OT: Premiership Forum

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Nice for the Caps to get this 800 lb Seattle gorilla off their backs.

/No, that's not a shot at Ziggy.

 

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I'd like to add that Luke Wileman does a fantastic job calling soccer games for TSN...

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Only second loss at the clink this year for sounders

Didnt think it would happen but u have towonder if dempseys big money signing has chafed some guys

 

[mattola]

If whitecaps win out do they make the playoffs? Colorado lost tonight and van plays them next week

 

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If whitecaps win out do they make the playoffs? Colorado lost tonight and van plays them next week

I believe they do Matty...

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I believe they do Matty...

Nope

They need to win out ang get help

San jose must lose or tie one of their final 2 games

 

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Nope

They need to win out ang get help

San jose must lose or tie one of their final 2 games

Yes, I stand corrected, as you mentioned earlier, a tie between San Jose and Colorado last night would have been the best result for the Caps on the OOTS.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

City v Bayern - Benny Hill lol


http://vimeo.com/76215979

 

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^

That's fantastic.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

on youtube too

 

[jstewismybastardson]

err .. Vincent Tan is a tad eccentric ... first ... Cardiff City is called the Bluebirds so of course, why not change the colour of the kits to red ... then he wears his shirt tucked into his pants

and now ...

Malky Mackay has no plans to resign as Cardiff City manager after the club's decision to place his key adviser, Iain Moody, on gardening leave*. However, after the decision of the Malaysian owner, Vincent Tan, caused puzzlement at the Welsh club there is a recognition that the Scot's position is now precarious.

That view has been compounded by Tan replacing Moody with Alisher Apsalyamov, a 23-year-old Kazakh thought to be a friend of Tan's son, and who was on work experience during the summer where his duties included painting the stadium.







*gardening leave is one of those wacky misnomer english turns of phrase like "bangers & mash" or "he has excellent teeth"

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Diamonds are forever, right martin rennie?

only took him til 3rd last week of season to start playing his players in positions theyd succeed in



Nigel Reo-Coker was an instant Daigo Kobayashi fan. He liked the way he played, the way he saw the game.

“Daigo’s my boy,” Reo-Coker, the Whitecaps midfielder, said back in early March.

He had plenty of company then. Kobayashi thrived in the pre-season and thrilled the home fans with a goal and an assist in his first two MLS starts.

Since then? Not so much. But the last week’s been different and enlightening.

The Caps have shifted to a diamond midfield formation for the last two games — a 2-2 home tie with Portland and a 4-1 road win at Seattle on Wednesday — and Kobayashi’s benefited as much as anyone.

Playing in his natural position, camped out in the hole behind the strikers, he’s reborn.

It’s been a stage for his technique, intelligence and vision to shine. And no one’s more pleased about that than Reo-Coker.

“It’s worked out well for us,” Reo-Coker said of the diamond. “It complements our team. Daigo’s a No. 10 (playmaker).

“He’s one of the best technical players, I think, in the league. A lot of people just haven’t had the opportunity to see that yet consistently, but he can see a pass, he can make a pass, and he’s a perfect No. 10.

“He’s one of the best in the league and, hopefully, he’ll get a bit more credit for his ability.”

Reo-Coker, who bossed his way around CenturyLink Field on Wednesday and capped a stunning victory with his first MLS goal, also made a point of sticking up for defensive midfielder Jun Marques Davidson on the TEAM 1410 post-game show.

He singled Davidson out for being unfairly criticized this season, and the common thread here is that the Caps midfielders believe they’re now playing a formation that better suits their collective attributes.

Martin Rennie agrees. The Caps coach has been searching for the right midfield balance for much of the season.

“I think we’ve played a lot better,” he said of the last two games, which have also included the tireless Matt Watson on the left side of the diamond while Gershon Koffie’s had to settle for a place on the bench.

“Our possession’s been a lot better, we’ve looked a lot more dynamic in midfield and it’s hard for teams to adjust to, so I think it’s helped us a lot.”

The formation switch away from 4-3-3 came after the Caps lost 1-0 at B.C. Place to a largely reserve Salt Lake side.

Salt Lake is the MLS master of the diamond midfield and the Caps couldn’t get near the ball for parts of that game.

If you can’t beat ’em, copy ’em? It’s worked out well enough so far. The Caps (12-11-9) have pulled themselves back to within three points of the Colorado Rapids (13-10-9) for the final playoff spot with two games remaining — a home-and-home against the Rapids starting in Denver on Oct. 19.

San Jose (13-11-8) can still scupper the Caps’ playoff ambitions, too.

Rennie talked about how the diamond gives them more passing options and gets players in positions that are more difficult for opponents to mark.

It’s certainly shown in the quality of their possession. The impact on Kobayashi’s game, specifically, has also been obvious.

He set up two of Kekuta Manneh’s three goals on Wednesday and looked like a completely different player — confident, creative, happy.

Exhibit ‘A’ was Kobayashi’s brazen first-half flick to Camilo in the box, though the Brazilian passed up a shot at goal.

Kobayashi, tiring, took a seat in minute 75, replaced by Russell Teibert.

“He’s done well,” Rennie said of Kobayashi, who signed in Vancouver for $239,000 in January after a decade’s experience in Japan and stints in Norway and Greece.

“That’s probably his best couple of games. He still needs to get fitter to get that for 90 minutes.”

Kobayashi, 30, has two goals and three assists in 19 starts and 28 appearances.

There’s two more chances to make an impression. Maybe more if things go right. Good news for him: It doesn’t sound like the diamond is going anywhere.

“With the players that we’ve got, it might be a better way to go,” said Rennie, “especially when Kenny (Miller’s) not available.”

And with two crucial games ahead, and the good vibes flowing again after a dismal spell, Rennie wasn’t about to look backwards.

Does he regret not experimenting with this formation sooner?

“No,” he said. “Not at all.”



Whitecaps? diamond setup lets Kobayashi shine

 

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Belgium punches their ticket to Brazil today...

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Ireland has been in a free fall since qualifying for the Euros. USA takes on Jamaica tonight, hopefully running up the score.

 

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England - Montenegro nil-nil at the half. Rooney in close rings one off the woodwork.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

how bout a mod changes the name of this thread? just soccer?

since ...

well ....

English Soccer Is Dead, And It Deserves To Be

 

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how bout a mod changes the name of this thread? just soccer?

since ...

well ....

English Soccer Is Dead, And It Deserves To Be

Now you've done it jstew - England just scored against Montenegro.

 

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Pretty nice save by Joe Hart to keep England ahead.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

its the reverse whammy ... good people of england with bad teeth ... I am now your king

 

[esls79]

Pretty nice save by Joe Hart to keep England ahead.

Just direct a couple more on target and he'll let in a howler