Zathras

My ex-girlfriend:

Doesn't fall into the category of 'reliable sources' though does it? Still, the quotes *are* from his agent. Tbh the only way I can see RM having made a bid (as opposed to some agent made up stuff) for him is to try and sell shirts in the USA. Even as a backup's backup they've GOT to be able to afford and attract better. Although I'm fairly sure Hartlepool players will soon start being linked with Chelski and RM. When the supposed bid was lodged, he was rated very highly after being steady in the Belgian League and having a strong showing at the World Cup. I'm sure his stock has fallen since coming to Newcastle, and rightly so. Whether or not Real were actually in for him? Who knows, but there were certainly big clubs sniffing around.

Fuck me, who was the source, his agent? Actually, there were reliable reports over here that all three clubs were in for him before he went to Newcastle. In fact, one source which is usually quite accurate even reported that he had *signed* for l'OM the day before it was confirmed he was with NUFC. The same sources which failed to pick up on the fact that Fowler was in talks about moving to the US? Actually the reliable sources failed to pick that up, but I did end up finding some of the more 'colorful' sites that had that story. *shrug*

Doesn't fall into the category of 'reliable sources' though does it? Still, the quotes *are* from his agent.

Fuck me, who was the source, his agent? Actually, there were reliable reports over here that all three clubs were in for him before he went to Newcastle. In fact, one source which is usually quite accurate even reported that he had *signed* for l'OM the day before it was confirmed he was with NUFC.

Meh. That's a fairly mundane intersection as Indian streets go.

It is unseasonably warm here and it's going to be quite difficult to focus on work today!

If Gooch becomes half the player Woodgate was/is when fit, then he'll be better than most other defenders ever to wear a Newcastle shirt. I'd take that.

You could email it to me, I suppose if you don't mind me seeing the document. I have full adobe at work.

As I've said before, I want him to prove he's worth a contract before we make the move permanent; regardless of who he is playing alongside. I don't think it is in the best interest of either club or player to sign him if he's going to be a liability. He needs to play consistently to get better for the US and we need a consistent defender. If both of those can be met by a permanent deal, then I'd be over the moon. If not, I'd rather he find somewhere else to play where he will get consistent playing time and see NUFC spend the money elsewhere.

I should probably mention that these are quotes from a conference call and each of those questions is seperated by unrelated questions for both him and the coach.

From a press conference ahead of the USA vs. Ecuador friendly on Sunday:

Aha! You know that, FOR GREAT JUSTICE!!!! So do you know how to adjust the tappets on an engine? In theory I guess so, although in practice I wouldn't. But knowing a bit about your OS isn't at the same level as say solder moding your CPU (which is about the same level as you're talking about in car ownership), more like checking your oil and at least having a vague idea what oil does for it. Nah, the equivalent in computer ownership to checking your oil would be running a spyware checker or defragmenting the hard drive. Not knowing the ins and outs of the operating system. While I agree with your overall viewpoint, I'd say it's more like knowing the difference between a BMW engine and Mercedes Engine.

I must say though, that meeting Romario was probably the highlight of my work in soccer media thus far. He was aloof a bit, but that's to be expected. Very fun to meet him and Zinho who was a lot friendlier during last year's World Cup.

Not saying it's great. Just not quite as bad as all that.

I take issue with the characterization of the US League in which he played--the last place team in our league is still good enough to tonk Sunderland 3-0.

Having now seen the highlights, it was a glaring mistake. But I do have to wonder why no one gave him a shout that Bent was on his back? It seems to have completely surprised him--another example of the poor communication we have at the back. I'm hopeful that he will get better as he adjusts to the Premier League, but I do worry. If he doesn't, I wouldn't like to see his move made permanent. I don't think that would benefit club or player.

ITV are fucking useless. Worse than 5! Trust me, it could be worse. You could be stuck with Rocky Hudson.

Is it? Is it really? The UEFA championships or World Cup are every 2 years. The Copa America is every two years. The Gold Cup is every two years. The African Cup of Nations is every 2 years. I dont' know about the Asian championship. Apart from the World Cup and UEFA championships, everythings is 2 years.

Allthough the US can't really complain imho. Mexico got seeded because of their involvement in the Confederations Cup 2005 (although this is a shit competition) and did well. All what the US (as they are the better team) had to do was to qualify instead of Mexico there. I don't think either deserved a seed. I'm not complaining that Mexico got a seed and the US didn't; I'm simply complaining that Mexico got a seed. So what do you want? First you are complaining about "the formula" that means that European results do have more weight than Concacaf ones. Then you are complaining that Mexico (despite being a Concacaf team) getting seeded at the World Cup as as a reflection of their past success in friendlies, the Gold Cup (and as a result of this in the Confederations Cup). You have totally lost me, really. I would be happy if the rankings (and seeding formula) made as much sense as the ELO ratings (like they do for chess masters) http://www.eloratings.net/system.html or if the rankings were based a little more on recent results instead of 4 year old results. I can see the idea of using the last two or three world cup performances in the formula for seeds, but not so much for the rankings which I would argue are more likely to be in flux from year to year. Maybe there's not too much movement at the top 5 places, but beyond that it's a bit wishy-washy. Most of the time, I'd argue that the teams from 10-25 are pretty evenly matched. Putting Scotland, Greece and Romania above Ghana, Ivory Coast and USA doesn't read right to me. However, them all being in the 15-35 range does.

Allthough the US can't really complain imho. Mexico got seeded because of their involvement in the Confederations Cup 2005 (although this is a shit competition) and did well. All what the US (as they are the better team) had to do was to qualify instead of Mexico there. I don't think either deserved a seed. I'm not complaining that Mexico got a seed and the US didn't; I'm simply complaining that Mexico got a seed.

Depends on the game/atmosphere/location. When Bellamy scored against Feyenoord, I was in my aunt's house in India and screamed my head off to the point that everyone came to see if I was alright. Most of the time, a brief shout and then settle back down. Pisses me off and ruins my day if not week/weekend. My wife gets very irritated with it sometimes. Certainly helps my mood.

Sorry, but I still don't understand what point you are trying to make. The ranking is calculated on a pure mathematical base of points accredited to matches over a certain period. So the fact that America are dropping down despite winning a game can for example be down for certain games from four years ago not being considered any more or something similar. And the fact that Mexico are ranked higer is just because they collected more points in that period. Nothing else (well, of course you could consider cheating...). My point was more that the weighting of results while better now is still not quite right IMO. I'm not quibbling with the math, I'm quibbling with the formula. Also, the way in which 'strength of opponent' is calculated leads to the rankings being somewhat self-sustaining. It does, but then again teams like Australia, USA and Mexico have comparatively easy routes to the World Cup, so they then get the chance to prove their worth where it really matters. Actually, I disagree with the premise that their routes to the World Cup being easier gives them a chance to prove their worth. Playing conditions and officiating in Central America are worse than most European managers can really imagine. Take the last US qualifier in Panama for example. The US had three players injured by tackles at the knee and yet there was never so much as a booking until the 90th minute when Panama were losing 3-0 and getting more blatant in their frustration. But more than that, playing sub-standard opposition makes it more difficult to be in form and ready to play top class teams when you only bring in your full top squad once in a blue moon. I appreciate that, their routes to the finals are easier imo, which was more my point. Performing once you get there isn't made easier by the logistics of getting squads together etc. I just meant that USA gets the chance to play in the World Cup so they shouldn't be too bothered about the rankings. I'm not particlarly bothered about where the US is ranked in them because they're meaningless. I wish they had more meaning and could actually be used as some sort of a yardstick, though. They did enter into the seeding decisions for the 2006 World Cup, though, and I feel it was a travesty that Mexico got a seed. The US is a better team than Mexico, and so were several other non-seeded teams. e.g. Czech Republic, Portugal, Netherlands (who lost out b/c they missed 2002), and arguably Ghana and the Ivory Coast. If they're going to be used for such an important thing (mexico would NEVER have gotten to the 2nd round without a seed) then they should be fixed. That being said, I think a great way to alleviate part of the problem would be to lump the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL federations together into one big qualifying group. It's a financial thing though, since teams like Grenada can hardly afford to go to Canada and Argentina for qualifying matches.