Flip

This partnership is great. We should sign them both. I'd pay £50 million for both. Fuck me theyre good.

N'Gog?

It all started in the last 16 against Spain. Was immense from there on. Zidane's "tournament" was definitely Euro 2000. That's when he was at the peak of his powers. Agreed. But fuck me was this guy a player. Impossible to take the ball from him and was really complete. What made him so good too was that he thrived in important matches. Cried my eyes out the day we lost to them in 2006, but after that I just enjoy watching clips from that game. Masterclass from a player three games away from ending his career. Legend, pure legend. Was looking at the FIFA Best player award and the new FIFA Ballon d'Or and as far as that goes its right at the moment. Zidane at first with 3 wins, 2 runners up and 1 third. Ronaldo second with 3 wins, 1 runnerup 1 third. Messi third with 2 wins, 2runners up. Messi still behind those two but won't be behind for much longer Immense player.

It all started in the last 16 against Spain. Was immense from there on.

I lolled. I lol'd badly again. Been some amusing stuff on this board lately.

Absolutely, I initially thought there was minimal contact but that youtube video (can I link it, it's a Frech football show with replay?) shows that there was absolutely no contact coz Alves withdrew his leg. Might still be classified as dangerous coz the foot was raised but no way is that a red card. The way Alves then rolls around holding his shin and knee makes it clear as ever that Barcelona was not just diving and cheating but were looking to get Madrid players sent off. And we have some donkey (hint: has an avatar of an ex world player of the year now more commonly known as fatty) saying that the 'tackle' was worse than De Jong's leg breaker on HBA! Give over alpal78 honestly. Calling people donkey and stuff. Looking at the images from the tackle, it really does look like Pepe doesn't touch him at all. But fuck me, those images are either manipulating or Alves is a very good actor, and since we all know he's a bad diver Pepe must have touched him. Also, most non-Newcastle fans think de Jong tackle was a normal tackle and Ben Arfa was unlucky. In my opinion both deserved red cards, remember Ronaldinho on Danny Mills? Doubt many of you were complaining when he was rolling around like (was red card, but that bald guy still overacted). There's diving everywhere and players always try to get other players sent off. In the end its all about winning and whatever helps one to do it will be done. I'm not for diving/cheating, but I can say that if that would benefit my team in an important game, hell yes would I do it. There's no moral in a game against your archrivals and I doubt many here would be complaining if Barton or Nolan dived and got us a penalty to beat Sunderland 1-0 away to them in the last minute. It's part of the game whether you like it or not. And until FIFA/UEFA starts banning it, it will still be here. Real did the same a week and a half ago in Valencia against Barcelona also btw

for all its an astonishing achievement the gulf in class between the big 2 teams and everyone else sours it slightly imo, i'd absolutely love to see him playing over here but its never gonna happen It's overplayed IMO. The rest of La Liga isn't that bad. Atletico are current holders of the UEFA Cup, Villarreal are in the semis of that same competition this year, Sevilla and Valencia both decent as are Athletic. Comparing the top 9 in La Liga compared to the Premier League Barcelona v Man Utd - Barcelona - We'll see! Would you wager p*ss on it?! Real Madrid v Chelsea - Madrid - Close one. Valencia v Arsenal - Arsenal shade it - No shading about this one Villarreal v City - Villarreal shade it - Not a chance in hell! Bilbao v Spurs - Spurs - Agree Sevilla v Liverpool - Sevilla - Disagree Atletico Madrid v Everton - Atletico - Close one Espanyol v Bolton - Espanyol - Don't know Mallorca v Fulham - Mallorca - Don't know What about the bottom 10? There is no way La Liga is vastly better than the PL. So basically you agreed to every single one of them where a PL team was better and disagreed or didn't know when a La Liga team was better. Barcelona is better than Man Utd and Real is better than Chelsea. Agree with you that I do think City is better than Villarreal though. The rest is really true. Sevilla is better than Liverpool and Atletico better than Everton.

They were very different type of players, hard to compare. Ronaldinho and Ronaldo were more striker type scoring lots of goals whereas Zidane to me was a midfield maestro bar none Ronaldinho wasn't a striker.

Plus, whenever Santos used to come to Europe and play all of the top teams, they would often serve up a footballing lesson. A bit like when Liverpool met Flamengo in the 80's. That Liverpool side got smoooshed big time by Flamengo.

Are you twelve? His Real Madrid team dives as much as the Barcelona team too.

Ill raise all in with i'd love to see how Pele would've developed would he had the chance to develop during this era. Pele was just incredibly talented. And like I stated before Messi has a long way to be considered better than Maradona in his own country. Even Di Stefano guys you forget, the guy won 5 Champions Leagues, 13 Championship in 3 different countries and still isn't considered better than Garrincha who won two world cups (one on his own just like Maradona). Garrincha. That man is a legend. Possibly 36 children and had it been possible he would have had a son who was a mixture between a goat and an human.

Good job.

:lol:

Agreed really. People forget its part of the game. If a player manages to dive and get a foul successfuly. Good for him, what can you do about it? Stop supporting a team because of it? Fuck me, I hope we'll see more diving.

Serious question - What do you make of the antics of Biscuits and Pedro? I'd be thoroughly embarrassed to have such players at my club. We have an ex-convict. We have had racists, we've had everything. Yet you'd be more embarrassed if we had divers?

Busquets

Cannot agree with the first part. Sure its influenced by teammates and so on, but Messi, Maradona, Zidane, Pele, and the rest of the real greats were all able to do it on their own when needed to. Pele was sublime for 12 years. Won everything he could possibly win, this under an era when there was no protection from the referee. In '66 he was beaten the crap out of him. Maradona could decide the game with magic, that goal in 86 taking on the whole english team is just magnificient. Messi has proven it too a couple of times that he can decide a game on his own. Zidane has done it plenty of times too. The truth is you cannot compare them at all, everyone played in a different era, everyone developed during different times and different conditions. You have too look at it at how much each one of the was better than the next and next player. And on that Pele beats the shit out of everyone, he was the one who dominated the most during his generation. Of all the greats he's the one who has won the most title and scored the most goals. Says it all really

Ill raise all in with i'd love to see how Pele would've developed would he had the chance to develop during this era. Pele was just incredibly talented. And like I stated before Messi has a long way to be considered better than Maradona in his own country. Even Di Stefano guys you forget, the guy won 5 Champions Leagues, 13 Championship in 3 different countries and still isn't considered better than Garrincha who won two world cups (one on his own just like Maradona).

Chelsea get Lukaku, we sign Gervinho and then Drogba pleads to join us. Tiote Barton Nolan Ben Arfa - Drogba - Gervinho

Best manager of all times. His team is pretty shit and his team is the only one able to beat Barcelona.

One thing that goes in favor of players like Maradona and Pele for being the best of all times is the fact they got beaten up real badly. Pele in '66 World Cup was physically raped, Messi is protected by the referees and will so not be beaten up the same ways these guys were. However, many disagree, but in the rest of the world people agree. Messi needs at least one or two World Cups to be considered the Best of all time. Otherwise the Argentinians will themselves still consider Maradona bigger.

c***...and that's before the rest. His lack of respect for the officials tonight was disgutsing If we had a player sent off for a similar challenge, I'd expect Pardew to have a go at the officials tbh. Give over, man. Challenges like Pepe's tonight can ruin knees and subsequently careers. What? Yes Pepe raised his foot but there was hardly any contact coz he turned at the last second and if anything it was his back that bumped into Alves. Of course just the way Pinto clutched his face when he ran into Pepe, Alves clutched his knees as if it was already broken. Yes Madrid players like De Maria and Marcelo are divers too but they don't go to the extent of trying to get opponents sent off. Just see how many players have been sent off against Barcelona and how many against Madrid. The number speak for themselves. Regardless of their sometimes brilliant football, the way Barcelona players time and time again crowded the ref trying to get a player off is an embarassment to football.

But he didn't even win, or try to win.