Category Archives: Soccer

Soccer

SSS – Transfer Day Deadline

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Today is the last day of the transfer window. Transfers must be completed by 11:00 PM GMT/5:00 PM Central. Some big names so far of this window:

Mario Ballotelli - AC Milan bought him from Man City for £17m
Wilfried Zaha - Bought by ManUtd for £10m + £5m add-ons from Crystal Palace, then loaned back to Crystal Palace for the rest of the year
Nuri Sahin - On loan from Real Madrid, Liverpool have terminated the loan and returned him. RM have already loaned him to Borrusia Dortmund for 18 months.
Chris Iwelumo - Loaned from Watford to Oldham. I only mention him because he's considered to have done the greatest miss in recent soccer history. (Fast-forward to 30s for fantastic Scottish commentary)

httpv://youtu.be/59sG34Nx-DY

Newcastle have signed a slew of Frenchmen, leading to all manner of terrible jokes, and QPR has been very active because of the wheelings and dealings of Harry "Don't Call Me A Wheeler-Dealer" Redknapp.

httpv://youtu.be/xJBsI7RAuvk
(NSFW Langauge)

It's also rumored that PSG will announce signing David Beckham. Press conference in a few hours.

Big moves for Citizens' Teams Continue reading SSS – Transfer Day Deadline →

Soccer

SSS – Ballon d’Or

Messi won his fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or. No one else, has more than three (Cruyff, van Basten, Platini), and only Platini won his three consecutively. Messi garnered 41.6% of the vote, Cristiano Ronaldo came second with 23.7% and Messi's Barcelona teammate Andrés Iniesta came third with 10.9%. That Messi won is no real surprise - the surprise comes when you see what he wore to the acceptance ceremony. Continue reading SSS – Ballon d’Or →

Soccer

SSS – January Transfer Window is open

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It's been a long time since a Sporadic Soccer Story has graced these pages. That is entirely due to my sloth, and I apologize. I figured with the new year brings not only the transfer window, as suggested by Southern Glass Protection but the chance for a new start, so I will do my best to be more regular with SSS entries.

The particular report which prompted this post is a report that Chelsea have been given permission by Newcastle to speak to Demba Ba. Ba is one of my favorite players (and not only because his name is so fun to say), so seeing him in Chelsea blue would be a bummer, personally, though I'm sure a few Citizens would welcome such a transfer.

2012-13 WGOM EPL Prediction Contest

PlacePlayerPoints
1MagUidhir19
2AMR18
3The Dread Pirate14
4Homer Dome14
5DK14
6Buffalo12
7Freealonzo11
8Daneeka's Ghost10
9Spookymilk10
10davidwatts9

Just now I've added a ImportHTML and a VLookup to the Prediction Contest spreadsheet, so it should update automatically (on Google Drive, not here). Hopefully we'll see if it worked after today's games, which are as follows:

1:45 - Liverpool v.Sunderland
1:45 - Chelsea v. QPR
2:00 - Newcastle United v. Everton

All times Central. Lots of Citizens' teams in action today. As noted in the article above, Ba will sit out against Everton today, so my Fantasy team thanks you Abrahmovich*.

*May or may not logically be his fault, but I'm blaming him anyway.

Soccer

Champions Leage Final: Chelsea v. Bayern-Munich

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What:  UEFA Champions League Final

Who:  Chelsea (England); Bayern-Munich (Germany)

Where:  Allianz Stadium Munich Germany

TV:  Fox, Game at 1:45p

Stakes:  Bragging rights as top football club in Europe

Today is one of international soccer’s biggest days, probably only behind the World Cup or perhaps the European Cup finals.  The Champions League final is this afternoon and if you don’t mind spending a couple of hours inside watching the game, I think you will enjoy it regardless of your soccer knowledge.  To give you a little edge if you do decide to watch, here are a few reasons why each team could win.  I’ll stay away from the technical aspects but Andrew, Pirate, Homer Dome or others feel free to chime in through the comments.  If you want a technical review, this one is pretty good.

Continue reading Champions Leage Final: Chelsea v. Bayern-Munich →

Soccer

EEE- Last two Premiership Weeks

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I've decided to try this as a Saturday morning post to act as a weekend preview/open thread for the upcoming slate of games.

Last Weekend

City beat United 1-0 in the much-hyped Manchester Derby With The Title On The Line ™ in a game that was rather dull to watch. United managed a mere 5 attempts at goal, which resulted 0 shots on goal. City had 15 and 3, respectively. I was in the beer garden taking in a lovely late Spring evening, otherwise I would have been annoyed I even bothered to leave the house. City and United are now tied at the top of the table with 83 points apiece, but City are ahead because of their superior goal differential (+61 v +53).

In other news, Fulham beat Liverpool for the first time in the league thanks to a Skrtel own-goal. Everton drew with Stoke 1-1. Spurs beat Bolton 4-1 and Chelsea lost to Newcastle in a game which saw Cisse score an absolutely amazing goal to seal the 2-0 win.

httpv://youtu.be/llLqKcsXy18
Continue reading EEE- Last two Premiership Weeks →

Soccer

EEE – The Long Awaited Return

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This was orignally a LTE in the CoC, but I decided to give it its own post since it was getting long and I didn't want to clog up the other thread.

EPL Update

Manchester United squadered leads of 3-1 and 4-2 to draw with Everton 4-4. The dropped points, combined with City's win, means that City are only 3 points back with 3 matches to play. Next week is the Manchester Derby Part II, this time at the Ethiad. ManUtd got plastered 6-1 by City at home earlier in the year. A City win will have the Manchester teams tied on points (and City with the edge on GD) with 2 games to play. Also, Newcastle has moved into the fourth and final Champions League slot, with Tottenham Hotspur dropping to 5th.

In news at the other end of things, Wolves have secured their spot in the Championship last year. They are the first team to be guaranteed relegation. No more Mick McCarthy GIF! *sad trombone* Continue reading EEE – The Long Awaited Return →

Soccer

EEE – FA Cup 5th Round and catching up on the league

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Sorry I skipped a soccer post last week. I'll try to recap all the games I missed, but apologies in advance if I do omit someone.

League Results

Soccer

EEE – Deuce goes for three

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Big news over the weekend is Clint Dempsey's second hat trick in as many games. His hat trick is the first for an American in the league. Dempsey now has 9 goals in the league, tied for 7th best for all players and tied for fist among midfielders (with Frank Lampard). Manchester City beat Spurs by a score of 3-2 to keep their place at the top of the table. Manchester United defeated Arsenal 2-1 to keep pace with their neighbors. In the States, the ManU-Arsenal game was aired on Fox before the NFC Championship game.

Sunderland won 2-0 over Swansea City to continue their good run of form under new manager Martin O'Neill. Under the new manager, the Black Cats have taken 16 of 24 points, compared to 11 from 42 under Steve Bruce. Everton couldn't hold a one goal lead and drew with Blackburn Rovers 1-1. Chelsea failed to score in their 0-0 draw with Norwich City. Wolves fell to Aston Villa 3-2 to drop into the relegation zone. Continue reading EEE – Deuce goes for three →