Arena "The Beautiful Game" - The Official JCC Football (Soccer) Thread.

Liverpool only being able to score a single goal against a goalkeeper hell bent on allowing 3 is the funniest football related story I've heard in 2013. And oh go on, 2012 too.

There simply has to be a way to work an lol @ Chelsea around the events at Wembley this evening...

Lampard!

Really hope he's able to get the Chelsea goal scoring record.

Caught a few highlights of ENG-BRA last night, the 2014 hosts looked terrible. More like lowlights.

Nice win by Germany in Paris, very entertaining game.

Brazil are a shadow of their former selves. The presence of Ronaldinho in the starting XI is evidence of that.

Brazil didn't look great I have to say, but they do have good players so the potential for them to get better is there.

Is Ronaldinho still starting on merit or are they just trying to get him his 100 caps or whatever? I thought he's generally been pants since Barca; why is he still in the team?

I think he's there on merit. But that itself is a problem.

lol @ City

Good albeit flattering scoreline for Chelsea.

Seriously, Lampard needs to be signed up again. It's hard enough being a Chelsea fan at the moment without more reasons to ridicule us. 9 goals in 14 games for a midfielder is ridiculous.

apparently he's played well since miving back to Brazil, but that may be more of a reflection on that league than anything.

LOL @ City. They really were not very good (though Southampton were decent and pushed them hard) and Barry's own goal is one of the worst I've seen.

12 points is nice, although I wonder why it was that Fergie really had to play so many of the main squad players against Everton. Why not play Welbeck, Anderson & Nani? It seems likely the result would have been the same regardless of who he played.
Plus Old Trafford's crappy pitch seems to have caused trouble, don't want to see tired players trying to beat Madrid.

Alan Green on 606 yesterday said much the same (he also called most Chelsea fans hypocrites who are afraid to badmouth Abramovich because then he might leave despite him simply using the club as "his play thing"), it is the lack of communication about it seems to be the worst thing. Has he been offered a new contract? Does he want a longer one? Does he want to leave regardless? United offer their over 30 players one year rolling contracts should they want them, Lampard can surely have that.

Alan Green has always had a thing against Chelsea fans. He's basically a troll who likes to ****-stir

He has a valid point on both counts though, Chelsea fans during games are quick to hate on Rafa and protest that he leave yet they don't protest against Roman who is the cause of most of the club's problems. United fans like success but still protest against the Glazers' ownership of the club.


Regarding the United-Madrid game - What is the best formation for United to deploy? 4-4-1-1 is the usual but 4-3-3 might be better

Not valid in the slightest. Most fans are not like that at all. Every Chelsea fan I know blames Roman for Mourinho leaving, for the Lampard fiasco, and getting Benitez, and for not getting rid of Torres. But they also hate Benitez for all the crap he said about Chelsea when he was Liverpool manager. That's nothing to do with Roman.

Alan Green is just a tosspot

He also makes no secret of his support for Liverpool, which makes him totally unsuited to commentary. And possibly Ignant.

Most analysts would be biased then, given guys like Savage & Hartson & Lawrenson all actually played for teams that they are likely to be commentating on (such as Liverpool)

But do they want him to leave? Chelsea sold their soul for silverware just like City, so does winning stuff justify Roman being able to do whatever he wants?

Biting the hand that feeds and so on

Biased, yes. But that's not the same thing as completely skewed. The others you mention display affection for their past clubs, but don't let it affect their objectivity. At least, generally. Listen to Alan Green commentate on anyone against Liverpool and you'd think the opposition had no right to even be on the same pitch as Liverpool.

We need more Motty.
Shame he's not commentating for the United-Madrid game

I'm wondering if United will do 4-3-3 with Rooney & Welbeck wide and someone man-marking Ronaldo. Jones did a good job with Fellaini yesterday and he would be a good choice to try and contain and frustrate CR on wednesday (provided he recovers from the injury he got)

Drogbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Or Barry Davies


"Look at his face!"

lol @ Liverpool.

Choose your argument. You said that AG said that most fans wouldn't badmouth Roman. I said we do. Now you're bring this "do they want him to leave" nonsense into it. Your argument reeks of the same bias that Alan Green has (sold their soul like City, justify etc), so there is no point in discussing it any further. #newyear

De Gea seems to attractloads of negative press, but Hart has had a number of howlers this season. The whole City squad seems to be under performing this year, except probably Dzeko and Aguero. Seems they got their medal, and now have lost the hunger. Something Utd never lose. And something Chelsea didn't lose under Mourinho.

Plus their recruits last summer were pretty piss poor. Looked that way at the time.

Mancini is a goner.

lol @ City.