The new footy thread

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Champions League has become less compelling

Real Madrid took £81 million for winning the Champions League last season; 10 clubs took more than that in Premier League prize money. This season it’s estimated that even the bottom club will win £97 million. In direct financial terms, football has reached a point where it would make sense for Premier League clubs to prioritize domestic competition.

That is fucking insane.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Porto qualify for the CL group stage by hammering Roma.

Since 2012-13, the first season in which Italy's Champions League allocation was reduced from 4 to 3, Italy has sent a 3 team contingent to the group stage once in five years. Portugal has sent a 3 team contingent in three of those five seasons, twice eliminating Italian opposition in the playoff round.

Under the new Champions League rules, Italy will be given 4 automatic group stage slots while Portugal will be reduced to two slots total, only one guaranteed for the group stage.

"Champions" League, indeed.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Republic of Ireland's Robbie Keane to retire from international football

My favorite player calling it a career (For international play). It was a great run. My favorite moment of his:

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Domestic violence = OK to play.

Call somebody cowards = 6 month ban

I'm sure it's just coincidence that this came when there isn't a major tournament coming up anytime in the next 6 months or so...

Hope Solo suspended six months by U.S. Soccer

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Fun draw. Arsenal will struggle for second, Barca v City is mouthwatering, Leicester gets a group they might be able to get out of, Bayern v Atleti rematch from last year's semis, Ronaldo goes home to Sporting again.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Welp, this can't end well:

Frank McCourt agrees deal to take over as Ligue 1 Marseille's owner

 

[jstewismybastardson]

wow

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Barca sign Paco Alcacer from Valencia for 30 million euros. He will join Andre Gomes as promising youngsters who will spend ungodly amounts of time on the Barca bench and become "coulda-beens".

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Looks like Deschamps may have made another grave error at Euro - leaving Aymeric Laporte at home despite half his defenders going down injured pre-tournament may have convinced him to play for Spain instead:


Of course, Lopetegui is a fucking shitbird so I hope he sticks with France and Lopetegui falls off a cliff.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Joe Hart loan to Torino official ... english media calling this years Derby della Mole a showdown between the worlds best keepers ... probably

 

[jstewismybastardson]

^btw ... isnt that the same hotel balcony that Michael Jackson dangled his baby back in the day

/maybe not lol

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Joe Hart loan to Torino official ... english media calling this years Derby della Mole a showdown between the worlds best keepers ... probably

The English media front pages today kept calling Torino "Italian minnows" and Italian media kept pointing out that Torino has more Scudetti (7) than City does First Division/PL titles (4).

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I'm very surprised Liverpool didn't want Hart. How they still have faith in Mignolet is crazy to me.

 

[esls79]

Joe Hart is a sieve. Bobby Shuttleworth is a better keeper than Hart is.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Joe Hart is a sieve. Bobby Shuttleworth is a better keeper than Hart is.

I wouldn't rank him with the Neuer's and Buffon's of the world but he's hardly a sieve. Prone to the more-occasional-than-occasional boneheaded play? Sure. An upgrade on Mignolet? Absolutely.

It's really, really hard to win a league title without a good keeper and Joe Hart has two league titles. He's also won the PL golden glove 4 times.

 

[dash]

Joe Hart is a sieve. Bobby Shuttleworth is a better keeper than Hart is.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

big critic of how things are done at the youth level in canada ... now he gets to put his money where his mouth is ... good luck Jason

 

[jstewismybastardson]

lofty goals would be an understatement

“I want us to qualify for every World Cup… every cycle”

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

lofty goals would be an understatement

“I want us to qualify for every World Cup… every cycle”

lol

Canada fans: "We want to qualify for a World Cup. Just to see how it feels."