The Soccer Thread (IV)

I don’t think you are “undermining” anything. I just don’t think you have given a legitimate reason for attracting top talent.

I’d say number 1 is money with number 2 being the quality of play. There is also exposure, marketing, reputation, etc.

The reasons you give, date of games, how a champion is determined, etc. are all trivial.

Nobody values the Pro Bowl. But you are also talking about two different sports.

Two years ago, Rangers played 6 games within a 21 days. In those games was the UEFA Cup Final, the Scottish Cup Final and the last 4 games of the regular season. Part of this stretch included 4-games within 8-days (one of which was the UEFA Cup Final).

Now, unless you are going to claim that the UEFA Cup, similarly the Champions League which are run exactly like playoffs are run, isn’t an important championship decider or that the final regular season games or the FA Cup aren’t important…

Injuries happen. It is a part of sports.

Davies is in a hospital bed right now as evidence of that.

 

Think they are a bit excited about their ensuing trip to South Africa?

 

Thank you, Birdscribe. That is a great link. Here is another one I posted earlier that was lost. It is of the party the next day...

 

Wow, what a shootout. Brazil had the chance to put it away, and missed twice, then missed again in the sixth shot to give Ghana victory.

 

See, and I'd argue that dates of games, etc., are symptoms of things like reputation, etc.

And, yes, fixture congestion can be a serious problem. It's why top English teams don't necessarily prioritise the FA Cup (and certainly not the League Cup), and why a lot of teams don't take the UEFA Cup/Europa League seriously. But it's also why there's not an international date in that part of the calendar.

 

The first couple of PK's were really well taken, but the last few were simply horrible.

 

I honestly think the biggest thing you cannot do in a shootout is think about what you're about to so.

See the ball, shoot the ball, don't think about what's on the line.

 

In other words, don't be English!

 

Ouch. Very ouch.

 

Davies being in a hospital bed is evidence that horrific injuries are part of everyday life. Had nothing to do with sports.

Had he been thinking about his status as a national team member, he wouldn't have been in the car, but that's apparently a drum I'm the only one interested in beating.

 

I'll bang my drum with you Piotr. As sad as I was when I heard about this, as soon as I heard 3 a.m., the question of what he was doing out that late in the middle of an international week also came straight to mind.

 

I keep telling myself that 2010 is going to be different.

I don't know why.