Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:13 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

Because he keeps on ****ing doing it!

Stuart Pearce handled the ball (to try and get a goal or block a goal, can't remember which) but there was only the one time most people will remember. Maradona did it. Thierry Henry did it.

Just one occasion, each of them.

Suarez has just done it for Liverpool, to add to the one he was booked for last month at Southampton, to add to the one he stopped against Ghana in the WC. Someone's listed the Wigan game last season as another time he did it.

Liverpool bitch and moan about him not getting the pens he should, and in the very next game he throws himself to the floor in one of the most embarrassing dives of the season.

And on top of all that there was all the nonsense between him and Evra, and then the nonsense about him not shaking Evra's hand before the game. Then he admitted it, then he made up a different excuse, then he blamed Evra again.

He's clearly an excellent player, which even people who don't like LFC admit. But he is the biggest magnet in the game for stupid offences. Which LFC fans blame on everyone else but Suarez.

The handshake is irrelevant IMO. I wouldn't have shook Evra's hand if I felt he'd exaggerated something to tarnish my image, if people are still upset over that then they're thicker than they're showing.

I cringe at some of Suarez's dives and the majority of our fans do. The problem is when people try and ram it in our face and want us to agree with their views that Suarez is the 21st century edition of Hitler. Whenever anybody does something similar or worse than Suarez, it's dusted off and ignored. Our fans continually moan that people don't even criticise them for it. Have you read the stuff on Bale by Neil Ashton? It's hilarious, yet if you read the sh*te somebody like James Lawton or Martin Samuel comes up with on Suarez, you have to wonder how they get away with it.

My own views on Suarez are these generally summarised:

As a player: fantastic, stupendously talented despite not being the biggest or quickest. Makes up for it with stupendous ability and a desire to win that only the best have.

As a personality on the pitch: can take things too far sometimes, his desire to win forces a 'niggly' side that I don't always like to see, but I see it from a lot of players so it's generally watered down. His diving is stupid but again, I'm used to diving now and it's not like Suarez wastes 30 minutes of a game getting 'treatment'.

As a personality off the pitch: never met him but everything I've read on him is overwhelmingly positive. He seems a fantastic professional.

Of his misdemeanours on the pitch: the diving I don't like, nor do I like some of his 'challenges', I don't believe there's the intent there to hurt, more just annoy. The save at the world cup was fantastic and I'd encourage any player to do so in that position. If it's do or die, you always do it. His biting of an opponent - stupid, shouldn't have done it and was rightly banned (unlike Defoe). His handballs, again, don't really bother me. Footballers try all sorts to con the ref, this has become normal in the game despite the high horse approach towards it. I don't think what Suarez does is other people's fault, I just think people are idiots for reacting the way they do - only to the stuff he does.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:42 pm  

Is there a worse defense anywhere in the top flight of world football than Villa's at the moment? They are absolutely shocking.

Lambert is doing a truly appalling job, how he's got those players playing that poorly is beyond me.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:42 pm  

People only complain about the Suarez handball against Ghana because it stopped an African team getting to a WC Semi in Africa's WC. If an Englishman had done it, the Media would have w*nked themselves into a coma

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:22 pm  

Roddy B wrote:

The handshake is irrelevant IMO. I wouldn't have shook Evra's hand if I felt he'd exaggerated something to tarnish my image, if people are still upset over that then they're thicker than they're showing.

I cringe at some of Suarez's dives and the majority of our fans do. The problem is when people try and ram it in our face and want us to agree with their views that Suarez is the 21st century edition of Hitler. Whenever anybody does something similar or worse than Suarez, it's dusted off and ignored. Our fans continually moan that people don't even criticise them for it. Have you read the stuff on Bale by Neil Ashton? It's hilarious, yet if you read the sh*te somebody like James Lawton or Martin Samuel comes up with on Suarez, you have to wonder how they get away with it.

My own views on Suarez are these generally summarised:

As a player: fantastic, stupendously talented despite not being the biggest or quickest. Makes up for it with stupendous ability and a desire to win that only the best have.

As a personality on the pitch: can take things too far sometimes, his desire to win forces a 'niggly' side that I don't always like to see, but I see it from a lot of players so it's generally watered down. His diving is stupid but again, I'm used to diving now and it's not like Suarez wastes 30 minutes of a game getting 'treatment'.

As a personality off the pitch: never met him but everything I've read on him is overwhelmingly positive. He seems a fantastic professional.

Of his misdemeanours on the pitch: the diving I don't like, nor do I like some of his 'challenges', I don't believe there's the intent there to hurt, more just annoy. The save at the world cup was fantastic and I'd encourage any player to do so in that position. If it's do or die, you always do it. His biting of an opponent - stupid, shouldn't have done it and was rightly banned (unlike Defoe). His handballs, again, don't really bother me. Footballers try all sorts to con the ref, this has become normal in the game despite the high horse approach towards it. I don't think what Suarez does is other people's fault, I just think people are idiots for reacting the way they do - only to the stuff he does.

I think the handshakes are the biggest joke in football. There is little respect in football during the 90 minutes, so that charade is FIFA/UEFA/FA BS that I can't abide.

Having said that, Liverpool/Dalgleish said he would offer his hand and then he went and refused his hand. And after that he came up with varying reasons and excuses why the handshake wasn't given.

In most part I agree with you about Suarez. I'd say I don't rate him as highly as you do, but I'd put that down to him shining in that dreadful side you lot have got. But while in England he has constantly got himself the headlines and brought the vast majority of the condemnation on himself.

I think there is a media (and football in general) bias towards Man United that sees them getting far more lenient treatment than everyone else. But I think Liverpool are second in the league table for getting favourable media, so I don't have too much sympathy for you there.

I read very few of the articles about players that are written. But I do think that there is an issue of oppo fans wanting the best players to get turfed out of clubs simply because it would hurt them. I think that applies to Balotelli and Tevez at Citeh, it clearly applies with Suarez, I think it applied massively with Mourinho at Chelsea. Liverpool without Suarez would be screwed. So it is part of the game that when Suarez does stupid s*** like knocking a goal in with his hand people over-react and add even more pressure to him.

I also think there is a problem with LFC defending their own with ridiculous fervor. John Barnes made the utterly ridiculous claim that no one called Henry a cheat when he handled the ball against Ireland so Suarez shouldn't be called a cheat either. Pretty much half the footballing planet called Henry a cheat after he did that. But LFC are so intent on defending everything LFC that they talk utter BS.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:25 pm  

Just hand over the League Cup now and save us the bother of having to go through the formalities. (If we somehow happen to screw it up, the Fat Spanish Waiter is the new Avram Grant - only worse.)

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:54 pm  

Roddy B wrote:

Indeed, I hold a grand dislike of Rooney and many other players. Thing is, I won't come out and claim Rooney as scum for something like a handball or something in general play, just his bully-like antics and general twatishness. If someone thinks Suarez is a t*t, then whatever, I laugh at that stuff, it's the way people want to exaggerate his alleged wrongdoings because it's him that baffles me.

Racism - whatever, people have their views, whatever.
Diving - worst ever.
Tackling - dirtiest ever.
Profiting from any call - most disgusting human being ever, he must tell the referee and be the only honest player alive.
People claim he's a family man - can't be, he's a disgusting human being.
Gets a bad tackle - deserves it.
Saves ball against Ghana - disgusting. Only he would do that, he broke *Africa's* heart.

Paul Scholes tries to score a goal with his hand against Zenit - Oh Scholesy.
Paul Scholes snaps an opponent, nearly breaking their leg - Oh Scholesy.
Paul Scholes takes a swing for Xabi Alonso - Oh Scholesy.
Paul Scholes saves ball on the line against Fulham - Oh Scholesy.

I imagine there are plenty more against Scholes but I'm not sad enough to bother or care, yet Scholes is a player universally respected for everything, be it his career without an agent or his fantastic tackling ability. (Remember, no malice).

The next time people try and nail utds 'always the victims' chant to Hillsborough, I will refer them to posts like the above.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:58 am  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

I also think there is a problem with LFC defending their own with ridiculous fervor. John Barnes made the utterly ridiculous claim that no one called Henry a cheat when he handled the ball against Ireland so Suarez shouldn't be called a cheat either. Pretty much half the footballing planet called Henry a cheat after he did that. But LFC are so intent on defending everything LFC that they talk utter BS.

I think Barnes got a little carried away with that. I'm not sure if he was trying to say "do people call Henry a cheat?", which they don't, but the reaction from the Irish and the majority of the UK (who kiss the Irish's a*se) was that Henry was a complete and utter disgrace. If it wasn't for Henry's fantastic record in England, I do believe he'd have got even more grief from the press. When that happened I p(ssed myself as I thought it was hilarious. I've seen us concede through handballs before (Saviola) and it isn't nice, but seeing the Irish go out to it was almost perfect.

The problem with us in the media is it's often one extreme to the other. You will get people who are generally very up our a*se and won't criticise us much, instead they'll look to defend us with reason and be constructive about any criticism. Then you get c*nts like Samuel, Lawton and Taylor who are wind up merchants. Very rarely will you get somebody who'll consistently write with strong views constructively. The world of twitter doesn't help, either. Journos are now in the firing line for any pieces they write that people don't agree with. Our former players are much of the same, you get ones like Barnes who'll defend the club through thick and thin, then you get t*ts like Lawro who make up daft criticism and say generally stupid things, like his comment on Dalglish drinking more. I don't read much now in the media, usually just stuff people link me to. With us at the moment it changes every week: one week we're back, the next week we're bottom half, the next we're in a building stage and we can't expect anything. I save myself the hassle and just read the stuff that's linked by others.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:50 am  

we take it all back, we take it all baaaaaaack
Sorry we offended you
and that Evra is black.


Liverpool fans blind views on Suarez is laughable. They have elevated him to godlike status despite their team getting much worse since he arrived.

[John_D]

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:21 am  

Yeah, yeah, well done Bradford. A joke's a joke, but you can take it too far. Now pack it in

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Wed Jan 09, 2013 1:39 pm  

John_D wrote:

Yeah, yeah, well done Bradford. A joke's a joke, but you can take it too far. Now pack it in

Nope.

And well done Peter Beagrie for pointing out that what Bradford have done on this run is without their two first choice centre halves, and without their first choice left back last night.

People bang on about the lack of experience in that Villa side, but the likes of Given, Benteke, Weimann, Bannan, Agbonlahor etc are all full internationals IIRC?