Football Depression

Almost every year i go through a footballing depression, this year it started a lot earlier.
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Juande Ramos has left Sevilla, and has signed a four-year contract with Tottenham. Kill me now.

I don't know if you all know this but I'm a Sevilla fan. Don't get me wrong, Liverpool is my number 1 team, i bleed Liverpool red and no matter who they play i always support them, but my second team is Sevilla.

I have nothing but respect for Juande Ramos, i think he is one of the better managers out there, i think he has character and i think give him two weeks and you will see the change in Spurs. I am devastated that he has left Sevilla.Juande Ramos is now at Spurs, Liverpool lost in the Champions League and don't look like the will qualify, Liverpool drew with Arsenal in a game the deserved to win, and i think our season is over.

I think our season is over (Liverpool) because, Manchester United are just killing it in the premiership, Arsenal have a very good team with a great start to the season, Chelsea are starting to get back on track with a 5-0 win over Manchester City who i thought would get a win or even a draw against Chelsea.

And i have the feeling that something big is going on behind closed doors at Anfield, i think that Benitez is the wrong manager for us, i don't think that a lot of the players are very fond of him and that's because he has very little contact with the players, Pako Ayesteran (assistant manager) was the one who had contact with the players and i think a lot of the players are very upset that he is gone.

When I listen to Steven Gerrard talk about Rafa Benitez i can just tell that he is not too fond of him, i think that at the end of the season Rafa will go because it will come down to Benitez or Gerrard and the fans would never forgive Gillette and Hicks if Gerrard goes.

I'm depressed because after we lost the Champions League, we went out and fixed what caused us to lose the Champions League. We have a good team, we had a good start to the season and then the fucking rotation system began again and Pako Ayesteran left and its been down hill from there.

I don't understand why the job is not being done, i love Liverpool, i will always love Liverpool but they are breaking my heart.

Sevilla were also not doing too well, but i understand it, Antonio Puerta died, a good player for the team, a home grown player and a Sevilla boy at heart, the team started to struggle because of an emotional breakdown and, i understand their slump. There was also the whole Daniel Alves thing, him wanting to leave Sevilla in the summer and not being able to and not playing in the Champions League with Sevilla.

Sevilla are starting to do better, but i don't know what will happen now that Juande Ramos has left.
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I will post later to eview this weekends games.

The LA Galaxy not going to the playoffs!! and UEFA's lack of balls

The La Galaxy played the Chicago Fire yesterday and lost 1-0, this means that the Galaxy did not obtain a playoff spot, and i could not be more happy.

I hate the LA Galaxy, i hate them because the create and believe their own hype, i support NY, Alexi Lalas is crazy, they have the most overrated player in US history and they insulted real football fans by the way they did the Beckham thing.

I have no problem with David Beckham, he is the ultimate professional, and its not his faul that he was injured.

A lot of people have asked me if i think Beckham came here for the football, if he came here to really better the game in this country. My answer is no, Beckham didn't come here for the football, if he came here for the football he would have not gone to the Galaxy, now that he is here he probably does want to better the game but the reason why he really came is because posh wants fame here (I'm not going to go into a bashing of posh, even though i did think it was very funny that on wikipedia they have her under celebrity supporters for the Galaxy and they label her as a singer).

When i look at Beckham on that bench i see a man that looks at the mess the LA Galaxy team is and regrets coming over so soon, i look at him and i think he is just depressed and i think he knows that he came too soon and that this takes a little credit away from his career.

How could the Galaxy not win? They have Landon Donovan! the best US player!

This proves my point on Landy Dandy. he never shows up when he has to and is the most overrated player in US history, he is a joke.

The more interesting thing is what happens at the start of next season? The Galaxy can't have two designated players on the team, so its obvious that unless the rules change Landy Dandy leaves he will most likely go to the new San Jose earthquakes, and this makes it very interesting but knowing MLS they will probably change the rules for Landycakes.

I'm glad that the Galaxy lost, because maybe now new football fans in the US that have been brainwashed into supporting the Galaxy will realize the joke that the Galaxy are.

Its not all about winning, but what i ask of fans is to take the time to pick a team that is more deserving than the Galaxy, and even though MLS is a Micky mouse league there is some pretty good teams in the league.

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UEFA have no fucking balls.

The two game ban Dida got for his amazing performance against Celtic in the Champions League got reduced to a one game ban.

Its ridiculous, UEFA always do this, every time you think they are on the right track, they do this, they take it back. Last season AC Milan were kicked out of the Champions League, which they deserved because of match fixing, and then of course UEFA were UEFA and took it back and they won.

Premiership Preview 10/20 and 10/21

The Premiership is back! and oh how I've missed it!
If you want to e-mail and talk football my e-mail is aatbgblog@hotmail.com
I'm still looking for a contributor so if you are interested e-mail me about it.

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Everton vs Liverpool- The good old Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, Liverpool will be lucky to get a draw, both teams have injuries and its a derby, Torres, Kuyt, Alonso, and Aurelio are very doubtful for Liverpool and Everton have Johnson, Gravesen and Cahill are also doubtful for saturday's game, both teams have good goalkeepers so I'm going with a 1-1 draw.

Blackburn Rovers vs Reading-at Ewood Park. It breaks my heart, but Reading will lose, they don't have it this season and it breaks my heart. Santa Cruz is injured for Blackburn but they will be fine there is a lot of talent on that team I'm going with a 3-1 win for Blackburn.

Arsenal vs Bolton Wanders- at Emirate Stadium. zzzzzzzzzz we all know Arsenal will dominate this game, they will probably play their B team because a lot of players are coming back from international duty, Bolton have a new manager, its at home for Arsenal (still at home! they finally leave London next week) this game is an easy 3 points for Arsenal. 3-0 to the Arsenal!

Fulham vs Derby County- at Craven Cottage, There is talent on the Fulham squad and they have to stop with the draws! Derby is probably the worst team to ever play in the premiership, I hope to see Feilhaber play and i hope for a couple of Dempsey goals, 3-1 to Fulham.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea- at The Riverside Stadium. Chelsea have a couple of injuries, Essien, Cole, Terry and Ballack but they have a deep squad, Middlesbrough, you know i like Gareth Southgate, he seems like a nice guy but i don't think he has the experience to manage a Premiership club, he should go to another club and learn from a bigger manager and then come back. Middlesbrough should take advantage of the fact that Chelsea have a couple of players coming back from international duty, they can get a draw if they want to, but this game will be a bore with a 1-0 win for Chelsea.

Manchester City vs Birmingham City- at The City of Manchester Stadium. The ONLY team in Manchester (lol) are playing fantastic football, a couple of their players are coming back from international duty but it wont matter they will win this game. a 3-1 win to the ONLY team in Manchester.

Aston Villa vs Manchester United- at Villa Park. This seems like a good game Villa are a good team when they are up for it, Man U have a lot of players coming back from international duty and they are the team with the most injuries, i can see this going either way. 2-1 to Villa or 1-1 draw.

West Ham United vs Sunderland- at Upton Park. I thought that Sunderland would be doing better than they are, i still think Roy Keane is a good manager, give him some money and you will see some improvement, West Ham have a crazy squad with some talent on there so i do expect them to score. 2-2 draw.

Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur- at St. James' Park. I am so excited about this game! Paul Robinson is injured so this is great news for Spurs (i am not being sarcastic), Newcaslte have talent on that team but they don't seem to get their act together, Tottenham have a shitload of good players and before this season what i considered to be a pretty good manager, i cannot explain whats going on at Tottenham. 2-2 draw or 3-2 win for Tottenham

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Enjoy the Premiership, and good luck to the England team in the Rugby World Cup final! i can't wait to see the game!

Even more problems for Chelsea

The premiership is back this weekend! its seems like its been forever, I'm very excited for this weekend, the Rugby World Cup final is also this weekend and I'm very excited!

I'm still looking for a contributor, if you are interested e-mail me at aatbgblog@hotmail.com

_____________________________________________You know I'm kinda starting to feel bad for Chelsea, i felt that they were just getting over Jose Mourinho leaving and then shit starts again, this team is slowly falling apart and with rumors that Jose wants to and might take over the England NT job what will players like Drogba, Lampard, A.Cole, and Essien do now that they can't go were Jose is going? by the way i do think Jose would be a great manager for England, but more on that later.

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There have been reports allover the place that Drogba told a French Magazine that he wants to leave Chelsea... If this is true I've lost a lot of respect for Drogba.

If he wants to leave Chelsea, fine then leave, but he should shut up and tell the people at Chelsea, not go out there to the press and let everyone know that, there are severe problems at Chelsea here is what he said:

"I want to leave Chelsea, nothing can stop me from leaving now. Something is broken with Chelsea, the damage in the dressing room is big because we know now what happened and who caused Mourinho's departure,I've been so angry with what happened to Mourinho that I truly thought of leaving in this winter market, but I will do everything to defend my shirt loyally until the end of the season."

--Loyally? you are saying that you want to leave! and you are bashing people at the club secretly!

To read more go here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=488444&in_page_id=1779

--I hate when players do things like this, i understand if they want a new challenge but the way he has come out and said this shows lack of professionalism, Drogba your shirt says Chelsea Football Club, not Jose Mourinho Football Club, you signed a contract for Chelsea and if you are unhappy there you shut your mouth and wait until you can leave.

--In an article with the Daily Mail he says he will win the title before leaving... give me a break.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=488480&in_page_id=1779&ct=5

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7347562

--And of course Chelsea have already downplayed this. If he wants to go let him go why have a player who doesn't want to be there and will not play with his heart?

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7348578

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-John Terry and Ashley Cole have suffered injuries while on England duty.

Oh oh more trouble for Chelsea! they always struggle when Terry is out, this can be proven by what happened to them last season.

Terry will undergo knee surgery and will be out for 3 weeks.

Cole will be out for at least a month with ankle ligament damage, but i think it will be more.

Can Scotland qualify?

I went through every possible emotion watching the Scotland/Georgia game, i was excited at the beginning, mad in the middle (I almost broke my hand when Georgia scored the second goal), and then at the end i was heart broken.

Georgia were the better team on the pitch and Scotland weren't playing the way they have been playing, they should have gotten the 3-points they've just made qualifying for Euro 2008 harder for themselves.

They can still qualify, but i don't think it will happen, they play Italy at home, which is an advantage, they will have the home crowd, they know the pitch and they are use to the weather, but its a must win game and they can crumble under pressure.

France play Ukraine which can be tricky, if they lose and Scotland win, Scotland qualifies, Ukraine is unstable they can sometimes pull out wins, but they have nothing to play for so they probably wont care.
Italy have a game in hand against Faroe Islands so that's a guaranteed 3-points.

I still have a little faith that they will qualify but only a little, but i will say it for old times sake SCOTLAND FOR THE CUP! ... i can only dream.

GROUP B
France: P-11, W-8, D-1, L-2, Pts-25
Scotland: P-11, W-8, D-0, L-3, Pts-24
Italy: P-10, W-7, D-2, L1-, Pts-23
Ukraine: P-10, W-5, D-1, L-4, Pts-16
Lithuania: P-10, W-3, D-1, L-6, Pts-10
Georgia: P-11, W-3, D-1, L-7, Pts-10
Faroes Islands: P-11, W-0, D-0, L-11, Pts-0

Russia vs England 2-1 !!!!!

I knew it! typical England! They lost having the advantage.
2-1 with one goal Wayne Rooney, and two goals by Roman Pavluchenko (the first goal by Russia was a penalty)

Paul Robinson was responsible for that second goal, what does he have to do to get dropped? i don't get it he is just crap and he is still on that team


England are screwed. Russia are now 3rd with 21-points and a game in hand against Israel and Andorra, which could be tricky so its a must win game for them and England's next game is against Croatia which is a tricky game, this group is getting interesting!
Both England and Russia's next games are must wins.


I can't wait to hear the excuses of the England team, main excuse: The Artificial Pitch.

Sammy Lee has left Bolton

Sammy Lee has left Bolton.
I will post more later I'm currently watching Russia vs England on my computer, my broke ass couldn't go to Nevada Smiths.
The Rooney goal was a gimme, I feel that Russia have had a better game so far.

Preview of 10/17 Euro 2008 qualifiers

I'm very excited about the games tomorrow, i usually hate international breaks but this one has been a pretty good one.
My broke ass will try to go to Nevada Smiths tomorrow if I'm not busy,to watch the England/Russia game and the Georgia/Scotland game, so I'm excited to go watch the games with football people.
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Georgia vs Scotland- at Lokomotivi Stadium in Georgia.
I do think Scotland can win, If they win they basically qualify, they won against France, semifinalist in The World Cup in Paris, you are going to tell me they can't win against Georgia? Anything can happen but i think Scotland can do it.

France vs Lithuania- at Stade de France in Paris.
Its at home and it is Lithuania but i don't think its as easy as people think, I think anything can happen in this game, but France will probably win because they know they have to.

Turkey vs Greece- at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
This is a very interesting game, Greece is top of the group with 22 points and Turkey is second with 18 points, Norway is third with 17 points so Turkey have to win.

Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Norway- at Olympic Stadium (I believe its in Norway).
If Norway win and Turkey lose, Norway will be second in the group, this is a must win for them to still be in it, i think they will win and they have to wait to see what happens in the Turkey/Greece game.

Ireland vs Cyprus- at Croke Park in Ireland.
This group is basically done, Germany has qualified and Ireland are 5 points behind Czech Republic, if Czech Republic lose against Germany and Ireland win its possible that Ireland could qualify (which i hope they do).

Germany vs Czech Republic- I don't know where its going to be played.
Germany have already qualified so they will probably played their reserve side and wont care is they win, If Czech Republic win and Ireland lose, the group is basically over.

Russia vs England- The game is in Russia.
Its England, anything can happen with them, Paul Robinson can have one of his games, John Terry is not in the squad, its in Russia, Its in cold weather and of course England are already talking about the artificial pitch, I could see this being a draw, and England will say its all because of the artificial pitch but that's not an excuse, Russia are a pretty good team, its going to be an interesting game, i can't wait to see the lineup for this game.

Sweden vs Northern Ireland- I believe its in Sweden.
Its sad because Northern Ireland started their Euro 2008 campaign pretty good with Lawrie Sanchez as their manager and then he left for Fulham and it all went down hill from their, a win would be good for Northern Ireland but i don't think it will happen, Still they should go for the win not the draw.

Netherlands vs Slovenia- I'm not sure where it is.
Netherlands have to win this game because they are second in the group with 20-points and Bulgaria are third with 18-points so this is a must win for Netherlands. I think they will win.

Luxembourg vs Romania- at Josy Barthel Stadium.
Romania win this and they qualify and i think they will win.
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Enjoy the Euro 2008 qualifiers!
The premiership is back this weekend and it comes back with good games!

The booing of Frank Lampard and news/rumors in England

It has to stop. The booing of Frank Lampard just has to stop. I'm sorry England fans but, if you are one of the fans up there booing super Frank you should be ashamed of yourself.

I have never booed my national team and let me tell you there have been times when the U.S have deserved it, but i think its disgusting that you are booing a player who has in the past represented your country so well.

Yes Lampard didn't have a great World Cup, he did miss a penalty but so did Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard (i hate saying that because I'm a Liverpool fan), he had average games in The World Cup but it wasn't all his fault and he has been injured and i don't think he deserves a spot in that team , but there is no excuse for why you are booing Frank Lampard.

Are you booing him because you think he has played bad for England? Then don't you think that booing him you are taking away much needed confidence?

He was voted England's player of the year for two years in a row by the fans, so why the fuck are you booing him? He is human, yes he made a mistake in The World Cup, but he is human, and I consider Lampard one of the players who truly loves playing for his country.

And I'm not saying its all of you, i was listening to 606 and a couple of people agree with me saying that there is not reason to boo him.

But for those of you who have been booing him, cut the bullshit and support your, Country, team and the players that put themselves out there.

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News/Rumors in England

-The Sun is reporting that Sven-Goran Eriksson wants to bring Micky Owen to Manchester City, the problem? the fee for Owen would be around£15million and £110,000-a-week wages. For China Doll Owen? Sven its not worth it.If i was Sam Allardyce i would let him go.Its clear that Owen and Allardyce don't get along, Owen is injured most of the time, by selling him they would be making a profit, they should delighted that someone is even interested in a player that has constant long term injuries.

-The Sun ia also reporting that if Owen is sold to City, Allerdyce will go in for Bolton's Nicolas Anelka.DO IT ANYWAYS! Anelka is a fine player who just happens to play for a smaller club,And for the right amount of money Bolton would sell him and i don't think it would be that much money.

-Gary Wheelchair Neville's comeback is put on hold... again.Neville in his prime was a fantastic player for Manchester United and England but his injuries have gotten the best of him, he should just retire, he will never be the player he was and if he comes back he will be taking the spot of a younger, more deserving, more fit player.Neville United and England fans will always love you but i think its time to quit.http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article331118.ece

Jurgen Klinsman to Spurs?

The Guardian Unlimited is reporting that Jurgen Klinsman is ready to take the job of Martin Jol at White Heart Lane.
Would he be good at Tottenham? a lot of people think he is fantastic and others think he didn't do much with Germany, he had a great squad, they were at home and didn't have to qualify.
What do you guys think? is he a good manager?
Its a good article, go check it out.
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2190883,00.html

Euro 2008 qualifiers 10/13

Someone told me the red font is hard to read, i like to use different colors, if there is another color i use that's hard to read please tell me and i wont use it!
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It was a good game for English sport fans the English rugby team beat France and is now in the finals of The Rugby World Cup ! I love Rugby but i don't get to watch much of and i need someone to explain the little things of the game, but enough Rugby lets talk about the football!

England beat Estonia 3-0 with goals from Wayne Rooney, Shaun Wright-Phillips and an own goal by Taavi Rahn.

I was happy to see Micah Richards, and Gareth Barry on the squad.

And of course Paul Robinson was in the squad, which is insulting to Scott Carson.
Will England qualify? I think so, they have a tricky game against Russia coming up and its away on an artificial pitch, but they will qualify and things will remain the same.
I Still think Steve McClaren is not the man for the job.
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Scotland for the cup!!
Scotland beat Georgia 3-1!! with goals from Kenny Miller, Lee McCulloch and James McFadden.

I care more about the Scotland win than the England win because its a more interesting story, they are in a group with the World Cup winners and the runners up, and they are playing fantastic and to be honest in my opinion they have more passion than a lot of the English players.

Like I said before if Scotland make it to Euro 2008, i will do my best to go to Euro 2008.
Will they qualify? I think they can, but the group is just so tight, they beat the harder of the teams they have to play this week, i think they will beat Georgia but they HAVE to beat Italy, its difficult but possible.
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-Ireland and Germany drew 0-0 and Germany become the first team to qualify for Euro 2008.
-Poland beat Kazakhstan 3-0
-Croatia beat Israel 1-0
-Cyprus beat Wales 3-1, it was funny because i didn't see this game, but i checked on my computer and Wales were winning 1-0 and they were saying Wales was playing better, so i was surprised to see that after the second half Cyprus won.
-Romania beat Netherlands 1-0
-Belgium drew with Finland
-Italy beat Georgia 2-0, that group is just getting tighter! C'mon Scotland you can do it!!!!!
-Spain beat Denmark 3-1
-Portugal beat Azerbaijan 2-0
-France beat Faroe Islands 6-0
-Sweden beat Liechtenstein 3-0
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Group A
Poland: P-12, W-7, D-3, L-2, Pts- 24
Finland: P-12, W-5, D-3, L-2, Pts-20
Portugal: P-11, W-5, D-5, L-1, Pts-20
Serbia: P-11, W-4, D-5, L-2, Pts-17
Belgium: P-11, W-3, D-3, L-5, Pts-12
Armenia: P-9, W-2, D-3, L-4, Pts-9
Kazakhstan: P-11, W-1, D-4, L-6, Pts-7
Azerbaijan: P-9, W-1, D-2, L-6, Pts-5


Group B
Scotland: P-10, W-8, D-0, L-2, Pts-24. SCOTLAND FOR THE CUP!!!! lol
Italy: P-10, W-7, D-2, L-1, Pts-23
France: P-10, W-7, D-1, L-2, Pts-22
Ukraine: P-9, W-4, D-1, L-4, Pts-13
Lithuania: P-9, W-3, D-1, L-5, Pts-10
Georgia: P-10, W-2, D-1, L-7, Pts-7
Faroe Islands: P-10, W-0, D-0, L-10, Pts-0

Group C
Greece: P-9, W-7, D-1, L-1, Pts-22
Turkey: P-9, W-5, D-3, L-1, Pts-18
Norway: P-9, W-5, D-2, L-2, Pts-17
Bosnia-Herz: P-10, W-4 D-1, L-5, Pts-13
Hungary: P-10, W-4, D-0, L-6, Pts-12
Moldova: P-10, W-1, D-3, L-6, Pts-6
Malta: P-9, W-1, D-2, L-6, Pts-5

Group D
Germany: P-9, W-7, D-2, L-0, Pts-23. Already qualified
Czech Republic: P-9, W-6, D-2, L-1, Pts-20
Ireland: P-10, W-4, D-3, L-3, Pts-15
Slovakia: P-10, W-4, D-1, L-5, Pts-13
Cyprus: P-9, W-4, D-1, L-4, Pts-13
Wales: P-9, W-3, D-1, L-5, Pts-10
San Marino: P-10, W-0, D-0, L-10, Pts-0

Group E
Croatia: P-10, W-8, D-2, L-0, Pts-26
England: P-10, W-7, D-2, L-1, Pts-23
Russia: P-9, W-5, D-3, L-1, Pts-18
Israel: P-10, W-5, D-2, L-3, Pts-17
Macedonia- P-9, W-2, D-2, L-5, Pts-8
Estonia- P-11, W-1, D-1, L-9, Pts-4
Andorra- P-9, W-0, D-0, L-9, Pts-0

Group F
Sweden: P-9, W-7, D-1, L-1, Pts-22
Spain: P-10, W-7, D-1, L-2, Pts-22
Northern Ireland: P-9, W-5, D-1, L-3, Pts-16
Denmark: P-9, W-4, D-2, L-3, Pts-14
Latvia: P-9, W-3, D-0, L-6, Pts-9
Iceland: P-10, W-2, D-2, L-6, Pts-8
Liechtenstein: P-10, W-1, D-1, L-8, Pts-4

Group G
Romania: P-9, W-7, D-2, L-0, Pts-23
Netherlands: P-9, W-6, D-2, L-0, Pts-20
Bulgaria: P-9, W-5, D-3, L-1, Pts-18
Slovenia: P-10, W-3, D-2, L-5, Pts-11
Albania: P-9, W-2, D-4, L-3, Pts-10
Belarus: P-10, W-2, D-1, L-7, Pts-7
Luxembourg: P-10, W-1, D-0, L-9, Pts-3

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Group A

I think Poland and with struggle Portugal will qualify.

Group B

I'm going to say Scotland just cause i have faith in them, and Italy. I say Italy because France have to play Ukraine and they can be a little tricky when they want to.

This group is too tight, we wont know until the last day.

Group C

Greece and either Turkey or Norway, it will be between those two.

Group D

Germany is already qualified and the Czech Republic, even though i would love to see Ireland qualify but they are 8 points behind already qualified Germany.

Group E

Croatia will qualify and of course England will even though they don't deserve it and the only reason the will qualify its because they are England and for some reason they are considered to be a powerful team that should be feared, why i don't know.

I don't want people to think i hate the England NT, I've been supporting England since the first World Cup i saw, but i am tired of their crap, the way that team is run, and the fact that they believe their own hype.

Group F

Sweden and Spain will qualify.

I want to see want to see what Spain can do, they are constant under-achievers and i think they have a lot of young talent, i think they can do better than they have been doing.

Group G

Romania and Netherlands, Bulgaria are only 2 points behind Netherlands but i don't think they can do it.

England squad for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia

The England squad for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia is as follows:

Goalkeepers:
Scott Carson- In my opinion should be the starter.
David James-I don't know why but i like James, he's a good goalkeeper but he also makes silly mistakes, but none of course as ridiculous as Paul Rubbish Robinson, My problem with James is that he's old.
Paul Robinson- You all know how i feel about him, its a joke that he is even on this squad and i almost hope he screws up yet again so people can see how bad he really is.

Defenders:
John Terry (Captain)-He will not be fit for the Estonia match. He's a good defender and the captain of the team, although as captain he has to be a little less hot headed.
Ashley Cole-I think he is a good player, i thought he was one of England's better players in The World Cup, he's not doing so good at Chelsea though, but he is always pretty good with England.
Rio Ferdinand- I've always thought he was overrated, but he's a decent player.
Sol Campbell- He's not the future, i think he's too old to be in the squad and i don't think he should start in the game against Estonia.
Joleon Lescott- He's decent.
Micah Richards- Fantastic player, and should start against Estonia, I'm glad that he got the call-up.
Nicky Shorey- I'm glad to see Shorey in this squad, as some of you know i have a huge soft spot for Reading, I think Shorey is a good player and has proven himself with the English NT.
Phil Neville- I like him, he's a decent player.

Midfielders:
Gareth Barry- Very deserving of this spot and should start instead of Lampard, he has proven to be a fantastic player with England and works well with the team, I'm happy to see him on the squad and I hope he will start.
David Bentley- Good player and i hope to see him on the pitch, he is the future and plays similar to David Beckham but with more skill. And England fans DON'T BOO HIM! STAND BY YOUR TEAM!
Ashley Young- Good to see him on the squad, its nice to see that McClaren is giving young players a chance.
Joe Cole- He's a good player and has a lot of skill.
Stewart Downing- He's a decent player but is getting the call-up because of McClaren's days and Middlesbrough, but he's young so I'll give him another chance.
Steven Gerrard( Vice Captain)- Quality player, he has not been playing too good with Liverpool but he is still quality, he is being picked on reputation, but he is the type of player that puts the team on his shoulders and get the job done, he has done it with Liverpool and England.
Shaun Wright Phillips- Good player, lets see what he can do now that he has the chance.
Frank Lampard- He should not been on this squad, he had been injured and has not played for Chelsea in a while and he is not fit. Gareth Barry should get the start because him and Gerrard can't play on the same team.

Forwards:
Peter Crouch- He is a very good player, he's the type of player that changes games, Its too bad he is not getting games at Liverpool. Let hope he is match fit.
Jermaine Defoe- Even thought he has not been getting that many games with Tottenham he is a good player and he has proven, Jol is just an idiot for not playing him. Give him a chance he's good.
Michael Owen- He should not and does not deserve this spot, he has barley played for Newcastle and he just came back from ANOTHER injury, he will probably get a hat-trick he's good at getting hat-tricks against poor opposition.
Wayne Rooney- In my opinion he is overrated, c'mon Rooney prove me wrong and like you have said it, its time to step it up.
Alan Smith- He is just not a good international player, but i wish him well.

Dida gets banned for two Champions League games

Finally! UEFA does something, AC Milan's Dida has been banned for two matches after faking being injured by a Celtic fan who ran on the pitch and touched his neck, this is actually not that good for Celtic, Dida makes a lot of stupid mistakes.
Celtic got away with a £25,000 fine, insted of a couple of games behind closed doors like i thought.

Paul Rubbish Robinson

I don't get it, i really don't get it. How is that the Paul Robinson has not been dropped from Spurs? and even worse how is it that he can be England's number 1?

What does this man have to do to get dropped from the England NT?

Someone please tell me!! Are Steve McClaren and Martin Jol blind? No I'm serious are they blind?, because you would have to be blind to think that Paul Robinson is the best English goalkeeper.

If you go back and look at my picks for the season (http://allaboutthebeautifulgame.blogspot.com/2007/08/epl-table-predictions.html) I had Arsenal dropping into 5th and Tottenham breaking into the top 4, its obvious that i was completely wrong, seeing as Arsenal look unbeatable and are first in the league and Tottenham are in 17th place and looking pathetic.

And in my opinion a lot of Tottenham's screw-ups this season has been because of Paul Robinson.

How important is a goalkeeper to a team? In my opinion extremely.

I don't care about Women's football, don't get me wrong i think that women can do anything men can do, but i just don't care for or enjoy women's football.

But this is a good example so I'll use it.

Look what happened in the Women's World Cup, Greg Ryan benched Hope Solo and played Briana Scurry and what happened? the US loses against Brazil 3-0 and essentially it was Scurry's fault.

The back four have to have confidence in the goalkeeper they have to think that if they make a mistake the goalkeeper will be able to clean it up.

But Paul Robinson is just utter rubbish, he is, there is a difference between making a mistake, i get it he's human, but c'mon the guy is a walking disaster, the mistakes he makes are simply ridiculous, he lets in goals that my seven year old cousin could stop.

The fact that Robert Green was not even chosen is just shocking to me, and in my opinion Scott Carson should start.

Steve McClaren you are an IDIOT not only is Paul Robinson crap for Tottenham but he is also crap for England, I don't see why you would pick him.

Please tell me that i'm not crazy and that you all also see the Paul Robinson is rubbish.

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-If you are interested in being a contributor to the blog e-mail me at hluwagc@hotmail.com

Scotish Football

I'm still looking for a contributor so if you are intrested e-mail me at hluwagc@hotmail.com
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I'm loving what's going on in Scottish football lately, I've always had a soft spot for Scottish football but its harder to watch it herein the US, i think the reason i like Scottish football is because the fans have so much passion, not that fans of other leagues don't, its just that there is something about the passion in Scottish fans.
Celtic beating AC Milan is in my opinion a fantastic win for them of course it came with its controversy with that crazy fan attacking Dida and it got worse with Dida being extremely unprofessional about it and giving an oscar worthy performance for which he should get banned for being a cheater.But its still a fantastic win for them, winning against the Champions League winners! (even though Liverpool were the better team on that night and AC Milan were kicked out for cheating...but i wont get into that today) Some people are saying that Celtic will be kicked out of the Champions League, I Don't think so, they will probably just have to play a couple of games closed doors.


I myself have always had more of a soft spot for Rangers,so when they beat Lyon 3-0 i could not have been more happy, they dominated that game and are proving that they might have what it takes to get out of difficult group. I can see them getting a draw against Barcelona
The Scottish national team is in Group B for Euro 2008 with, France, Italy, Ukraine,Lithuania, Georgia, and the Faroe Island, tough group the world champions, and the runners up and a team that was in the world cup, who would have though that Scotland would be first in that group, they have W-7, D-0 and L-2 and they are at 21 points, the group is still very tight, Italy are at 20 points and France are at20 points so France, Scotland and Italy will have to fight it out.

Will they go through? i don't know its just soo tight but the players must have confidence going in and that always helps, they don't have any world class players but they have the heart. Scottland for the cup!

I can see Scotland winning against Ukraine.Scotland for the cup!!! i refuse to support England in this Euro campaign so I've adopted Scotland.If Scotland qualify for Euro 2008 I will try my best to go to Euro 2008.

So my question is this, Why has Scottish football been somewhat ignored for about the last 10 years? Is it because the National team has not had success?Is it because the usually there is only 2 teams competing for the title? I think so its somewhat boring to watch a league were you know who's going to win and also they have the Premiership right next door and world class players tend to go more to the Prem?In case you didn't know Rangers is the team with the most Trophies ever, throughout their history they have one more trophies than any other team in the world...

I was talking to my friend and he asked me if Celtic and Rangers should be let into the Premiership, I'm curious to see what people think of this because i don't think they should, not because i don't think they are good enough but because the SPL would collapse.
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Next post will be about every one's favorite disaster... Paul Robinson, you all know how i feel about him and get ready for one of my rants.

Dandy Landy wins Honda Player of the Year

BrooklynScottish its obvious that we have different opinions and i wont argue anymore, its clear that you know a lot about football and i hope you keep reading the blog and keep arguing with me!!
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Next post will be about the rise of Scottish Football in Europe. Should Celtic and Rangers be let into the Premiership? If so what will happen to the SPL? Will Scotland make it to Euro 2008? i hope so!! This and more next post.
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Can anyone tell me why the hell Dandy Landy won the Honda Player of the year? No seriously someone please tell me because i don't understand or see what he has done to deserve this award.

The fact that Clint Dempsey was not even nominated just shocks me.

Am I a Landon Donovan hater? yes and i will tell you why. I hate the fact that he is praised as the savior of US soccer, that he is considered one of our greatest players but yet he has done so little, I hate the fact that players like Benny Feilhaber, Michael Bradley,Clint Dempsey and Jonathan Bornstein are ignored because Landon is the most recognized American player.

So really tell me how he won, was it for his amazing performance and leadership in Copa America?... Oh wait he didn't go, instead he decided to stay and help the Galaxy... but wait where are the Galaxy now? second to bottom in the Western Division. Was it for his goal scoring in The Gold Cup?.. wait all his goals were penalties. Was it for all the help he has given The Galaxy?... yeah they are second to last in the Western division and they started winning in the games he didn't play in. Oh and By the way he is not the captain anymore, Carlos Bocanegra is. So really tell me what has a player who the captaincy has been taken away from done to deserve this award.

US football will not advance until we stop sugarcoating everything and stop lying to ourselves.

So congratulations Landon you have won another award that you don't deserve. When you grow some balls I'll have respect for you.

Response to Brooklynscottish

-I consider myself to be a pretty knowledgeable person about football, i know a lot about The Premiership, La Liga, The Champions League, South American football, World Cups and MLS, even though i was born and raised in NY, i grew up with football and i have been supporting Liverpool since i was 6.

-I know and knew that Rafa was a good manager, I'm not saying i thought he was bad, what i meant was that i didn't think he had/has the attitude to win the Premiership, he is great in Europe but not so much in the Premiership.

-i know we are 8/9 into the new season but Manchester United started of slow, we had the opportunity, Chelsea went into a crisis early on and we had the chance to be even with Arsenal but we blew it by drawing against Pompey, Birmingham, should have drawn against Wigan and drew against Tottenham.
Along with Arsenal we had an easy start to the season and we blew it. What are we going to do from March 22-April 12 when we have Man United, Everton, Arsenal and Blackburn? I'm pissed that we are drawing against teams we should be beating and we can't win the prem with draws against Birmingham.

-On the bright side Arsenal have to finally leave London in the league and maybe being away from London they will drop points.

-I'm not of a short-term mindset, i have been a Liverpool fan since i was 6, I've been there through the good, the great, the bad and the horrible, i love Liverpool and i will follow them to League 2 if i have to and i will do it singing You'll Never Walk Alone, I've been waiting to win the title for years and until this season I've never complained, its just that like many other Liverpool fans i want The Premiership and i think we have the squad but Rafa doesn't know how to do it, and I'm frustrated.

-I would replace Rafa with Jose Mourinho (It will never happen), Junade Ramos, Luciano Spalletti, or Marcello Lippi, I don' think Rafa will be sacked and i don't think he should be yet, but if we don't win The Premiership, I do think he has to go.

Why Liverpool wont win The Premiership

The blog is back! thank you everyone who has been waiting and I'm sorry it took so long! but i will be posting now 2 times a day.

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So as you all know i am a Liverpool fan, and i am suffering but i know it could be worst... I could be a Tottenham fan.

Liverpool are currently 4th in the league and 6 points behind the leaders Arsenal, i know what you are thinking shut up and stop complaining its not that bad, and i get that but my problem is Liverpool have the squad to win the Premiership but i just don't see it happening... we don't have the manager.

Like many Liverpool fans i have turned on Rafa Benitez and i do feel bad about it because he gave us The Champions League, FA cup and others, but he has also had bad signings, bad tactics, and a stupid rotation system.

He's been with us for 3 years going on 4 and i was never too sure of him but i gave him a chance because i love Liverpool and he had done nothing wrong. When we won the Champions League i could not be more happy, i was very happy but like most Liverpool fans i was hungry for the premiership, then in 2006 we had a bad start and no good strikers, but we were rocking The Champions League, we got to the finals after defeating a couple of very good teams that everyone was expecting us to lose to, I was sad that we didn't win but i was proud of my team because they were the better team that day and the played their hearts out. After i got over my depression over losing The Champions League, I started to see the bright side of it, we saw what our problems were and we had the money to fix them and we did we got rid of dead weight and went out and got a big signing in Fernando Torres and other fantastic signings and many with great potential.

So the season started and we started of good, and when we dropped points, our competition also dropped points so we were pretty even and then it came back the fucking-rotation-system and the mighty Arsenal (i didn't see it coming i had the gunners dropping out of the top 4), Arsenal look unstoppable.

So the reasons i think Liverpool wont win the title are

1.Rafa Benitez, he just doesn't know how to win the Premiership.

2.The rotation system, a player has to be match fit and the only way to be truly match fit is to play games.

3.Arsenal are extremely good this season, they have a great squad and a great manager.

4.They are dropping silly points, its one thing to draw against, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U and Everton (I say Everton because of the rivalry) but to draw against Birmingham and almost draw against Wigan? that's what worries me.

5.We are struggling against teams that we should be playing our b-side against.

I hope that my beloved reds can pull it off, i hope that when Arsenal finally leave London they will lose at least one game and maybe draw 2, i hope that Man U lose all their games (sorry the hardcore Liverpool fan in me came out!), Man City we still have to wait and Chelsea... well i don't think we have to worry about them.

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So that's it for now! i will post later today. I'm still looking for a contributor so if you are interested e-mail me at hluwagc@hotmail.com

Peace

Natz

Why the blog is down

I'm really sorry that the blog has been down for so long, but my computer crashed and I've had no way of writing the blog, I know what you are thinking "how can a writer have no computer". I'm getting a laptop on Saturday so the blog will be back and running daily starting Monday.

I'm still looking for a contributor for the blog, someone who will write at least twice a week. If you are interested e-mail me at hluwagc@hotmail.com

I'm currently watching Manchester United vs Roma in the champions league.
GOOOOOOO Roma!!!

And I'm very excited about the Liverpool game, I'm also excited about Chelsea vs Valencia.

Enjoy your week of Champions League!!