Footie Trivia Question of the Week

Samuel Eto'o is a cocky young so and so. Last week, he claimed that Barca's new signings mean that the Catalan club will win all six of the trophies that they will compete for this season. Name all six.

The New Ronaldo Toy

Looks like a great Christmas Idea!!!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,3-2006340404,00.html

ManYoo Joins the Transfer Market...Finally!

With only days to go on the transfer window, things finally moved at Old Trafford today, with Michael Carrick joining the Red Devils for a still unyet undisclosed amount - some were predicting around 16 million - and Ruud joining Real for around 10.5 million. Strange that. How is a defensive midfielder worth more than a 20+ goal a year striker? You once remarked that you didn't rate Carrick, Dave. Still feel that way?

Champions' League Draw

The Champions' League draw for the third qualifying round was announced today. Here it is:

Sheriff Tiraspol/Spartak Moscow v Slovan Liberec

Shakhtar Donetsk v FH Hafnarfjordur/Legia Warsaw

FC Zurich/Salzburg v Valencia

Levski Sofia/Sioni v Chievo

Hearts/Siroki Brijeg v AEK Athens

CSKA Moscow v Djurgarden/Ruzomberok

AC Milan v Cork/Red Star Belgrade

Galatasaray v Mlada Boleslav/Valerenga

Standard Liege v Gorica/Steaua Bucharest

Austria Vienna v Benfica

Ekranas/Dinamo Zagreb v Arsenal

FC Copenhagen/MyPa v Ajax

Hamburg v Osasuna

Metalurgs/Dynamo Kiev v Fenerbahce/B36 Torshavn

Liverpool v Maccabi Haifa

Lille v Debrecen/Rabotnicki

First-leg matches will be played on August 8/9 with the return legs taking
place on August 23/24.

The draw for Arsenal looks decent, but Liverpool will need flak jackets for that away draw in Haifa. You may have also noticed that the Italian courts have bottled it and allowed AC Milan back into the CL draw. I'd love to see Cork City beat them.

Any comments, gents?

Exciting Times in Gatorland!

It's been an exciting week here in Gatorland. First, I had a quick but thoroughly enjoyable visit on Sunday from the most honorable Sir Trevor Brooking. We had several hours of high quality musing before he had to head off to points south the next morning.

I then received news today that a good friend Paul, who has carved a nice niche for himself as an arts programmer in the Bay Area, had given me a nice shout-out on "Dr. Andy's Poetry & Technology Hour," a weekly radio show on KDVS-FM 90.3 - the Davis, California NPR affiliate.

Check it out at:

http://tinyurl.com/jdszv

The segment with Paul starts at about the seven minute mark.

New Setanta Contract

Okay, here's the straight dope on the new Setanta Sports contract with the Premiership. Setanta have picked up the exclusive rights to the premier fixtures that used to be on Pay Per View. That means, as Dave said a while back, FSC will continue to broadcast up to three matches on a Saturday starting at 10 a.m. live and one at 11 a.m. live on Sunday. But at least one match - perhaps as many as two - featuring the premier teams (Chelski, ManYoo, Arse, Liverpool) will be exclusively on the new Setanta satellite service. My hunch is that little will change - I never ponied up for the pay games anyway - but if you want to see United vs. Liverpool, for example, you'll be left with two options: switch to the dish and get Setanta or go down the pub.

One more detail for the new season: Steven Cohen confirmed that Fox Football Friday has been cancelled and there will be no Friday night preview of the weekend's matches on FSC. My hunch is that they'll stay with the lame Soccer Saturday show with Max Bretos that they started last season, maybe as a lead-in to the Saturday 10 a.m. game. Steven did say that he and Nick would perhaps feature on a Tuesday night show on FSC, which sounds suspiciously like a Premiership wrap-up show.

More details later....

An Oldie But A Goodie

I know you all know this but name three England captains that have played for Scunthorpe United.

Dunga named manager of Brazil

Remember this advocate of Jogo Bonito? He's just been named to take over from Pereira after Brazil's limp showing in the World Cup. As far as I can tell, this guy is the Piltdown Sam of Brazil, likely to usher in a regime of defensive cloggers of his ilk. Good news for Ze Roberto, Gilberto, and probably Emerson. Bad news for Junior Pernambucano, Diego, and anyone else who can actually play a bit.

Transfer Silly Season

The summer silly season is in full swing with loads of absurd gossip about transfers. ManYoo seem to have everyone from Torres to Tevez and back lined up as a replacement for Ruud, who apparently showed up for training today. The Arse are worried about losing Cashley without an obvious replacement, but have Rosicky on board for next year's opening of the new stadium. Chelski are buying up the planet while at the same time shopping their surplus; Del Horno has gone today. Meanwhile all of the big deals for Italian-based players seem to be avoiding the Premiership to date, with Cannavaro to Real, Zambrotta and Thuram to Barca and Vieira to Inter all likely.

Oh, and by the way the Leeds have swooped for Millwall's Dave Livermore and are on the verge of signing Kevin Nicholls from Luton. (sigh).

Footie Trivia Question of the Week

This is a good 'un this week and I'll be surprised if any of you get this one quickly.

"Which is the only club who has won the European Cup/Champion's League more often than it has won its own domestic championship?"

Good luck, lads - and remember - no Net cheating!!

Materazzi Gets Banned!

Yes! FIFA has finally pulled it finger out and has banned the thuggish Azurri man for two matches for what everyone imagines was unspeakable racist provocation in the Zidane headbutting incident. The lads at 365 think he's been hard done by - what about you lot?

Once In A Lifetime -- Go See It

I just got back from seeing this film and I highly recommend it. There's game footage that you've not seen before, and a kind-hearted nostalga that's just lovely.

And do the former players have an axe to grind when it comes to Chinalgia? Yes, they do. And what does Giorgio think? Couldn't care less.

This was really fun. For those not on the biography film circuit, Netflix it now.

O'Leary - Going, Going, Gone....

O'dear, O'dear. David O'Leary hasn't even made it to the new season. Villa have sacked him with a month to go. He's now been sacked by two clubs and what used to look like a promising career for a young manager - remember the "O'Leary Babes?" - is now in tatters. Comments, gents?

Ruud to Real Madrid?

Football 365 are predicting this morning that Ruud will be on his way to Madrid this week for the fee of 11 million pounds. Good deal, Dave, or too cheap?

Annoying Kids, but I think this is the LRC at LHS

I just typed in Lakenheath into youtube.com's search engine and I think this is the LRC at the High School. Best viewed with sound off. These kids act badly enough that Mary McGowan would have taken hemlock rather than to be associated with them.

Summer Transfer News

During the Silly Season, keep up with the latest on the real Premiership deals going on with the following link:

http://www.football365.com/features/f365_features/story_185975.shtml

Footie Trivia Question of the Week

Red Devil Dave has been pleading for more devilishly difficult trivia questions, so here's one for you. I was able to come up with only ten of these, so I'll be mighty impressed if anyone gets all twelve right off the bat, even those who support London teams. Good luck to you!

"There are twelve professional football teams that play inside the M26 loop of Greater London (that is, not Watford, Luton or Wimbledon lads). Name them all."

New Shirt of the Champions To Be

RIP: Fox Football Friday?

Steven Cohen announced on yesterday's World Soccer Daily that FFF will not be returning to Fox Soccer Channel next season. He didn't go into details but said that they would be on FSC in some fashion but that there would be "more people involved." I wonder if this has something to do with the rumors that Setanta satellite telly has picked up some or all of the Premiership games for next season. In any case, it doesn't bode well for the upcoming season. More news to come as I hear it.

Breaking News: Juve, Fiorentina, Lazio Relegated!

Here's the latest from the Italian match-fixing scandal. Juve, Fiorentina and Lazio have all been relegated to Serie B. Milan survives in Serie A but has been stripped of its Champion's League spot and starts the next campaign with a 15 point deduction. Other details:

* Juventus have been stripped of their last two Serie A titles, sent down to Serie B and will start the new campaign with a 30 point deduction.

* Lazio and Fiorentina have also been stripped of their Serie A status and will start with minus seven and minus 12 points respectively.

* Milan have kept their place in Serie A but have been deducted 44 points from last season’s tally which means they will not be allowed to enter the Champions League.

* The Rossoneri will also start the 2006-07 campaign with a 15 point deduction in the First Division.

This is apparently being considered light punishment as the prosecutors were looking for Juve to be demoted to Serie C and the other three to Serie B.

Buh-bye Mad Hatter! Wie gehts Klinsi!!!

The era of error is over. Now let's make Jurgen an offer!

Footie Trivia Question of the Week

The World Cup may be over but the trivia just keeps on coming. Put on your thinking caps, lads.

Which Sky Sports pundit was the first England player ever to be sent off?

Interesting piece in today's NYTimes by Jack Bell - who usually knows what he's talking about - speculating about a possible U.S. squad for the next World Cup campaign. Here's who he thinks will be in the squad for South Africa 2010:

1. Tim Howard - GK(Everton)
2. Brad Guzan - GK (Chivas USA)
3. Adin Brown - GK (Aalesund, Norway)

4. Oguchi Onyewu - DF (Standard Liege)
5. Jonathan Spector - DF (West Ham)
6. Heath Pierce - DF (FC Nordsjaelland, Denmark)
7. Todd Dunivant - DF (Red Bulls)
8. Jay DeMerit - DF (Watford)
9. Carlos Bocanegra DF (Fulham)
10. Cory Gibbs DF (Charlton)
11. Jimmy Conrad DF (Kansas City Wizards)

12. Landon Donovan - MF (LA Galaxy)
13. DaMarcus Beasley - MF (PSV)
14. Bobby Convey - MF (Reading)
15. Clint Dempsey - MF (NE Revs)
16. Michael Bradley - MF (Heerenveen)
17. Benny Feilhaber - MF (Hamburg)
18. Pat Noonan - MF (NE Revs)

19. Alecko Eskandarian - FW(DC United)
20. Chris Rolfe - FW (Chicago Fire)
21. Eddie Johnson - FW (KC Wizards)
22. Nate Jacque - FW (Chicago Fire)
23. Josmer Altidore - FW (Red Bulls)

The first thing that strikes me is that - with the exception of the all-MLS strike force - this is dominated by players plying their trade in Europe. And I would imagine that more - Dempsey, Conrad and Johnson - for example might well make the move in the next year.

It's an exciting squad with lots of unfamiliar names I'll look forward to watching. All we need now is Jurgen Klinsmann, who announced his resignation from the German side yesterday. Let's hope that US Soccer is in there quickly with a big offer.

World Cup Predictions Game Final Result!

With the World Cup sadly behind us, it's time to take a final tally and let the winner take his bow. Not surprisingly, no one picked Italy to win. Three of you hopeless dreamers picked England, Sir Trev picked Brazil and I picked Argentina. I was generous with the points and awarded eight points to both United We Stand and Gooner71 for mentioning Klose, along with Crouch and Adriano, for Golden Boot.

Here are the Final Standings:

The Winner - United We Stand - 66 points

The Runner Up - Gooner71 - 62 points

Third Place - Gatorbob - 57 points

Fourth Place - AZ Kicker - 48 points

Wooden Spoon - Trevor Brooking - 38 points

Good fun, lads. Thanks for playing.

RIP Syd Barrett 1946-2006

I've just seen in today's NYTimes that Syd Barrett, the great Pink Floyd founder and recluse has died at the age of 60. The Times reports: "Syd Barrett, the erratically brilliant songwriter and singer who created the psychedelic rock of Pink Floyd only to leave the band in 1968 with mental problems, died on July 7 at his home in Cambridgeshire. His death was confirmed by a spokesman for his former band, Doug Wright, who did not give a cause of death. Mr. Barrett had long suffered from diabetes. A statement from Mr. Wright said: 'The band are very naturally upset and sad to hear of Syd's death. Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire.' With Pink Floyd, and on two haunting solo albums, Mr. Barrett became a touchstone for experimental pop musicians. He was also renowned both as an LSD casualty and as a symbol of how close creativity can be to madness. Mr. Barrett wrote most of the songs on Pink Floyd's debut album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn." Mr. Barrett's songs like "Astronomy Domine," whimsy and wordplay merged with a playful sense of structure and sound. He also helped to conceive the band's performances as spectacles."

Very very sad. I'll be playing "Wish You Were Here" a few times today to mark the occasion.

New FIFA Rankings - Same Old Sick Joke!

FIFA has duly announced their revised world football rankings. These are meant to reflect the events of the past month, but consider this:

*Brazil retains its #1 position, despite a poor performance at Deutschland '06.

*Italy has leapfrogged several positions due to its win but is still at #2.

*England has jumped to #5 slot, despite being knocked out in the quarters.

*Sweden has dropped to #22, while Paraguay - who they edged out in the group stages - has jumped to #19.

*Mexico has dropped 14 places to #18 despite pushing Argentina all the way in their second round match. Meanwhile, the U.S. drops 11 places to #16.

Huh?

Here are the current world rankings:

1 Brazil
2 Italy
3 Argentina
4 France
5 England
6 Netherlands
7 Spain
8 Portugal
9 Germany
10 Czech Republic
11 Nigeria
12 Cameroon
13 Switzerland
14 Uruguay
15 Ukraine
16 USA
17 Denmark
18 Mexico
19 Paraguay
20 Côte d'Ivoire

Who Would You Want?

The trial against Juve has started and prosecutors are pressing for a drop to Serie C. Many of the players have "relegation clauses" and will be on the market this summer. Gooner has suggested that most of the Italian players might stick around in the lower divisions, but there is still plenty of talent on offer. Take a look at the current squad and let us know who you're team should pick up:

1 Gianluigi Buffon G 6-3 203 28
22 Landry Bonnefoi G - - -
32 Christian Abbiati G 6-3 203 29
2 Alessandro Birindelli D 5-9 157 31
3 Giorgio Chiellini D - - -
6 Robert Kovac D 5-11 172 32
7 Gianluca Pessotto D 5-8 148 35
14 Federico Balzaretti D 5-11 170 25
15 Domenico Criscito D - - -
21 Lilian Thuram D 6-1 172 34
27 Jonathan Zebina D 6-3 185 28
28 Fabio Cannavaro D 5-9 165 32
4 Patrick Vieira M 6-4 183 30
8 Fereira da Rosa Emerson M 6-0 181 30
11 Pavel Nedved M 5-10 154 33
16 Mauro German Camoranesi M 5-8 163 29
19 Gianluca Zambrotta M 5-11 174 29
20 Manuele Blasi M 5-7 148 25
23 Giuliano Giannichedda M 5-10 157 31
60 Claudio Marchisio M - - -
9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic S 6-4 185 24
10 Alessandro Del Piero S 5-8 161 31
17 David Trezeguet S 6-2 165 28
18 Adrian Mutu S 5-11 163 27
24 Ruben Olivera S 6-0 181 23
25 Marcelo Zalayeta S 6-1 187 27

Your chance to stick one on Materrazzi!

You know you want to.

http://www.gazzetta.it/openxlink.shtml?http://widelec.org/zidane.html

WORLD CUP 2006 IS OVER!!!

So, the Italians are the Wold Champions again!!!
What are your thoughts about Italy? France? Germany? Brazil? Portugal? And of course England?
Were you impressed with the quality on the pitch?
I just can't believe when the next one of these come around, my son will be going into his senior year!! Yikes!!!

THE FINAL!!!!

Match 64. Let's have a corker!!!!!

Does Anyone Care?

This will be the last game that I will be able to blogg. Will you guys be around?

Sorry Bob, I am taking your lead here.

I actually came up with this trivia question by myself.

What happened for the first time in the 1990 World Cup Final and has happened in every World Cup Final since?

A Non-Bob Trivia Question

I have just heard this on ESPN(I hope it is right)
This year's World Cup Final is only the third final between two countries that share a border.
Name the other two.

Anyone But Portugal!

Enough said.

SEMI FINAL #2

Who will meet the Italians????

World Cup Trivia Question of the Week

Here's a trivia question to tide you over until tomorrow's semi-final:

Who is the only person to have both won and lost a World Cup Final match as both player and manager?

SEMI FINAL #1!

Sadly, I will not be home for the match. I am going to a party to watch the match. I look forward to reading your comments after the fact.

World Cup Predictions Game Update

On a less controversial topic, here's the update of the standings of our little Predictions Game after the Quarterfinals:

United We Stand - 58 points (2 teams left - Germany and Italy)

Gatorbob - 57 points (2 teams left - Italy and Portugal)

Gooner71 - 52 points (1 team left - Italy)

AZKicker - 48 points (1 team left - Portugal)

Trevor Brooking - 38 points (0 teams left - sorry, mate!)

Good luck to all of you in the Semis!

Hands Off Our Roon!

For all of you who rushed to blame Wayne Rooney for today's debacle, I suggest that you go back and review the tape of the incident. It's clearer to me now that I was right in my initial impression of the incident. Here's what happens, clear as day:

1)Rooney gets involved in a tangle with two Portuguese players who are trying to get the ball off him.

2)One of them - Carvalho - goes to the turf looking for a foul.

3)Rooney clumsily trips over him unintentionally treading on his bollocks.

4)The referee blows the whistle for a foul. At this point, there is no indication that he's reaching into his pocket for a card of any color or that he wants to speak with Rooney.

5)Cristiano Ronaldo runs to the referee to plead for him to give Rooney a card.

6)Rooney, incensed by this, pushes Ronaldo away, right under the nose of the ref.

7)The ref at that point changes his mind, motions for Rooney to come and speak with him and he's obviously made up his mind to send him off.

8)As Rooney trudges off the pitch, the cameras clearly pick up Ronaldo winking at the Portuguese bench. Clear as day. This was the plan before the match even kicked off.

All of this was chewed over thoroughly on the BBC coverage of the game, during which they also showed a clip of a Portuguese training session earlier in the week in which Big Phil Scolari is shown giving players directions on how to dive and play up injuries (I kid you not!).

This is what Alan Shearer had to say on the BBC coverage: "I wouldn't be surprised if Wayne Rooney goes back to the Manchester United training ground and sticks one on Ronaldo."

Say what you like about Rooney's temperament, but what do you say about Cristiano Ronaldo. Perhaps he will pack his bags for Real Madrid, where diving is approved. But can ManYoo fans support a side that continues to employ cheating scum like Ronaldo? And what will Chelski fans have to say about their center back Carvalho? Two years ago, Villa sent the Turkish thug Alpay packing after his disgraceful brawling with England players in the tunnel during half-time of a Euro 2004 qualifier. Can we expect the same from ManYoo and Chelski? I fear not.

Let's Try Again

Let's go France!!!
I don't want to root for Brazil but will have to if they win

Is anyone going to bother watching?

I am still going to watch it.
Gutted in Scotia
Dave

THE BIG ONE!!!!

HERE IS THE PICTURE I WANTED!!!
COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!

THE BIG ONE!!!!

I tried to wait for another picture but this one will do.
COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!