October 2014 Football/Fútbol Discussion: The 'Super' Mario Balotelli Appreciation Thread

[prophet]

Massive game on the box today that I know you're all eager to watch. Bradford still unbeaten away from home but Barnsley probably have the better squad and are better than their current league standing would have you believe. Come on City!

[AkydefGoldberg]

So Raheem Sterling getting stick for saying to Hodgson that he was tired, and not in the best form to play.

I think Hodgson, in his battle with Brendan Rodgers, has shafted Sterling by saying it publicly. Another own goal by Roy and surely "endearing" himself more to Liverpool.

Sterling has played more mins this season than last and it's a shame it seems a club v country row is breaking out (before the qualifiers and probably even more so now) but tbh, considering Owen was fucked because playing so much at an early age, might be wise to give RS a rest but with Liverpool struggling, can they afford to?

[prophet]

Yeah I don't understand what's so wrong about a young player going to the manager and letting him know he feels fatigued. I don't think it's a matter of club vs country, Sterling is still such a young player and people suddenly expect the world from him. Is it any wonder he's tired when Rodgers plays him for 120 minutes in the cup against Boro and every league/europe game? Some of the stick Raheem has gotten for this is beyond stupid. Agree with you that Hodgson outing the news publicly is another example of bad management on his part.

Wales winning, great weekend for British (and Irish) sides thus far!

[PorkChop]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... nder-tweet

Rio Ferdinand is 35 and he's tweeting shit like that?

[AkydefGoldberg]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/oct/14/rio-ferdinand-fa-charged-gender-tweet

Rio Ferdinand is 35 and he's tweeting shit like that?

Hmm, gave me a cheap chuckle but didn't realise sket was that dangerous a word for the FA to charge him.

N. Ireland win their first three qualifiers. No shame in saying I'd be more chuffed seeing N. Ireland, ROI, Scotland and Wales to make Euro 2016 than England. Although the top three qualifying helps them mind..

[PorkChop]

The international break is so shit.

[AkydefGoldberg]

Yup, have to say been refreshing to see the focus on NI, Scotland and Wales and ROI doing well. Instead of endless England bollocks.

[PorkChop]

Yup, have to say been refreshing to see the focus on NI, Scotland and Wales and ROI doing well. Instead of endless England bollocks.

I didn't even realise England were playing the other night. I saw the goal, keeper should have saved it. Sounded like a rubbish game too.

[AkydefGoldberg]

Yup, have to say been refreshing to see the focus on NI, Scotland and Wales and ROI doing well. Instead of endless England bollocks.

I didn't even realise England were playing the other night. I saw the goal, keeper should have saved it. Sounded like a rubbish game too.

You could say the rest of their qualification games will be rubbish - not worth watching.

Rooney's edging towards breaking all records for goals and appearances - so where is he ranked in the all time best England players and how will he be remembered?

Early I know for the latter question but let's fill the time before the weekend starts!

[PorkChop]

In terms of all time England players, Rooney will finish his career amongst the very top - as much as I hate to say it. It'll be quite a remarkable achievement for someone who never showed up in the big games.

He's already third in the list of all-time Premier League goalscorers, having overtaken Thierry Henry a few weeks ago. He's had the benefit of playing in the division since he was like 16 though and aside from a metatarsal injury several years ago which he recovered quickly from, he's been lucky with injuries.

I wish I could praise him without gritting my teeth, but I just hate him. He has a pretty terrible attitude for the most part, and has underperformed too many times in an England shirt. He's unplayable on his day, but it doesn't sit right with me that one day people will speak of him alongside the likes of Alan Shearer, Jimmy Greaves, etc.

[AkydefGoldberg]

TBH, I'd say Michael Owen had the bigger impact ahead of Rooney in the big tournaments. WC 1998 (goals vs. Columbia, Argentina), WC 2002 (Brazil QF goal). His goal scoring record ain't bad and the hat-trick in Munich.

Rooney only played well in Euro 2004. One WC goal says it all.

[Romo]

It's not that Wayne Rooney isn't a good player he just isn't as good as people make out he is, I wouldn't even have him near my top 100 of all time

[PorkChop]

It's not that Wayne Rooney isn't a good player he just isn't as good as people make out he is, I wouldn't even have him near my top 100 of all time

Alright, this is a pretty controversial statement. When all is said and done, Rooney will quite comfortably make most people's list of the top 100 players of all time. Like I said above, he's the third all-time goalscorer in the Premier League, he'll most likely be England most capped player (he's 26 caps off Shilton's record) and possibly even England's all time goalscorer (he's 18 goals off Bobby Charlton's record).

Name the players you'd have between 80 and 100 on your list.

[AkydefGoldberg]

Wow, £12m for Vlaar?! Hope we knock that one on the head quickly. OK, if we could get him for £3-£4m then I wouldn't be averse to it as a stop-gap option until the summer before any major defensive reinforcement work is done but I assume that £12m tag is Villa trying to juice us as much as they can like other clubs have been able to recently.

[PorkChop]

Wow, £12m for Vlaar?! Hope we knock that one on the head quickly. OK, if we could get him for £3-£4m then I wouldn't be averse to it as a stop-gap option until the summer before any major defensive reinforcement work is done but I assume that £12m tag is Villa trying to juice us as much as they can like other clubs have been able to recently.

If you lot paid 12 million for him I'd laugh and laugh and laugh.

Great on his day but misses at least 10 games a season it seems through injury, also has a fair share of bad games. He's our best defender but I'd take 12 million for him all day long, maybe even half of it.

[prophet]

Ched Evans has been released from prison. Interesting one, would you let a convicted rapist back playing for your club? It may be perceived as if the club that signs him condones what he's done but now he's served his time should he have the right to earn a living again playing football?

[PorkChop]

Ched Evans has been released from prison. Interesting one, would you let a convicted rapist back playing for your club? It may be perceived as if the club that signs him condones what he's done but now he's served his time should he have the right to earn a living again playing football?

I was going to start a thread about this later. I've read a lot of contrasting opinions about it.

I think a major part of the deal is that it's not any ordinary job - it's football. If Evans was a bricklayer and went back to work, no one would care. It's the fact he'll reportedly be receiving around 20,000 per week if he's re-signed. Nobody wants to see a convicted rapist earn in a week what many people do in a year.

[Romo]

Ched Evans has been released from prison. Interesting one, would you let a convicted rapist back playing for your club? It may be perceived as if the club that signs him condones what he's done but now he's served his time should he have the right to earn a living again playing football?

I was going to start a thread about this later. I've read a lot of contrasting opinions about it.

I think a major part of the deal is that it's not any ordinary job - it's football. If Evans was a bricklayer and went back to work, no one would care. It's the fact he'll reportedly be receiving around 20,000 per week if he's re-signed. Nobody wants to see a convicted rapist earn in a week what many people do in a year.

Ched Evans is from my town in North Wales so we got alot of people talking about back home, as someone who read the transcript from court and heard about the evidence that wasn't presented in court I believe he isn't guilty, the girl took advantage of an opportunity when she realized who she had slept with.... I mean do these tweets seem like they are from a girl who has been raped.



The Judge introduced the theory that the complainant’s level of intoxication could have been increased by the consumption of more alcohol and/or drugs into her system after she had lost her memory..... but he had absolutely no evidence to support this theory.

Apparently the girl was a vulnerable young woman who was in no fit state to consent to sexual activity... but yet if you see the CCTV footage of her entering the premier inn with Clayton McDonald she seems perfectly fine to me... and even went back to retrieve her pizza.

The police arrested both Ched and Clayton at the station, they acknowledged that the only evidence that sexual activity had taken place was their admission. There was no complaint of rape, no forensic evidence, no injury and no complaint and in order to gain a conviction the Prosecution must prove ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ that a crime was committed i.e. the Jury has to be sure an offence has taken place.

So back to your question on hand... do I think he should be allowed back to play again.... yes, yes i do!

[prophet]

There's not a chance he'd be earning 20,000 a week playing in League 1, not a fucking chance. The average wage is around 2/3 grand.

For the record I initially thought he'd been shafted a little bit. From what I've read she lead him on a bit and went up to his hotel room with him and only afterward did she start with the drama. That said he's been convicted and as such we should talk under the assumption that he did do it. It's a dilemma, I'd like to say I wouldn't want a convicted felon playing for my team but hypothetically if Evans joined Bradford, hit 20 goals and got us promoted I wouldn't care at all.

[PorkChop]

@Romo, can you provide a source for those tweets?