OUT!
Buffon calls it a day
Ventura is a fucking awful coach.
He's like a Mark Hughes with less flair.
We have a local bus company called Ventura. They're crap as well.
Quote from: Rowley Birkin QC on November 14, 2017, 10:14:43
We have a local bus company called Ventura. They're crap as well.
:D :D
Am surprised that Goat has nothing to say.
italy have been shite for a while, not a big surprise and sweden without zlatan are as interesting as any other championship team
happy now baldo?
Not really, I was hoping for a bit more moaning but I'll live.
Kind of connected - what do you think of Napoli's chances of winning the league? I've a tenner on them with a bloke at work.
They've a fairly decent chance although it's quite tight at the top with only a few points separating the top 5.
Obviously they have a few good players in Mertens, Insigne, Jorginho and some bloke called Hamsik but the Old Lady is still there just a point behind.
Yeh, they drew 0-0 with Chievo recently which doesn't look good on paper.
Juve only just beat Benevento which is like City just beating Hartlepool.
Lazio and Roma might be the teams to watch though.
Quote from: Ludo on November 14, 2017, 20:58:46
Juve only just beat Benevento which is like City just beating Hartlepool.
Did we ever "just beat Hartlepool"? If we did, it must have been so traumatic I've erased it from my memory. :D
One of the last two spots in Russia decided. Australia have just scraped in at the last hurdle (beat Honduras 3-1, after 0-0 away in Central America). Cahill, for once , didn't score.
Australia are cheating by going through Asia rather than Oceania because they don't want to play against South Americans in a play off. Disgraceful.
Quote from: gavin on November 14, 2017, 19:19:59
Not really, I was hoping for a bit more moaning but I'll live.
some people are never happy
Quote from: gavin on November 15, 2017, 12:23:08
Australia are cheating by going through Asia rather than Oceania because they don't want to play against South Americans in a play off. Disgraceful.
Why should we? The old system was clearly unfair and not representative. We lobbied to join Asia because we wanted more meaningful matches against better teams (I.e. we wanted to make it tougher - but fairer!) Certainly NOT "cheating" anyway!
Prior to joining Asia, Australia invariably dominated the Oceania group with ease, to a point that rendered all the group games almost meaningless (only New Zealand offered anything close to a competitive match!) So effectively this meant Australia's qualification to the Finals was reduced to a single home and away, winner takes all play-off against a 'third place' South American side. An opponent who had been playing top quality South American opponents for all the previous year - while Australia had been trying to hone it's skills against Western Samoa and Micronesia! This was clearly ridiculous and unfair to all parties (except perhaps the 'third place' South American team who must have relished the relatively easy back-door route into a World Cup Finals having failed to qualify properly in their own group!)
It would have been like insisting that England had to go through some kind of North Atlantic group - playing against other British lsles teams, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands - just to then get a one-off shot at Finals qualification against some second tier European team!
Secondly, this country has changed a lot in the last 40 years. We are more orientated towards our Asian neighbours - both economically and politically - than we ever where. Our population is increasingly Asian in it's composition. In short - we are not an Oceania country.
could have gone either way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wg9ox9F7Vw
"without an away goal american samoa would find the 2nd leg difficult"
:D
Yes :) great preparation that for taking on the likes of Uruguay or Chile.
Quote from: Rowley Birkin QC on November 15, 2017, 13:49:30
Why should we? The old system was clearly unfair and not representative. We lobbied to join Asia because we wanted more meaningful matches against better teams (I.e. we wanted to make it tougher - but fairer!) Certainly NOT "cheating" anyway!
Prior to joining Asia, Australia invariably dominated the Oceania group with ease, to a point that rendered all the group games almost meaningless (only New Zealand offered anything close to a competitive match!) So effectively this meant Australia's qualification to the Finals was reduced to a single home and away, winner takes all play-off against a 'third place' South American side. An opponent who had been playing top quality South American opponents for all the previous year - while Australia had been trying to hone it's skills against Western Samoa and Micronesia! This was clearly ridiculous and unfair to all parties (except perhaps the 'third place' South American team who must have relished the relatively easy back-door route into a World Cup Finals having failed to qualify properly in their own group!)
It would have been like insisting that England had to go through some kind of North Atlantic group - playing against other British lsles teams, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands - just to then get a one-off shot at Finals qualification against some second tier European team!
Secondly, this country has changed a lot in the last 40 years. We are more orientated towards our Asian neighbours - both economically and politically - than we ever where. Our population is increasingly Asian in it's composition. In short - we are not an Oceania country.
Ouch! That told me. I'm still not 100% convinced but was being a bit deliberately provocative in the first place. Maybe they should do the inter-area play offs through a draw rather than always making Oceania play South America.
Now that's a good idea Gavin :)
Quote from: gavin on November 15, 2017, 12:23:08
Australia are cheating
Just leave it at that Gav, they'll be at it again next week when the Ashes starts. ;)
When it comes to cricket - I can't argue against that.