General Football Nonsense

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Administrators are accelerating the sale of financially-crippled Rangers with a view to avoiding implementing 'very severe' cost-cutting measures.

Duff & Phelps had hoped talks with players, their agents, manager Ally McCoist and PFA Scotland would bring about wage cuts with the club needing to save £4.5million this season.

In the wake of talks stalling on Tuesday night, the Administrators will now be holding discussions with prospective purchasers with a view to bringing fresh investment to Ibrox.

It has been revealed that without 'sufficient' cost-cutting measures or the receipt of substantial unplanned income the club will be unable to fulfil its fixtures this season.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/n...le-accelerated

Rangers may not be able to complete their fixtures.

[Marc Overmars]

Can you imagine if they went bust? The SPL will be fucked given Celtic would then be clear to win every single title until the end of the time. Surely they would ask to move to England in that case.

[Master Splinter]

http://www.digitalspy.ie/showbiz/new...s-sacking.html

You missed the best bit:

Defending himself, the ex-footballer added: "I do not see myself as sexist. Not in a million years. I have four daughters and I was brought up by a wonderful mother on her own. She's 91 and is distraught about what happened."

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Is he basically saying he can't be sexist because he has a mother?

[Syn]

Gareth Bale has been accused of diving for a penalty again in last night's game against Stevenage.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17298144

Stevenage defender Mark Roberts has accused Tottenham's Gareth Bale of going down easily to win a penalty in Wednesday's FA Cup replay.

Captain Roberts was adjudged to have fouled the winger and, with the game poised at 1-1, Emmanuel Adebayor converted on the way to a 3-1 victory.

"I've tried to block the cross and I thought he went down very easily," he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"That's football at the very highest level, they look for those things."

He added: "In my mind it's not a penalty. I'm coming from a defender's point of view.

"He'll argue that I caught him. I'd have to see it again. I was a bit disappointed."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17298144

Bale has responded:

Bale: I don't dive

"If people want to say I'm diving then they can, but I'm trying to get out of the way and save myself, save my career if you like," he said.

"It's a bit annoying [when people say I dive] but you've got people flying in at you, you're trying to get out of the way of the challenge. If you stand there, you're going to get a whack.

"You can see why people say you're diving but I'd rather get out of the way than get hurt, that's what it is. It's football, a contact sport, things do happen and you've got to try to be clever with it.

"I'm more likely to try to get out of the way and not get hurt, rather than get hurt. I tend not to dive."

Despite being the victim of a number of rash challenges this season, Bale sees the treatment as a backhanded compliment to his abilities.

He added: "People want to take you down and get you out of the game and I suppose you can take it as a compliment.

"It's not nice but I think it's to be expected now. In a way they think that's the only way they can stop you. You get up and get on with it like the best players do, and go at them again.

"You get used to it. I've got a few people sent off by doing that this year. You get up and get on with it, it's a part of the game."

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news...medium=twitter

He seems well up himself. I think that attitude is having a negative impact on his game right now. Seems to go for glory far too often than he should because he carries this messiah complex. Good player, no doubt. But I don't accept he dives just to avoid injury. He dives to win penalties.

[Marc Overmars]

Gareth Fail

lol

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Yep, his career was definitely at risk here.

[GP]

Yep, his career was definitely at risk here.

And here

[Cripps_orig]

THIS KO'd footballer saw stars — then saw RED as he was sent off for DIVING while stricken on a stretcher.

The incredible incident happened in a Belgian amateur match when Julien Lecomte clashed with a defender.

He was left sprawling on the floor but the referee was not convinced.

Despite receiving treatment from staff and being taken off the field by medics, the ref showed him a second yellow card because he believed Lecomte was CHEATING.

His team-mates were fuming over the decision and confronted the official who had to be protected by his assistants and staff.

When Lecomte came around, he was taken to hospital where docs confirmed he had suffered concussion and three displaced vertebrae in his back.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...-sent-off.html

Video of it on the link

One way to to tackle diving i suppose

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Lionel Messi says he has no ambitions to play in the Premier League because he wants to stay at Barcelona for the rest of his career.

The Argentina superstar joined the Barcelona Academy at the age of 13 and after winning five league titles and three Champions Leagues, he says he has no intention of ever leaving the Catalan club.

Speaking exclusively to Soccer Saturday, Messi admitted he likes watching Premier League football, but while he would not completely rule out joining an English team one day, he currently has no plans to leave Spain.

"It's a league I like," he said. "I have friends that are playing there and I follow it as and when I can. Players I like are Kun Aguero and Rooney. These are two players that I like.

"The truth is my idea has been to always stay in Barcelona and see out the rest of my career here.

"Like I always say, one doesn't know what can happen in the future but if it were up to me to decide, I would stay at Barcelona for the rest of my career."

Best ever

Messi produced one of the most eye-catching performances of his career with a five-goal haul in Barcelona's 7-1 Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month.

The display prompted Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney to proclaim the Argentinian as "the best ever" on his Twitter account - and Messi said he was touched by the compliment.

"It was incredible for Rooney to say those things about me," he added.

"But not just Rooney, many other players in the profession put things in respect of the game where I scored five goals.

"I am very thankful and it makes me very happy that colleagues say words of support, especially when they come from players of Rooney's class."

Recognised

Barcelona are now targeting their third Champions League win in four seasons as they bid to become recognised as one of the greatest teams in football history.

Messi believes the key to their success has been the influence of coach Pep Guardiola, whom he regards as the best in the business.

And he says he has never seen a team that plays better football than the current Barcelona side.

"I didn't see the other great teams that people say have existed throughout history," he said.

"Mainly because of my age, I wasn't old enough to have seen the great teams that we are compared with.

"From what I have seen I think it is the best, but I can't really compare [older great teams] as I don't know enough about the others.

"Since Guardiola's arrival, he has made the team play this way. When he arrived he made me play higher up, closer to the goal in order for me to score more goals which, until his arrival, I hadn't done on a regular basis.

"He made us prepare better in training and for games, making it seem that every game was a final.

"He prepares everything with his vision when the games are played and everything he does shows he is the best coach in the world."
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7601027

To loyal to Barca to leave them and has the protection of Uefa with that team tbh.