has been. Who says football has to be a beautiful game, the game was still entertaining.
Mokong Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 (edited) Moving away from teh Chelsea and Drogba talk for a moment Kept forgetting to post this but finally remembered now. RTE (Irish TV) are doing a 4 part documentary on the history of football in Ireland in the run up to Euro 2012. Part 1 was last Wednesday and dealt with the creation of "Association Football" first before moving on to when it started being played in Ireland. I found interesting some things I didn't know about when the orginal FA tried to draw up rules for the game as there never were any before "Association Football", at least no "global" rules where one town could have one set of rules and another totally different rules. Anyway, apparently in the run up to the official rule book being agreed on some people actually wanted it to be legal to handel the ball and to allow "hacking" (the intentional kicking of another players feet... even if he didn't have the ball) Also a goal was original meant to be designated at just the two goal posts with no crossbar and a so long as the ball was between the posts it would be a goal no matter how high. Just thinking imagine how different a game it could have been if these things had stuck. Luckily they of course did not, haha. I also found it interesting how the "split" of teh two Irish FA's being North and South happened which I always assumed happened after the partition but actually it seemed it was just destined to happen anyway as the original IFA was based in Belfast and (in short) just seemed to want to look after Northern clubs. When the clubs from the "26 counties" decided to go it alone this obviously didn't sit well and when the partition happened and the FAI was formed the IFA in Belfast claimed sole use of the name "Ireland" for their international team and didn't like it when the "Free State" (As they had to be called then) sought recognition from FIFA. Pretty much politics and religion tore football (well and the Island itself of course) apart in Ireland. Shame really as even though I'm not much of a Rugby fan I do LOVE that their is only one Ireland in that sport. EDIT: Ah didn't think it was on youtube but it is. Part 1 below, the first 20mins I think is what deals with the actual creation of the game. Edited May 23, 2012 by Mokong
Happenstance Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 Looks like Joey Barton got a 12 match ban. Kind of wish it was lifetime for being such a tosser but there you go.
Fierce_LiNk Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 He is better than Drogba, that's not even me being bias. I reckon people will agree with me. Can't really agree with this at all. Drogba is an absolute handful. He may not be at his peak and may be a tad bit slower, but he is still better than Suarez. Drogba at his peak shits on Suarez right now. As for Drogba versus Henry: That's tough. Henry is better technically, but Drogba is more of a physical presence. He bullies players off the ball and can do so much. Arsenal wouldn't have been the same without Henry, and same for Chelsea and Drogba. Also, Wii is a Liverpool fan. The "You'll Never Walk Alone" line in the Robin Gibb thread gave it away. As did his bitterness.
MadDog Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 You guys forever slate Suárez for being wasteful and not scoring enough, yet Drogba has scored 5 goals this season in the league. :p He really isn't that good. Even a few years ago, Torres was better, Rooney was and still is better.
Fierce_LiNk Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 You guys forever slate Suárez for being wasteful and not scoring enough, yet Drogba has scored 5 goals this season in the league. :p He really isn't that good. Even a few years ago, Torres was better, Rooney was and still is better. He has had problems this year. The whole team has. The changes of manager don't help and his contract issues haven't helped either. He has only started 16 games this season, so Torres being there hasn't helped either. Drogba was lethal in 2009/10. He has been vital to Chelsea and even when he doesn't score that many goals, he assists. 13 assists in the season before the one that just finished. Even without these stats, he still creates chances and always looks likely to score. The fact that Chelsea have been consistently finishing high in the league is partly down to him.
Ramar Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 He has had problems this year. The whole team has. The changes of manager don't help and his contract issues haven't helped either. He has only started 16 games this season, so Torres being there hasn't helped either. Drogba was lethal in 2009/10. He has been vital to Chelsea and even when he doesn't score that many goals, he assists. 13 assists in the season before the one that just finished. Even without these stats, he still creates chances and always looks likely to score. The fact that Chelsea have been consistently finishing high in the league is partly down to him. I saw this on twitter today which sums up Drogba's importance to Chelsea. "The last time a Chelsea team without Drogba beat Arsenal in the league was 1995"
Fierce_LiNk Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 I saw this on twitter today which sums up Drogba's importance to Chelsea. "The last time a Chelsea team without Drogba beat Arsenal in the league was 1995" Not even surprised by that. I struggle to think of better strikers than him in the world. He is moody and he play-acts, but he turns up for the big games and puts a shift in. Chelsea have made a mistake by not giving him some sort of extension to his contract. Now they're losing him for absolutely nothing...which is just stupid.
Platty Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 Moving away from teh Chelsea and Drogba talk for a moment Kept forgetting to post this but finally remembered now. RTE (Irish TV) are doing a 4 part documentary on the history of football in Ireland in the run up to Euro 2012. Part 1 was last Wednesday and dealt with the creation of "Association Football" first before moving on to when it started being played in Ireland. I found interesting some things I didn't know about when the orginal FA tried to draw up rules for the game as there never were any before "Association Football", at least no "global" rules where one town could have one set of rules and another totally different rules. Anyway, apparently in the run up to the official rule book being agreed on some people actually wanted it to be legal to handel the ball and to allow "hacking" (the intentional kicking of another players feet... even if he didn't have the ball) Also a goal was original meant to be designated at just the two goal posts with no crossbar and a so long as the ball was between the posts it would be a goal no matter how high. Just thinking imagine how different a game it could have been if these things had stuck. Luckily they of course did not, haha. I also found it interesting how the "split" of teh two Irish FA's being North and South happened which I always assumed happened after the partition but actually it seemed it was just destined to happen anyway as the original IFA was based in Belfast and (in short) just seemed to want to look after Northern clubs. When the clubs from the "26 counties" decided to go it alone this obviously didn't sit well and when the partition happened and the FAI was formed the IFA in Belfast claimed sole use of the name "Ireland" for their international team and didn't like it when the "Free State" (As they had to be called then) sought recognition from FIFA. Pretty much politics and religion tore football (well and the Island itself of course) apart in Ireland. Shame really as even though I'm not much of a Rugby fan I do LOVE that their is only one Ireland in that sport. EDIT: Ah didn't think it was on youtube but it is. Part 1 below, the first 20mins I think is what deals with the actual creation of the game. Very interesting. I don't think there will ever be one Ireland football team. The sport is far too sectarian in the North for it even to be considered. Imagine the uproar from the Northern Ireland (mostly Unionist) fans if they tried to merge it. Not going to happen for a few generations I would say. What I find interesting is that Derry/Londonderry FC chose to leave the Irish premiership (Northern Ireland) and joined the League of Ireland Premiership (ROI). Don't really know the history as to why but I assume that could be down to sectarian issues and perhaps too much trouble at games when playing most of the other teams in the Irish premiership. Sad that a sport can't be enjoyed by all no matter what side of the community you are from. At least Northern Ireland have got the Ice Hockey right with the Belfast Giants!!
MadDog Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 Not even surprised by that. I struggle to think of better strikers than him in the world. He is moody and he play-acts, but he turns up for the big games and puts a shift in. Chelsea have made a mistake by not giving him some sort of extension to his contract. Now they're losing him for absolutely nothing...which is just stupid. In the world? I can name 5 better in the PL alone, nevermind the rest of the world. I think you're/everyone is massively overrating him.
Charlie Posted May 24, 2012 Posted May 24, 2012 In the world? I can name 5 better in the PL alone, nevermind the rest of the world. I think you're/everyone is massively overrating him. At the moment there probably are 5 in the PL but Drogba is past his best now. 2 years ago he was brilliant and one of the best in the league.
Mokong Posted May 24, 2012 Posted May 24, 2012 Very interesting. I don't think there will ever be one Ireland football team. The sport is far too sectarian in the North for it even to be considered. Imagine the uproar from the Northern Ireland (mostly Unionist) fans if they tried to merge it. Not going to happen for a few generations I would say. Yeah it is a dream, though how did the Rugby manage it..they'll have to make a documentary to go through Irish Rugby history next. Though I guess maybe Rugby started in Ireland in Dublin and that sport just didn't create as much of a sectarian divide. I wonder if by some miracle the island was reunified as one Ireland (probably not in my lifetime) how the two Irish FA's would sort out the running of teh international team? Ah well, I'll likely never know anyway. What I find interesting is that Derry City chose to leave the Irish premiership (Northern Ireland) and joined the League of Ireland Premiership (ROI). Don't really know the history as to why but I assume that could be down to sectarian issues and perhaps too much trouble at games when playing most of the other teams in the Irish premiership. *cough*fixed for ya*cough*:wink: I haven't watched all of Ep 2 yet, Sky Plus'd last night but I think they did mention about Derry FC, will watch it properly again later when the baby takes a nap. I think it was due to sectarian issues though. I'll embed ep 2 for ya when the guy on youtube has it uploaded.
Caris Posted May 24, 2012 Posted May 24, 2012 First signing for the toon. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11678/7773951/Amalfitano-joins-Newcastle
Mokong Posted May 24, 2012 Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) Hhhmm seems RTE have made copyright claims on the guy who uploaded ep 1 of Green is the Colour. You can watch it on RTE's own website on the RTE Player but I have a feeling it might not be viewable if you are outside of Ireland (unless you go through a proxy) In relation to ep 2, I find it interesting how in 1949 The Irish Free State (then considered a "foreign team" as no longer part of the UK) beat England in England becoming the first "foreign" team to do so. Every Irish football fan knows this and is used in pub quizes here. But apparently in Pub quizes in England if that question comes up the answer is usually accepted as Hungry in 1953 I'm also gutted to learn that we were offered a place in the 1950 World Cup after Scotland withdrew but the FAI declined cause they couldn't afford to send a team to Brazil Also interesting how there was a period where a number of players ended up playing for both "Ireland" and the "Free State" at the same time. As the IFA in the North claimed they could pick players from the whole Island from the start of the split limiting the Free State to the 26 counties. The when the Irish Consitution was first drafted and it claimed the whole island as one Ireland, the FAI used this to be able to pick players from the whole island too. In the end FIFA stepped in and told the IFA to call it's team "Northern Ireland" and the FAI to call it's team "Republic of Ireland" and only players within their boarder could be selected. Not mentioned in this episode (though I assume it will be in ep 4) is that this has now changed slightly in that Northern born players can declare for the Republic if they choose as under the Good Friday agreement anyone born in the North can claim both Irish and British citizenship. And FIFA allows them to declare for the Republic if they choose to and hold an Irish passport. Most recent incident of this is of course James McClean. Just a little island on the fringe of Europe, yet we don't half complicate things do we EDIT: I also liked how in 1955 when Yugoslavia were invited to play a Friendly in Dublin the Irish Achbishop at the time tried to ban the game because he saw Yugoslavia as a "godless communist state". I like how the FAI and most fans ignored him and got on with the game. Edited May 24, 2012 by Mokong
Charlie Posted May 24, 2012 Posted May 24, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18190250 This is great news that a trial is in place for a proper match. A step in the right direction.
MadDog Posted May 24, 2012 Posted May 24, 2012 First signing for the toon. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11678/7773951/Amalfitano-joins-Newcastle In another picture I've seen, he's the spitting image of Jose Enrique. :p
The fish Posted May 25, 2012 Posted May 25, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18190250 This is great news that a trial is in place for a proper match. A step in the right direction. My first response to this was, "about fucking time!"
bryanee Posted May 26, 2012 Posted May 26, 2012 God I hate Adrian Chiles, I'd love to kick him in the balls and watch him cry.
Mokong Posted May 26, 2012 Posted May 26, 2012 Well Ireland finished up their final home game before Euro 2012 with a 1 - 0 win over Bosnia, pretty good game too for a friendly and a good number of players got a nice run out. Next Hungry in a final Friendly before the Euros then crunch time on June 10th vs Croatia.
Emerald Emblem Posted May 26, 2012 Posted May 26, 2012 Switzerland beating Germany 5-3, Netherlands losing 1-0 to Bulgaria and Portugal held by Macedonia. Some surprise scorelines today.
bryanee Posted May 26, 2012 Posted May 26, 2012 Well I dont know what everyone else thinks but I thought that was a fucking awful game. Atleast England won eh?
dan-likes-trees Posted May 26, 2012 Posted May 26, 2012 Well I dont know what everyone else thinks but I thought that was a fucking awful game. Atleast England won eh? Yeah it sucked. First time England have been about to go into a cup and I've been completely uninterested in them. Friendly against Belgium should be a good'un though! They've got a great squad.
James Posted May 26, 2012 Posted May 26, 2012 Yeah it sucked. First time England have been about to go into a cup and I've been completely uninterested in them. Friendly against Belgium should be a good'un though! They've got a great squad. The first time? They've been boring and unitresting for the past 10 years.
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