Football (Soccer) Thread

[Octavian]

Dear Lord!

Please let the Americans win. Just think how funny it would be to hear the lamentations of the Spanish afterwards.

Best regards!

Your friend and supporter Octavian

PS You rock!

[Alatriste]

Dear Lord!

Please let the Americans win. Just think how funny it would be to hear the lamentations of the Spanish afterwards.

Best regards!

Your friend and supporter Octavian

PS You rock!

Ah, thou marble-hearted fiend, how unjust can you get? Have you ever seen us boasting and feasting because of our team wins? Blasts and fogs upon thee!  Hear me, Nature!

P.S. Who rocks? The Americans, the Spaniards, or the Valkyrs, that award victory? Were you addressing them in 'Please let the Americans win'? I'm afraid your intention is not at all clear...   

[Viking]

Pretty much, yes.

Which would be fine if there was a huge undergrowth of exciting talent on the U19s and U21s, but from what I've seen, the domestic footballing talent is at the lowest ebb since the 1970s.
The TV deals for the clubs in the first tier have given them money to buy mediocrity from all around the world, and then promptly shove all their younger developing players into the third tier teams, hampering their development and frustrating them by making it impossible to actually be a full-time player.

The present is bleak - the future is downright terrible. I hope the Mayans are right. If not, the next Euro/WC qualifiers will force me to change citizenship.

This is correct with the exception of one club. Untill last week (when he quit) there was only one full time scout working for a norwegian club. It seems that the best norwegian talent is found by foreign clubs, they are going abroad younger and younger. Players like Magnus Eikrem, Joshua King, Dag Alexander Olsen and Jo Inge Berget are on the junior squads of top English, Spanish and Italian clubs. These players will not be coming through the ranks of norwegian clubs.

Now, for norwegian clubs it is a better, cheaper and quicker option to buy a guy like Martin Fillo or Marek Sapara, or even useless idiot like Luton Shelton, than it is to try to develop a youngster like Per Skjelbred from the age of 16. In effect Norwegian football (like English, Spanish and Italian) has more money than local talent, so naturally there will be lots of player imports. That combined with a good quality foreign scouting network in norway means that young players go abroad or get sidelined by imported players.

The one club which has made efforts to develop youngsters is by far the richest in the country and already has 12 foreign players on contract where only 11 can be played, but then again only two of the norwegian players in the squad are not locally developed.

[Valmy]

Man I cannot wait to see my favorite and beloved Spanish crush those upstarts from yanqui pigdogland today.

[Zanza]

Valmy's taint is strong. Let's see if it holds another half-time. It would be Spain's first loss since November 2006.

[Tamas]

lol Valmy still works

[Cerr]

USA just scored again. Looks like the European champions are going out.

[Valmy]

Come on Spain you can still do this!  BEAT THOSE YANKEE FUCKERS!!

[Ed Anger]

That constant noise from the crowd sure is annoying. Yes I'm watching soccer.

[Cerr]

When's the final for this tournament?

[Valmy]

When's the final for this tournament?

Sunday

[Tamas]

That constant noise from the crowd sure is annoying. Yes I'm watching soccer.

Yes, it will drive me mad next year

[Valmy]

That brutal brutal man Michael Bradley was justly sent off for trying to kill one of my beloved Spanish heroes.

[Cerr]

That constant noise from the crowd sure is annoying. Yes I'm watching soccer.

Yes, it will drive me mad next year

There's some talk of banning those horns from the world cup games next year. Hopefully it'll happen, they're really irritating.

[Valmy]

Now my only hope is that South Africa or Brazil can stop the American menace