Chicago Sports Fan Message Board

I hope someone started Jermain Defoe of Tottenham Hotspur on their fantasy team today against Wigan...He scored five goals as Spurs thrashed the Lattics 9-1 at White Hart Lane in North London.

I watched part of the first half and the entire second half on FSC....Spurs led 1-nil at halftime...They scored eight goals in the second half...All but one goal (a David Bently free kick) came in open play.

I still cant believe Wigan...They beat Chelsea but allow nine against Spurs.

Probably should've been 9-0. The Wigan guy with the funky hairdo clearly got his arm involved in that goal. Not saying he meant to cheat, but the officials should've seen it.

shirtless driver - i thought the same thing...Didnt realize that the Swedish crew that worked the France-Ireland World Cup qualifier also worked in England...I dont think players try to cheat....I think they test the officals with how much they can get away with...judging by what we have seen the past few days...they have been getting away with alot.

Liverpool gets officially eliminated from the Champions League and then promptly gets a clean sheet in the Merseyside derby. I'm not that bummed about Liverpool being out of the CL. Their continued good showing in the CL always teased throughout the spring. There will also be no saving grace at the end of the year either. Like a "oh we aren't going to finish top of the table but we made the Champions League semifinals again so the year was a success." Fuck that shit. Win the league.

I watched Chelsea smoke the Arsenal yesterday. They are looking like the old 2005 and 2006 dominant teams under Mourinho. Their defense is terrific.

I agree Zizou....They do remind me of the 2006 team (The first year I followed the team).The key for Chelsea will be January when Drogba, Mikel, Essien and Kalou leave for the African Cup of Nations...Hopefully, Chelsea will build a nice lead by then...Looking at the January fixture list...Trips to Hull and Burnley and home dates against Sunderland and Birmingham City...They should take all 12 points with should being the key word.

jesus...just more in an abysmal season for 'pool.

2-0 to portsmouth, 7 minutes of regular time left.

Looks like Manchester City has made the move...Hughes out, Mancini In...Even though City beat Sunderland today...seems like Hughes fate was sealed with the loss to Spurs on Wednesday.

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slu ... &type=lgns

With the new year beginning, the premier league starts to get more interesting to me. Liverpool got a nice win over Villa with a stoppage time goal in the snow by everyone's favorite Spanish metrosexual Fernando Torres. I'm not thinking they have any shot at the title. Those dreams died many weeks ago but Liverpool can still get a Champions League spot. That Portsmouth match turned me off of football for awhile.

Chelsea has had some uninspiring results as of late but Man U got whacked 3-0 by Fulham as well. Arsenal is kind of quietly hanging around near the top. I think they may make a run for the title but they did just lose Van Persie for the year.

Boxing Day matches were very blah.

Looks like Fox is trying to buy Setanta USA...Would leave Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus and ESPN as the only outlets for EPL in the USA...Why do i have a feeling this isnt a good thing.

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slu ... &type=lgns

Crystal Palace will continue not to make the EPL after going into administration and taking on the 10 point penalty. Instead of fighting for a playoff spot, they're 1 place out of the drop zone.

Not sure if this is the right thread to post this in....this is my first thread in the soccer, excuse me - futbol! area ever!

But just in case you're interested in English team tawdry gossip, this story is for YOU!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... er-up.html

What an utter twat. I like the US chances more against England if this dirtbag is still their captain at the World Cup.

God help me, but I read the Daily Mail every day online....I can't stop myself!!

It gets even MORE tawdry!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... rtion.html

"England captain John Terry’s career was thrown into further doubt last night after it was revealed he got his team-mate’s girlfriend pregnant.
The Mail on Sunday has learned that French model Vanessa Perroncel, former partner of fellow England defender Wayne Bridge, had an abortion within months of the affair starting.
The pregnancy and termination are thought to have been the ‘consequences’ referred to by the High Court judge who threw out the £170,000-a-week footballer’s bid to seek a draconian gagging order to keep his affair secret.
Last night, the far-reaching implications of Terry’s extraordinary legal action were becoming clear..."

and...


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... untry.html

"Having sex with a teenage fan in your Bentley, as he did, is one thing; playing away with a WAG other than your own quite another. It remains to be seen what action, if any, the previously supine Football Association will take.
This week the married father of two - anointed 'Dad of the Year' no less - has fought with a desperate cynicism to prevent his latest indiscretion becoming a public scandal.
No doubt he feared that, as in the Tiger Woods affair, such exposure would endanger his many sponsorship deals with firms such as Umbro."

I read the Guardian for English football coverage, but the daily mail is always worth a look, no matter what the topic.

I don't read anything for the English football coverage, but the Mail always covers the scandals really well. And I don't feel as icky reading it as I would The Sun or News of the World!

I just thought of y'all when I saw the first story last night. Hope it's ok to post English football gossip in the thread!

Whale of a match today, hopefully. And no I do not mean Man City and Portsmouth. The Arsenal are hosting Man United. Both need the win to keep hanging with Chelsea. Arsenal has a nice unbeaten streak going over the last 10 games.

burnley in relegation finally.

Arsenal shit themselves for the second straight week against the big boys. That being said, I can't see them losing at home to Liverpool.

I watched the Merseyside Derby on ESPN2 Saturday morning. The lone goal by Dirk Kuyt was more of a bitch out on the part of Tim Howard. Kuyt stood square in the box without much of a challenge and easily put in Gerrard's corner kick. Both of the announcers promptly called Howard for the bad keeping. Liverpool played the whole second half down a man as well. And really, now that I think about it, could have had 2 or 3 more players sent off for various shenanigans. It's nice to see defense back at Anfield. Six clean sheets in the last seven for Reina.

I agree Zizou, I cant see the Gooners losing at home to Liverpool at home. The key for Arsenal will be their defense, As big of a Chelsea fan as I am, the Arsenal defense on Drogba's second goal was shocking...They hung Almunia out the dry...I can see Liverpool doing the same thing to Arsenal that Chelsea did and win 2-nil.

Fuck, Palace just blew their second one goal lead that would get them to the FA Cup quarters.

i was watching that and thinking of you kd. damn shame.

There's always the replay I suppose. They could use the extra money from that, but they could have used the money from actually winning more.

Nice to see Bridge stiff Terry on the handshake before today's game. They should have let Bridge take the penalty too to twist the knife even more. If you're watching Stoke-Arsenal highlights under no cirumstanes watch Ramsey's injury. To say it was Theismanesque is an understatement. Legs bent at 90° angles where there's no joints and the like.

Oh the English National Team Drama! Last World Cup it was Rooney's metatarsals and the idiocy of Sven-Goran Eriksson by selecting Theo Walcott. Now it's moved on to extramarital affairs. This is far worse, I think, because this English team could actually do something in the World Cup. Their 2006 squad was terrible.

Chelsea seems to be flat lately. I could understand the lost to Inter but giving up 4 at home to Man City? Still a tight race at the top. Man U is in the best form of the three.

And yes the Ramsey injury was pretty ugly. Shawcross looked like he was crying after he got the red card and was walking off the field.