On the Eve of the new Season...

[Barcelona]

Originally posted by vansmack:
   

Originally posted by Barcelona:
  wasn't there a clear penalty to Kaka in the first half that the referee didn't see and a goal anulled for an offisde that didn't exist, also for Milan?

A clear penalty?  I certainly don't think so.  If anything, there was slight touch, but nothing I would call clear.  Milan scored on the resulting corner kick anyway.
 
 I also thought the offside was close enough to call offsides.
 
 But my point is this, even if you screw up in the first half (which he didn't), you don't make something up in the 84th minute to make amends unless you're paid to do so.  You just don't.  Kaka didn't even think it was a penalty.  He was heading to the corner to take the corner kick before somebody told him that he was awarded a penalty! [/b]

You said that Italian teams buy referees. I think that if this was the case in this game, he wouldn't have doubted about the first penalty (it doesn't matter at all whether the goal came after that corner) and he would have awarded the offside goal and avoided the yellow card to the Milan player, whom I believe will miss the game in Germany (I think the same thing happened with Lucio in Bayern). I just saw the video in youtube and I have changed my mind, the referee didn't help either team, the offside goal was good, if he had been bought by the Italians, the score would have been 2-0 in the early second half.
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRgwsycOJ4k

[ChampionshipVinyl]

Chelsea 1 - Valencia 1
 Roma 2 - ManU 1

[Frank Gallagher]

Evidently the ref was totally biased in Roma's favor...although Scholsey's sending off was legit. I didn't see the game but a scouse mate did and told me this....and a scouse would not make excuses for United I can guarantee you. 2-1 down and a second leg at O.T. I would've taken that before the game so quite happy with the result. An away goal was vital.
 
 I pity the Roma fans on the return leg when my Salford boys get hold of them. Actually, that's not true, I hope they get a good old mancunian welcome!    Do they not realize it's Man Utd they're fucking with???

[ChampionshipVinyl]

Eric Wynalda Interview

[godsshoeshine]

clearly the only reason manusa would EVER lose is because of paid off refs

[Frank Gallagher]

Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
  clearly the only reason manusa would EVER lose is because of paid off refs

Obviously you're an ignorant knobhead when it comes to the beautiful game...if a person from LIVERPOOL is saying the ref was biased against MANCHESTER united, then there must be a strong case for it. Not to mention it was already proved that Italian football is corrupt from top to bottom.
 
 Nobody said he was paid off, just biased.

[godsshoeshine]

both manure fans on this board gave the 'refs are biased/paid off toward italy' before the match was even paid, and you didnt even watch it yourself. you took the readymade excuse because a liverpool fan told you it was so. cmon now

[vansmack]

Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
  both manure fans on this board gave the 'refs are biased/paid off toward italy' before the match was even paid, and you didnt even watch it yourself. you took the readymade excuse because a liverpool fan told you it was so. cmon now

Actually, I was talking about the ref in the Bayern match, not the Man U match, and I said it mostly out of the horrible call in the 84th minute.  I'm always suspect about blatantly bad calls late in the match.
 
 I certainly didn't think the ref in the Roma match was paid off, but I certainly didn't think he did a fair job either, especially in the first 30 minutes or so.  I for one, was actually pleased when Scholesy was sent off, because he was the last person on United's squad (as usual)to realize the ref was calling United much tighter than Roma, and was consistently giving away free kicks inside 25 yards.  I figured a 0-0 draw was better than 3-0 Roma on free kicks.  Such a pleasure to get that away goal with 10 men!

[godsshoeshine]

i dont like blaming refs for losses in any sport. but i'm not going to feel sorry for a side that's going to win the prem, is still in the fa cup and the cl and has lost twice in 3 months. mank makes fun of me anytime i bring up my side, so of course i'm going to zong him when he complains about refs in a match he didnt even watch, not to mention that man u got a not-terrible result

[Frank Gallagher]

Hey...no worries....I give it and can sure as hell take it.  
 
 In all seriousness though, all English teams get a rough time in Europe from the refs, because we play, well, the man's version of the game. What is not even a foul in the premiership is a yellow card offense in Italy because you caused Totti's tailor made jersey to crease or something.

[godsshoeshine]

you'll get no argument on that from me

[vansmack]

Friday, April 6
 
 12:10 Man City v Charlton (Setanta)
 2:30 Everton v Fulham (FSC)
 
 Saturday, April 7
 
 7:45 Chelsea v Spurs (Setanta)  
 10:00 SheffU v Newcastle (SetantaX)
 10:00 Arsenal v West Ham (Setanta)
 10:00 Reading v Liverpool (FSC)  
 12:15 Pompey v Man U (FSC)
 2:15 Wigan v Bolton (FSC)  
 
 Monday, April 9
 
 7:30 Watford v Portsmouth (Set)
 10:00 Newcastle United v Arsenal (Set)
 10:00 Fulham v Manchester City (FSC)
 12:00 Aston Villa v Wigan (FSC)  
 2:30 Bolton v Everton (Set)
 3:00 Charlton v Reading (FSC)

[Summerteeth]

Finally get to see a game with filled with great Americans on FSC in the Everton v. Fulham game.

[Venerable Bede]

Kroenke buys stake in Arsenal
 
 By PAT GRAHAM, AP Sports Writer
 April 5, 2007
 
 AP - Apr 5, 3:31 pm EDT
 
 DENVER (AP) -- Colorado businessman Stan Kroenke bought a 9.99 percent stake in London's Arsenal soccer team from the British television network ITV.
 
 Kroenke, a real estate developer who owns the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, said Thursday that he also entered into "conditional arrangements" with ITV involving the sale of ITV's 50 percent share in Arsenal Broadband Limited.
 
 The total value of the deals would be approximately $128.1 million, Kroenke's company said in a statement.
 
 A spokesman for Kroenke Sports Enterprises wouldn't comment on whether Kroenke would attempt to buy Arsenal outright down the road.
 
 "It's always been our policy not to speculate on any investments," said Paul Andrews, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Kroenke Sports. "We hold pretty tight to that policy."
 
 Kroenke Sports announced in February it had formed a marketing alliance with the Arsenal club to exchange business, commercial and marketing information, and share coaching and training philosophies.
 
 "We really have a tremendous amount of respect for Arsenal and the way they manage their team," Andrews said.
 
 Andrews said the marketing alliance led to Kroenke's interest in Arsenal.
 
 "It's fair to say he was impressed with them and made this investment due to the respect he gained in that process," Andrews said.
 
 Andrews wouldn't comment on whether the Rapids planned to change their name to Arsenal.
 
 When the marketing alliance was announced, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted it did not mean Kroenke was buying the London team.
 
 "(The deal) is not for a takeover," Wenger said in February. "There are enough Americans in the league now."
 
 Kroenke, who is also a co-owner of the St. Louis Rams, is the latest American businessman to invest in a European soccer team.
 
 Tom Hicks and George Gillette Jr. recently completed their takeover of the Liverpool soccer team. Hicks owns baseball's Texas Rangers and the NHL's Dallas Stars, and Gillette owns the NHL's Montreal Canadiens.
 
 Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer controls Manchester United, and Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner took over Aston Villa this season.
 
 The Rapids will open the MLS season Saturday against D.C. United in Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a new 18,000-seat soccer complex in the Denver area that includes 24 lighted fields and is one of the largest soccer parks in the world.
 
 Updated on Thursday, Apr 5, 2007 6:18 pm EDT

[Frank Gallagher]

With their stadium sponsored by a known sporting goods store why don't they call themselves the "Denver Dicks"
 
 Why do I hate it when they refer to teams such as "the liverpool soccer team" or 'London's arsenal soccer team", but it's intersting Manchester United need no description.