That double league thing to make sure river plate "stayed up" didn't go through then?

The evidence is obviously limited because they havent played each other. What we have is Real crushing every team they play not named Barcelona and looking extremely good doing so, Real being more talented and betting markets showing them a good bit ahead of United and Chelsea to win the CL.

I think they're about as talented and much more cohesive and balanced. The Galactiocos, for all their class, were vulnerable. Mourinho is a better coach than del Bosque and this team is a better organized and better functioning unit.

The points total do matter some because they only thing we can use to judge is how they do against the teams they play, even if would should discount it some for the league being weaker now.

no, there was going to be a massive protest against it and the day before the AFA decided to quit the plan.

Theory question/poll:
When the ball is played back to the keeper and an attacker charges down, do you think it is +/- EV for the attacker to always assume that the keeper will fake a kick and take a dribble to the side instead (by also faking trying to block the kick and instead trying to catch him off guard when he dribbles)?

My immediate thought was +EV. Even if the keeper faking a kick and dribbling will only happen a small % of the time, the times it does happen and the attacker expects it are highly profitable situations for the attacker. Conversely when the goalkeeper actually kicks it the attacker will block it only a small % of the time, and even when they do block it they will only some of the time find themselves in a highly profitable situation.

You would also have to know your goalkeeper. Is he known to be comfortable with the ball at his feet? If he is awkward (PIG) he is more than likely going to try and put his foot through it no matter what.

Anyone else notice that everytime Ronaldo is tackled, he puts his arm up and looks straight at the ref... Sitting there stropping

Gorgeous goal

You might be in the wrong thread bro.

I also feel that it has vastly more value to anticipate a dribble than to stop a kick; for the exact reasons kitarisi0 stated (plus the possibility of the keeper screwing up the dribble). Which is why I find it odd that so few attackers do this...

I saw some brief chatter in the other thread league about a potential player striker in Spain, but nothing beyond "will they play this weekend?"

This article was kind of eye opening.

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/new...s-strike-looms

We've discussed the health of La Liga before, but I guess I didn't realize the financial situation had gotten this bad. All three promoted teams are in bankruptcy protection?

"The Patriots" is a group of players. New England HAS won four straight games. The discrepancy is that in America every team is City Nickname, where as in England, the nicknames are informal .

The Red Devils have won four straight games.
Manchester United has won four straight games.

It makes even less sense when you're talking about national teams. England are playing France tomorrow. When you talk about the country and not the national football club, do you still use England like that? Or do you say, England is having a problem with riots? Why is the football team use of England any different than talking about the country?

No I would say England ARE having a problem with the riots, Manchester Utd HAVE won 4 games in a row and New England HAVE won 4 games in a row. That is proper use of the English language!

AND IT'S CALLED FOOTBALL BECAUSE YOU KICK IT

... + and play it with your feet as the 'main' rule is of course a start!

I thought that was because you throw it?

No that's why they call it "throwball," although it's officially known as Handegg. Haven't you ever heard of the NHL?

the kicker and the punter must be proud of themselves since the name seems to give them more importance than all the other guys combined.
Its like football being called handball because the keeper can use his hand, that would get properly mocked at.

People didn't get my post, I guess. My point was: people in different areas say stuff that sounds weird to you, but both ways are fine.

On some level it's always funny to me when Americans tell the English that their English is incorrect.

In seriousness though, w/e, it's not like "dialects" are uncommon in most language groups.

Yeah dialects are funny.

I instinctually call any free kick in a team's own half a 'free out' and in the opposition half a 'free in' but those are not commonly used outside Ireland.

**** me ref! That's a free in/out!

The most used phrase of a GAA fan.

Stay classy Beerschot!

many many gunshots were fired during a game here in mexico just a few minutes ago. It went on for like 2 whole minutes. It looks like it happened right outside of the stadium. our country's reputation is already bad enough ffs.


heres the best video i could find:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JykfcoOPl8

Holy ****....that's nuts.