Football Focus

[????]

Don't forget Everton piped Duncan Ferguson onto the pitch as some sort of hero after he'd been released from jail (for assault)

[Millhaven]

???? Wrote:

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> Don't forget Everton piped Duncan Ferguson onto

> the pitch as some sort of hero after he'd been

> released from jail (for assault)

Once saw Ferguson try and take out a Chelsea defender at an Everton corner only for him to up end his own team mate. One of those rare breed of opposition players, one I actually liked.

[Millhaven]

Parkdrive Wrote:

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> StraferJack Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Bad day at the office for Arsenal weekend

> wasn't

> > it - not only did we wearily predictably not

> match

> > up to our supposed peers, but teams all around

> us

> > jumped ahead of us

> >

> > My favourite bit was towards the end when

> Wellbeck

> > came in from right of screen like a Warner

> > Brothers cartoon character and completely

> upended

> > Fabregas. I almost hear the cartoon sounds in

> my

> > head

> >

> > Totally uncalled for and should have been a red

> of

> > course

>

> And not as bad as Cahill who wasn't shown a red

> card.

Welbeck was far worse but Cahill could have easy also been a red.

[Millhaven]

StraferJack Wrote:

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> of course you could point out the Cahill tackle

> and other incidents that didn't go our way - but

> really, why bother. Won't change a single thing,

> not least the fact that the better team did win.

> And we would have to say we could have had 2 or 3

> red cars of our own

Yes ref was surprisingly lenient for both sides. Which isn't always a bad thing.

[Parkdrive]

Millhaven Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Parkdrive Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > StraferJack Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > Bad day at the office for Arsenal weekend

> > wasn't

> > > it - not only did we wearily predictably not

> > match

> > > up to our supposed peers, but teams all

> around

> > us

> > > jumped ahead of us

> > >

> > > My favourite bit was towards the end when

> > Wellbeck

> > > came in from right of screen like a Warner

> > > Brothers cartoon character and completely

> > upended

> > > Fabregas. I almost hear the cartoon sounds in

> > my

> > > head

> > >

> > > Totally uncalled for and should have been a

> red

> > of

> > > course

> >

> > And not as bad as Cahill who wasn't shown a red

> > card.

>

> Welbeck was far worse but Cahill could have easy

> also been a red.

So you've surfaced then, behave yourself.

[red devil]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Mick Mac Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The only good thing about tonight is the penny

> > might drop with the board that you don't get

> into

> > the champions league for free, you need to

> invest,

> > and if you blend lack of investment with the

> wrong

> > manager, you are buggered.

> >

> > On tonights score, this team is not good enough

> > for any European competition.

> >

> > Slight reluctance to write off the manager is

> that

> > Strachan lost 5-0 in his opening CL qualifier

> and

> > failed to qualify. Next season beat AC Milan

> and

> > Benfica to make the last 16, but this guy

> looks

> > real bad so far, real bad.

>

>

>

> And he still looks real bad....

I think you're simply missing the competitive edge of Rangers. There's no pressure on the Celtic board to invest, believing they can sell their best players yet still have enough to win the SPL...

[Otta]

Exactly. You are defined by your rivals, you need them.

[Mick Mac]

red devil Wrote:

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>

>

> I think you're simply missing the competitive edge

> of Rangers. There's no pressure on the Celtic

> board to invest, believing they can sell their

> best players yet still have enough to win the

> SPL...

Its an easy answer RD but flawed I think.

Lennon had no trouble keeping the competitive edge - that's part of the test of a good manager. Last season, already two years without Rangers, after loss of Wanyama and Hooper he won a record number of consecutive games and set a post war record for consecutive clean sheets.

No pressure to invest? They invest what they can afford to invest, with Scottish clubs in financial meltdown all around them, they need to be prudent. They have invested as much this year if not more than previous years - wanyama etc were all bought cheap. we haven spent more than a couple of million on a player for near a decade.

Their year on year spend on players is therefore I think quite consistent - Not reinvesting proceeds of player sales is a different thing and they have had to use this money to keep the club in decent financial shape esp in absence of champions league. That's why Lennon left.

Any Celtic manager is judged on Europe currently, the SPL is a given. But lose to Hamilton and you will be under pressure.

[red devil]

I think there were several reasons why Lennon resigned Mick. I'm sure one of them was that he felt he'd taken them as far as he could on the resources, the club was stagnating, a general malaise was setting in. Those records you cite were played in front of thousands of empty seats, and they will always have a hollow ring to them as Rangers weren't in the mix. Celtic should've been creating much better records, such as most points accumulated, and/or going through a season unbeaten. And the players you cited went to Southampton and Norwich respectively. Says it all. Celtic will struggle in Europe while the SPL is so uncompetitive...

[Millhaven]

Parkdrive Wrote:

>

> So you've surfaced then, behave yourself.

No fun.

[Parkdrive]

I see that nice Roy Keane is doing his level best to make new friends. He's such a character isn't he?

[Otta]

He's a cunt, end of story.

And so so so so so desperate to remain relevant. It's just sad.

[????]

I like him

[red devil]

Otta Wrote:

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> He's a @#$%&, end of story.

That line could've come straight out of his book...oh the irony! :)

[Parkdrive]

???? Wrote:

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> I like him

To each his own

[Parkdrive]

The only thing I've ever grudginly liked about him was this statement he made a few years back.

?To be honest I never cared much for Manchester United fans. For the most part they?re clueless glory hunters, trying to add a sense of accomplishment to their own pointless lives by jumping on the bandwagon of a successful sporting club, in many cases on the other side of the world?

That from a Yanited "legend"

[Mick Mac]

red devil Wrote:

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> I think there were several reasons why Lennon

> resigned Mick. I'm sure one of them was that he

> felt he'd taken them as far as he could on the

> resources, the club was stagnating, a general

> malaise was setting in. Those records you cite

> were played in front of thousands of empty seats,

> and they will always have a hollow ring to them as

> Rangers weren't in the mix. Celtic should've been

> creating much better records, such as most points

> accumulated, and/or going through a season

> unbeaten. And the players you cited went to

> Southampton and Norwich respectively. Says it all.

> Celtic will struggle in Europe while the SPL is so

> uncompetitive...

If you wanted to entertain an ounce of realism and your knowledge of football finances you would understand that Celtic punched way above their weight (pound for pound) under Lennon, last 16 of the champions league - these were great achievements.

But don't come back on me again - I cant take any more. You have broken me already.

[red devil]

Parkdrive Wrote:

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> The only thing I've ever grudginly liked about him

> was this statement he made a few years back.

>

> ?To be honest I never cared much for Manchester

> United fans. For the most part they?re clueless

> glory hunters, trying to add a sense of

> accomplishment to their own pointless lives by

> jumping on the bandwagon of a successful sporting

> club, in many cases on the other side of the

> world?

>

> That from a Yanited "legend"

0/10

It's a well known fake quote...

[Mick Mac]

Roy Keane is a hero of mine. Much maligned for letting Ireland down in the 2002 world cup - which is completely justified in my opinion, but also worth remembering there is no way on this earth they would have qualified from a Holland and Portugal group without his amazing performances in the qualifiers when he really was top of his game.

footnote: Louis v Gaal was Holland manager btw.

[maxxi]

red devil Wrote:

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> Otta Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > He's a @#$%&, end of story.

>

>

> That line could've come straight out of his

> book...oh the irony! :)

He can write??!?

[red devil]

Don't be silly maxxi. He had a ghostwriter, but not just any ghostwriter, one that can decipher grunts...

[Parkdrive]

Roy Keane is much maligned not just for leaving the Irish camp during 2002, I agree with Otta on his view of this Yanited "Hero".

[Otta]

And for the record, I don't dislike him because he played for United (may have during his playing days, but I don't tend to hold club grudges after retirement), I dislike him because he comes across as a real nasty piece of work and a complete and utter egomaniac.

[SCSB79]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> red devil Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I think there were several reasons why Lennon

> > resigned Mick. I'm sure one of them was that he

> > felt he'd taken them as far as he could on the

> > resources, the club was stagnating, a general

> > malaise was setting in. Those records you cite

> > were played in front of thousands of empty

> seats,

> > and they will always have a hollow ring to them

> as

> > Rangers weren't in the mix. Celtic should've

> been

> > creating much better records, such as most

> points

> > accumulated, and/or going through a season

> > unbeaten. And the players you cited went to

> > Southampton and Norwich respectively. Says it

> all.

> > Celtic will struggle in Europe while the SPL is

> so

> > uncompetitive...

>

> If you wanted to entertain an ounce of realism and

> your knowledge of football finances you would

> understand that Celtic punched way above their

> weight (pound for pound) under Lennon, last 16 of

> the champions league - these were great

> achievements.

>

> But don't come back on me again - I cant take any

> more. You have broken me already.

Lennon was so good in Europe he achieved their worst agg defeat 5-0 to Juventus. Equalled it against AC Milan 5-0 the. Broke it again against Barcelona 7-1. All in the one calendar year!!!

[Mick Mac]

I can't engage in banter with you SCSB until you have a team of your own.