Liverpool FC Forum

by account deleted by request » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:44 pm

by red37 » Mon Jun 25, 2007 3:33 pm

Sabre wrote:So apologises Mr. S@int and Mr. Red37!

You should have addressed me first in the above statement, as it was I that raised the initial point.   

TITANS of HOPE

by NANNY RED » Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:30 am

by stmichael » Wed Jun 27, 2007 2:12 pm

Our sixth end-of-season La Liga gongs honour the good, the bad and the downright bizarre from the past year in Spain.

By Sid Lowe.

And so the longest, weirdest and most fabulously topsy-turvy season finally comes to an end. A season which went from really rubbish to really brilliant in a flash, a season that changed hands in just 18 seconds, a season when none of the top six had managed to win two successive games in a total of 54 matches, but then suddenly put together brilliant runs as we reached the home straight. A season in which Real Madrid somehow managed to win the league, turning round the result in seven of their final eight matches and losing just once in their last 16 to take it on the head-to-head rule; in which Barcelona threw it all away; and in which Sevilla just ran out of energy, missing a golden, possibly unique opportunity.

Still, at least Sevilla carried off the Uefa Cup and the Copa del Rey, while Madrid were reborn - ugly and crying but reborn nonetheless - and Atlético suffered yet another false dawn. At the other end, Athletic lived to fight another day, Sociedad finally went down for the first time in 40 years, having flirted with relegation once too often, Nastic took 54 years to come back up and just one to go back down again, while Celta took the same journey. For Barça, meanwhile, there is just recrimination and regret. Oh, and an award or too. Starting with ...

Best prediction

Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who opened the season by announcing: "People look back on the Five Cups Barça. We can go down as the Seven Cups Barça." Six months later and this latter-day, pork-pie pedalling Nostradamus was only five short as Barça brilliantly claimed Spain's Charity Shield and the Copa Catalunya.

Most spectacular failure to learn a lesson

Another award for Barcelona. Having cackled their heads off at the collapse of the galácticos, Barça immediately jumped into their grave. A powerless coach, a schmoozing, marketing-obsessed president, a divided dressing room, a lazy squad, a double dose of hubris, a treble dose of pointless junkets, and no major trophies.

Least convincing excuse

Espanyol midfielder Eduardo Costa celebrated one goal by performing 32 - thirty-two! - "sleeve-cutters" (that's a fist-across-the-forearm Up Yours to you and me), later claiming it was a homage to Maria Alicia, Norberto and Evandro, his family whose names he had tattooed on his arm.

Worst travellers

Atlético Madrid's plane caught fire and their luggage disappeared in the space of two weeks. Maybe it's a good job they missed out on Europe.

Biggest disappointment

Truman Burbank's Atlético Madrid, of course. After another rubbish display against Sociedad, midfielder Gabi insisted: "Our conduct has not been worthy of Atletico." Yes, it has, sunshine, it's been classic Atlético.

Most superstitious team

Celta de Vigo, who encouraged fans to bring all their lucky charms to the ground for the visit of Real Madrid. The fans responded with everything from garlic cloves to garish crosses, from holy water to holier pants, bringing charm bracelets, patron saints, religious relics and ridiculous rituals, while the club even offered up a sacred cow. Celta lost 2-1 and went down.

Best pet

Hugo, the Betis dog. Hugo, Manuel Ruiz de Lopera proudly announces from the opulent kitsch den he calls home, is a mutt made in his image. He doesn't just chomp on bones and sniff dogs' backsides, he also stars in Betis's centenary DVD, a collection of sevillanas called Feria Verde [Green Fair] and rather unwisely does "everything" Lopera asks of him, from impersonating keeper Toni Doblas - chuck him a ball and watch how he doesn't catch it! - to shaking hands, worshipping the Christ of the Great Power, and jumping up and down barking in delight when Betis score or howling in pain when they lose. Which was what he spent most the season doing.

Best mascot

Pedro Munitis.

Best chant

Celta de Vigo's fans, watching Madrid's roly-poly Italian sub Antonio Cassano puffing his cheeks out as he jogged around behind the goal, launched into a neat rendition of: "Tired already! Cassano's tired already! Tired alreeeady! Cassano's tired already!"

Best protest

When 25,000 Recre fans donned blue gloves, just like the one Atlético's Kun Aguero was wearing when he punched home the winner in the first meeting of the sides at the Calderón.

Most rubbish red card

Levante's Rahamat Riga got sent off for wearing a chain he thought he'd cunningly hidden, while team-mate Olivier Kapo was handed his marching orders for saying "Oh!". But when it comes to the most pointless sending off ever, step forward Osasuna coach Cuco Ziganda who, well, stepped forward to control a ball that was going off the pitch without realising that he no longer was. Off the pitch, that is.

Best inter-club relations

Betis and Sevilla again. This time it was a bust of absent president Don Manué Ruiz de Lopera that caused all the trouble, as a director's box argument ended with in a scuffle during which Jose María Del Nido was pushed down some stairs by Lopera's nephew Javier Páez, after he had told him: "You've got the same gay face as your uncle." It all kicked off again when the two sides met in the Copa del Rey, and Juande Ramos was knocked out by a bottle thrown from the stands.

Best match report

Asked for 100 words on Recreativo's crashingly dull 1-0 win over Real Sociedad, Marca's José Luis Hurtado wrote: "Maradona, Di Stéfano, Pelé, Cruyff, Van Basten, Gullit, Zidane, Gento, Puskas, Roberto Baggio, Torpedo Muller, Zico, Bergkamp, Eusebio, Futre, Blokhin, Breitner, Cabrini, Conti, Elkjaer, Laudrup, Garrincha, Gascoigne, Krol, Francescoli, Matthaus, Beto Alonso., Gigi Riva, Rossi, Antognoni, Beckenbauer, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Giggs, Kempes, Boniek, Romario, Bonhof, Liam Brady, Careca, Jarzinho, Cantona, Cafu, Luis Suarez, Kubala, Deyna, Didi, Eder, Donadoni, Redondo, Hagi, Giresse, Haan, Uli Hoeness, Rummenigge, Dalglish, Keegan, Kopa, Tigana, Guardiola, Rivera, Rivelino, Mazzola, Schuster, Simonsen, Falcao, Hugo Sánchez, Ronald Koeman, Pereira, Mágico Gonzalez, Mauro Silva, Maldini, Franco Baresi, Panenka, Bebeto, Overath, Tostao, Waddle and Zola would not have liked this match. Nor did I."

Best headline

Marca's picture of David Beckham under the headline "spanner" just loses out to AS's "The of the century" after Raúl Tamudo tore the title from Barça's grasp.

Most shamefully unreported story

Charged with electoral falsification and conspiracy to commit a crime, Madrid secretary Cristina Bermúdez refused to testify or aid the investigation. She alleged that death threats have been made against her and her children in a bid to keep her silent and claims that she has been almost run off the road twice. What should have been front-page news was relegated to a tiny column on page six of Marca and page six of AS, below a story about Raúl brushing his teeth that morning.

Most shameless act of selling out

Madrid versus Barcelona, the biggest game of the season, two of world football's most historic clubs and the honorary kick-off is taken by ... a banker.

Best match

For individual team performances, Espanyol's fabulous, Raúl Tamudo-inspired demolition of Barcelona at Montjuic stands out as does Recreativo de Huelva's 3-0 humiliation of Real Madrid. Then there was the time Athletic Bilbao's players dipped into their pockets, pulling out €1,000 each to pay for fans to travel to Santander for an astonishing 5-4 defeat, consummated in the final minute. Madrid-Sevilla had five goals, four of them superb, the miss of the season from Dani Alves - a miss that meant Madrid, not Sevilla, pushed for the league - and a surreal refereeing display complete with four red cards, one for a sub, one for a doctor, one for being held and one for being happy, plus a yellow card for Iker Casillas because he had the temerity to celebrate the goal that could mean Madrid win the title. There was also Madrid's incredible 4-3 against Espanyol, but the winner is the 3-3 draw between Madrid and Barça at the Camp Nou, which would have finally lived up to the hype, only the hype this time was about how it was going to be rubbish. So much happened, so much went on, that everyone could happily draw their own conclusions - which was handy because, let's face it, that's what they'd have done anyway.

Best goal

A marvellous overhead kick against Villarreal prompted Catalan daily Sport to adorn their cover with a huge satellite photo of the earth, swirling with clouds and embossed with a cut-out-and-stick Ronaldinho, in the air, legs over his head, gnashers randomly strewn round his mouth like Flakes from a cone, the ball flying from his foot and into the net as he scores what the paper declares, "the most beautiful goal in the world". Which might be pushing it a teensy bit - after all, it was Pascal Cygan marking him - but it was certainly pretty special. Marca, meanwhile, had a candidate of their own, describing Ruud van Nistelrooy's brilliant volley against Valencia as the "perfect play". This column preferred Roberto Soldado's goal against Levante from inside his own half, Ismael Urzaiz emulating Johan Cruyff against Recreativo, and Raúl Tamudo's brilliant turn against Sevilla at Montjuic. But the winner really has to be that Leo Messi goal.

Best celebration

Raul González has given up on that ring-kissing nonsense to do the Big-I-Am, even though there are 31 players who scored more than him, while Dani Alves gave the fans a Christmas treat by pulling a Santa Hat from his shorts and dancing a little Christmas ditty to mark a wonderful goal against Depor on Twelfth Night. "It was starting to get a bit itchy down there but luckily, I eventually got the excuse to pull it out from my pants and show everyone," Alves grinned as Sid James cackled away behind him. The No1, though, is the collective madness that followed Madrid's last-minute winner against Espanyol, with Gonzalo Higuaín throwing his shirt into the air, Van Nistelrooy picking it up and unfurling it for the fans and Fabio Cannavaro grabbing the corner flag and waving it about grinning like some sort of simpleton.

Best coach

Ernesto Valverde did a superb job at Espanyol, as did Marcelino at surprise success story Recreativo de Huelva and also Víctor Fernández at Zaragoza, while Fabio Capello deserves a bit more credit than he has been given (which still isn't very much). It would be worth praising Bernd Schuster at Getafe, too, if it wasn't for the fact that everyone - especially Schuster - is falling over themselves to do that already. And anyway, there's only really one candidate: Sevilla's Juande Ramos, who took his side to the Copa del Rey and the Uefa Cup and was unlucky not to take them to the league title too.

Best player

Runner up

Right-back, right-winger, centre-forward, playmaker and hyperactive child rolled into one, Sevilla's Dani Alves has had a phenomenal season, being involved in more moves, covering more ground and fouling and being fouled more than any other player in La Liga. Liverpool fans sing about their dream of a team of Carraghers - which, let's face it, would be rubbish. A team of Alveses, on the other hand, might actually work.

Winner

But the winner, by a nose, is equine soccer sensation Ruttergus Johannes van Nistelrooy. After the final game of the season, one reporter wrote how this "thoroughbred pulled up lame", which was true but is no reason to put him down. In fact, Madrid were grateful that Ruud's injury only happened right at the end of the season when they were within sight of the finishing post and it was truly sad to see him denied a deserved shot at the European Golden Boot. Ruud might not have been much of a show-pony, but he kept Madrid alive while they were rubbish with a stable contribution of goals, despite being saddled with ploughing a lone furrow up front while a bunch of donkeys aimlessly hoofed the ball in his rough direction. He might not have scored against neighbours Atlético in the derby but he did get two against Barça and the two that rescued his side in Zaragoza as he galloped his way to the Pichichi award, equalling Hugo Sanchez's record by scoring in seven successive matches as the season entered the home straight. Directly responsible for more of his team's points than any other player in La Liga. The league ended up a four horse race, and Ruud was the winner.

Team of the Year

GK: Andres Palop, Sevilla.
RB: Dani Alves, Sevilla.
CB: Javi Navarro, Sevilla.
CB: Sergio Ramos, Madrid.
LB: Joan Capdevila, Deportivo.
RM: Santi Cazorla, Recreativo.
CM: Andres Iniesta, Barcelona.
CM: Christian Poulsen, Sevilla.
LM: David Silva, Valencia
CF: Diego Milito, Zaragoza.
CF: Ruud van Nistelrooy, Madrid.


Subs: Freddie Kanouté (Sevilla), Iker Casillas (Madrid), Diego Forlán (Villarreal), Ronaldinho, Leo Messi (Barça), Florent Sinama-Pongolle (Recre), Francisco Casquero, Alexis (Getafe), Carlos Diogo, Gaby Milito (Zaragoza), Fernando Baiano (Celta), Raúl Albiol, David Villa, Fabian Ayala (Valencia), Nicola Zigic, Pedro Munitis (Racing), Raúl Tamudo (Espanyol).

And, finally, quotes of the year


"Anyone who says that I refused to play [as Rijkaard did] is a bad person; if a team-mate says I should be thinking about the group [as Ronaldinho did], he's the one that should think about the group. [There is] a war with two sides. It is not my war but I am the one taking all the hits. [If Rosell has anything to say to me] he should have the balls to say so to my face; he never said anything to me when he was my boss. He didn't even say hello to me and now he is attacking me behind my back. I hope they know that I'm back now - even if my goals do hurt them. I can forgive but not forget" - Samuel Eto'o, the "ticking time-bomb" that Florentino Pérez boasted of planting in the Barça dressing room, finally goes off.

"You attack me with a bullet and I respond with a bomb" - Eto'o justifies his rant.

"I cried over my impotence" - Betis keeper Koke Contreras reveals rather too much.

"It's got all the latest gear, I'm telling you" - Barça defender Sylvinho tries to explain why Ronaldinho keeps "going to the gym" rather than training with his teams.

"The refs are not helping us" - Fabio Capello, week 23.

"I never talk about referees" - Fabio Capello, week 24.

"I will pass up my salary for the next three weeks if it helps to pay off Capello. Bye, Fabio, It was horrible while it lasted" AS's Mad Madridista Tomás Roncero, week 21.

"Fabio, thank you from the bottom of my heart!" - AS's Mad Madridista Tomás Roncero, week 38.

"Madrid didn't defend well. Madrid didn't attack well. But they won. It was the same as always" - Former player and TV pundit Manu Sarrabia sums it up.

"We all know what Basque teams are like; it's obvious what the score will be for this one" - David Albelda is convinced that nothing-to-play-for Osasuna will do their Basque brothers from Sociedad a favour and lose. They don't.

"I don't doubt you Albelda, sunshine. Next week you have the chance to show what super professionals you are by beating Levante" - Osasuna coach Cuco Ziganda strikes back. The following week, Valencia lose to Levante.

"Our players are not educated, they get treated like gods wherever they go and never put their hands in their pockets for anything ... Guti is still a promise at 29 ... and David Beckham is half an actor, bound for Hollywood because no one wanted him" - Ramón Calderón makes friends with the squad.

"It was a private conversation" - So says Ramón Calderón of a miked-up conference in front of 150 students he doesn't know.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/06/27/its_the_sids_2007.html

by Barca Murph » Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:49 pm

La Liga fixtures came out today

by JamCar05 » Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:45 pm