Champions League or Opening Day?
by Wes Cox on Apr 8, 2008 9:46 AM CDT
70 comments
OK, so Tom Hick's is going to attend Opening Day this afternoon. Normally this wouldn't be interesting at all, but Liverpool is hosting Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final today...
It's probably making everyone in Liverpool hate him even more.
"I would never miss our home opener, but I will have the Liverpool game on my TV. I saw two great games over there last week."
Despite his father's absence, Tom Hicks Jr will be at Anfield for the first time since he was involved in a fracas with the club's supporters following the Premier League match with Middlesbrough on February 23. The incident happened when Hicks Jr went for a drink in the Sandon pub following the match, where he was reportedly spat at and had beer thrown at him before being rescued by his minders.
So given the choice which would you rather attend today?
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Opening Day, no question.
I know soccer is the biggest sport in the world - blah, blah, blah. In the United States, it's a game for orange wedges and little kids. I know some on here are huge fans, but I just don't get it. Just like I could understand why someone in Europe would find baseball boring. Face it, it's a second tier sport in the states. Hicks should be at opening day.
Hello Win Column!
by jboll on Apr 8, 2008 9:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
a couple things...
1) when you got over 30 million on the line for a single 90 minute game, you dont hit the 1st of 82 games....
2) you will see a time in the not to distant future where MLS is plucking and developing those orange wedges eating little kids and giving them contracts before they ever have a chance to play another sport, when that happens watch out for the next deion.
3) Baseball takes money with select teams and gloves and bats etc. It adds up. Basketball raised the age so you have to spend a year in college and is talking 2 years in the future. NFL is 3 years in school. When all the urban youth realize all you need is a ball and if your really talented in these other sports you can right your own ticket in footy for the pros by 12, the other sports are gonna suffer. while all these other US sports other than baseball are making it tougher and tougher to go pro early, pro soccer develops their talent from the age of 8 up. MLS will get there, and when they do, the urban youth of america are gonna flock to it. and when they do, it will be the new basketball in every sense.
4) you dont miss your teams AFC championship game to go to your NBA teams opening day.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That prediction you just made
People have been making it since the 70s.
FYI.
Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.
by Brian Thomas on Apr 8, 2008 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Truth.
I've heard it since at least the days of Pele.
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
by DJCahill on Apr 8, 2008 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
right
but that was before pro soccer teams in america were giving full scholarships to youths and other american sports went out of their way to make it so hard for a talented youngster to go pro.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also
There's a lot more Americans playing in Europe now, and not just in second and third-tier leagues like the Norwegian and Danish leagues. Fulham has four Americans in their squad; Reading and Derby each have two, and all eight have been on at least one World Cup roster. Everton has Tim Howard, one of the best GK's in the EPL, and Blackburn has Brad Friedel, who is a former Liverpool player.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
by RCCook on Apr 8, 2008 4:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Soccer might become more popular
but it's hardly a threat to the NFL, NBA, and MLB. It might nudge ahead of the NHL in many markets, but I just don't think it's either tv-friendly enough (vs. NBA or NFL) or stat-friendly enough (MLB) to come close to the big 3.
A working class hero is something to be.
by t ball on Apr 8, 2008 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
wrong term
not tv-friendly isnt the right usage, its not advertising friendly enough.
i still think the reason the NBA is where it is, is b/c of the talent of the league and nothing more. the reason they have that talent is b/c all you need to get good is a ball and a street corner, nothing more. but the NBA has made it where rookies can only sign limited dollar alotments and year amounts for rookies, and rookies have to spend a year in college. when all you need is a ball thats one thing, but when you tell kids how long they can sign, how much they can sign and when they can sign, even the urban kids arent total idiots, its all about the $$$.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 5:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, I meant tv-friendly
as in, it's just not as good on the screen as football and basketball. Probably much more fun in person, like baseball, to me anyway.
A working class hero is something to be.
by t ball on Apr 8, 2008 5:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If they added
a Rochambeau element somewhere I'd watch more games.
A working class hero is something to be.
by t ball on Apr 8, 2008 6:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
if the next lebron could sign at 12 would he stick around to play a different sport?
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 5:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
crappy link
http://www.dallassoccernews.com/article.php?article_id=1279
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ahh
I see what you did...You gave props to your cross-town rival Howard but classed Friedel as nothing but a Liverpool throw-away. But we got the last laugh when Jerzy Dudek was still Liverpool's goalie and Friedel was (and still is) one of the best in the league. ;)
by Hypo-Luxa on Apr 8, 2008 5:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly...
Big Bad Brad ain't not chopped liver. You can't be taking pot shots at Blackburn with Hypo-Luxa and I around
Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.
by rangers85 on Apr 8, 2008 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
American Goalkeepers?
some of the best in the world?
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's the one thing the Americans are good at...
My theory is that with the American mindset of me, me, me, the goalie position is the one that you get the most attention for so some of the better athletes have gone toward that position. You'd think striker would be there too, but it seems to be a pretty bare position through the last 10-15 years.
Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.
by rangers85 on Apr 8, 2008 6:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I always thought
That the US goalie crop being so above par was because of the Hands over Feet nature of Americans. All of our sports are hands oriented and the technical aspect of footwork is resigned to keeping balance and such. Americans' hand-eye coordination is so much better than our foot-eye coordination it seems....
I dunno, could be a crack-pot theory, but that's my take.
by Hypo-Luxa on Apr 8, 2008 6:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The staunchly valiant keeper at the end of this staunch film would staunchly and wholeheartedly concur
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cJBAFXeQFC8&feature=related
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/EscapeToVictory.jpg
Alas, my googliposting skills aren't up to snuff. I wish I knew how to post the actual picture.
My HS soccer team used to watch that film before every big game. The good mojo carried us for awhile, but eventually we got steamrolled like wee bitches.
Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.
by Brian Thomas on Apr 8, 2008 8:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Friedel
It wasn't meant as a shot- I was just merely stating that Friedel played for Liverpool. The fact that he was good enough to start for one of the Big Four is pretty impressive, even if the manager at the time didn't value him.
Dudek was a very average keeper- I'd take Friedel over him in a second.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
by RCCook on Apr 8, 2008 9:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Opening day
soccer is best watched on tv while doing something else, like napping.
A working class hero is something to be.
by t ball on Apr 8, 2008 10:03 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
As anyone who knows me can attest
I'm a huuuge fan of the footy. However, Opening Day is a once a year thing. the Champion's League is huge, I'll agree especially for a club who is in the only competition left where they can actually get some hardware.
The liverpool fans cannot understand why Opening Day is so important to Hicks because they probably cannot understand the concept of owning mulitple teams in different sports. The Liverpool fans (Talking about the scousers, not the US contingent) aren't really that bright anyway and will take the piss out of Hicks no matter what.
Any other reasonable fan would acknowledge that this day in Arlington takes precedence.
by Hypo-Luxa on Apr 8, 2008 10:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Hicks
As a Liverpool fan, I don't begrudge him being in Arlington today.
Now for me personally, it's going to be a very tough decision- do I switch over to the Champions League match at 1:30, or keep watching the Ranger game? Granted, I can tape one while watching the other, so it's not like I'll miss either one.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
by RCCook on Apr 8, 2008 10:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
As a Blackburn fan...
only Liverpool game I'm interested in is the one where Blackburn goes into Anfield on Sunday and takes them to the house.
Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.
by rangers85 on Apr 8, 2008 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Opening Day
Speaking of Opening Day, I'm off to the game!
And with the 22nd overall selection the Dallas Cowboys select Jonathan Stewart.
by TheBZA on Apr 8, 2008 10:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Is this seriously a question
on a baseball blog? Watching a bunch of guys run around with juice boxes and orange slices and faking injuries or watching a home opener?
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
by DJCahill on Apr 8, 2008 10:55 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I think the 10 people who voted soccer game
should be booted from LSB.
I would do just about anything to be at opening day. Sadly I'm at my desk on the other side of the country...
by JBImaknee on Apr 8, 2008 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
boot me then
today is champions league, ill be at the rangers game in person tomorrow.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
faking injuries
Tell that to Eduardo:
http://www.javno.com/en/sports/clanak.php?id=136765
But that river of tears has dried for all of us.
by trza on Apr 8, 2008 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Btw, honestly...
I don't think it's that big of a deal. If Rangers were in the playoffs and Liverpool had their first game at Anfield and Hicks chose the Rangers playoff game, they'd cry bloody murder too. Hicks can do no right in the eyes of the Liverpool scousers.
Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.
by rangers85 on Apr 8, 2008 11:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
+1
same with alot of Rangers scousers.....
by Dirk Diggler on Apr 8, 2008 3:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow
Hicks totally should have gone to the Champions League game. Crazy stuff.
www.mavsmoneyball.com
by Wes Cox on Apr 8, 2008 3:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
That was painful.
Arsene better friggin' spend some of his warchest at the next transfer window. No way should we have lost to those scousers. Losing Flamini hurt us but the whiff my Adebayor did us in.
At least it wasn't Tottenham.
PS - Another reason to hate Hicks.
by RangerRedCaps on Apr 8, 2008 4:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
God I hope so.
I don't see ManU moving on past Barca.
by RangerRedCaps on Apr 8, 2008 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i havent seen any reason to think
ManUre will lose to barca.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 4:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Babbel and Torres are awesome
to see talent like that on display of LFC is sick, you never coulda convinced me they would have that kinda talent at the Kop one season ago.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 4:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Babel & Torres
As excited as I was when the Reds signed Torres, when they signed Babel, my thought was "wow, how did Arsenal not sign him?"
Babel is the kind of player Arsenal has been finding in droves the last few years- fantastic athletes who can also play some pretty good football. I'd like to see Liverpool add another one or two this summer. Of course, another monster goal-scorer like Torres wouldn't hurt either!
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
by RCCook on Apr 8, 2008 4:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
sure
yeah, buy another few players at record amounts just so you can underachieve in the League...again...
Sometimes it disgusts me how teams throw money around without a damn while Hughes is given a few coppers and some curries for his transfer budget...
by Hypo-Luxa on Apr 8, 2008 4:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
spending a ton of money isnt the issue
the issue is when you spend it on morientes' and carricks'
spending top money to get the best of the best, if your the best of the best, isnt bad. you wanna have the money the big boys do, win in europe. win a top 4 spot in the league. and then spend it (gooners?) If any1 expects a Chelski savior to piss away a ton of money, its a pipedream.
im just glad the reds keep winning, it will force hicks to spend the money instead of make excuses.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmm
So spend money to keep up with the Joneses even if you don't need to? What's wrong with the strike force of Babel, Torres, Crouch, Kuyt? The match congestion too much for that 4 some? If so, then why spend loads on a Kuyt or a Babel when all you need to do is just buy the hottest flavor of the month like Torres?
Thierry Henry's on the market for 16 million or so. You wanna go buy him just so he can start a few games?
I cannot wait until the Euro Championships get underway so the next big thing can be scrabbled over by the "best of the best" like a bunch of housewives at a Linens N Things Clearance Sale.
by Hypo-Luxa on Apr 8, 2008 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Crouch is gone, Kuyt might stick around and Babbel has been playing wide
that means that they need a right wing who can blow by people and cross and get back to defend, and another key striker like Kun Aguerro.
out of the 4 you listed, 2 are stars for the future, 1 is sure fire gone this offseason and one is playing wide and doing pretty good after failing to make an impact at the position he was brought in to strengthen, and they are gonna need another centerback next season.
thats 3 guys they need if they wanna be considered a truly world class club.
i dunno about keeping up with the joneses
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 5:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Spending
Liverpool didn't actually spend that much this past summer.
Lucas, Babel, Benayoun, Itandje, and Leto's purchase prices were almost exactly the same as the money received for Bellamy, Garcia, Gonzalez, Paletta, Cisse, and Sinama-Pongolle. Zero net spending there.
Torres did cost 21-22 million, but that amount of net spending is hardly extravagant for a big EPL club.
Now it's true that Liverpool has the ability to sign players of Torres' caliber- something that many other clubs in England and elsewhere don't- but they're also competing with the likes of Man United, Barcelona, Chelsea, and Real Madrid for those players, clubs with much larger pockets and equal, if not greater, reputations.
As for this summer's signings, Crouch is definitely gone, I'm not sure about Kuyt, and I'd expect at least two of Fabio Aurelio, Riise, and Finnan to depart as well. I'd say we need another wing/striker to play opposite Babel in the 4-2-3-1 formation, as well as top-caliber left and right backs. The name I've heard as a target is Rafinha, currently the right back for Schalke.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
by RCCook on Apr 8, 2008 10:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
RC, your a knowledgeable footy guy
my compliments. ive read finnan is as good as gone as well, i also read the rafinha stuff, and think he'd be a good addition. i miss the old riise. he was a top left back in the league if not world at one point and now rafa doesnt start him. thats too bad. i gotta think he'd be a welcome addition to the starting 11 of just about any team short of your reals' and manu's. i wanna see him get a chance again, im coming to the sad fact it likely wont be with the reds, they need to give him some time on the pitch though as the season closes up. they need an evra type attacking back, ive read some and seen a couple matches about rafinha and he sounds like that kinda guy. also they signed a kid who was in Dallas Cup from argentina name Insua who is a LB but is still like 17, meaning he prob gets loaned out or sumpn next year for seasoning, or gets a couple games.
your right about them spending about what hicks and co. recieved in transfers plus about 20M pounds, if they can do about the same with Crouch and Finnan and a couple others on the way out and have 40M to play with or more (btw thats not unreasonable with the success in europe and the extra funds that entails) , they should be major players this summer.
i also read quaresma may be had for a song since porto might be sent down to 2nd division for a bribery scandal at seasons end. that would be nifty.
wing, LB/RB maybe both, and striker to pair with torres.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 10:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Keeping up
So if Man U and Chelsea were after Benzema from Lyon, you are telling me the scousers wouldn't want in that sweepstakes even though you don't really need him?
On a side note...
Does Liverpool not have an academy? I'm just curious because I haven't seen anything from that in a long time. Do the funds from the Academy just get siphoned to the transfer kitty?
by Hypo-Luxa on Apr 8, 2008 5:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
their acadamy
won the dallas cup, and smoked every1, so i guess so. you are right though, i havent seen many kids come out of there since captain amazing and carragher. i think a lot of it has to do with the change in coaching though, it takes time to build the system, its like JD and the rangers, you gotta build from the bottom up and i think they are halfway through the process. the biggest difference is that unlike the rangers, they dont have to sit around and suck for the time being until the rebuild is done, they have the money to buy top class players and still be successful. i guess i compare it too the way the yankees and red sox have rebuilt. rebuilding for the rich is a much easier proposition.
but ManU always has a sick system and they never end up staying with the club, Rossi was sent packing this season, Pique needs to play next or he's gone, etc. At some point you gotta give the kids a shot and if you dont, they go somewhere else.
Benzema im sure every club of world class anything will be in on him, Barca, Real, ManU, i dunno about Liverpool but if its in their budget and the kid is interested id get in their.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 5:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guess
I just like seeing youngsters hitting the big-time even if it isn't for my team. The youth class we had with Duff, David Dunn, Damien Johnson those many moons ago was great, but we haven't produced much since then, so I know how cyclical the youth system is. Unless you're Arsenal and can purchase kids from Africa and France to stock your academy, it takes time.
As much as I dislike WestHam, they have one of the best home-grown, youth set-ups in the world and I respect that. Everton is the same way.
by Hypo-Luxa on Apr 8, 2008 6:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Liverpool Academy
We don't have a lot of talent that's actually 100% home-grown on the way, but like Arsenal, we've been buying up every good youth player we can get our hands on the last few seasons. Jack Hobbs has made a few appearances with the first team this year, and Krisztian Nemeth, who was part of the Dallas Cup squad, should break in next season.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
by RCCook on Apr 8, 2008 10:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Paul Anderson
is another home grown kid, who actually is from Leicester
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Scousers couldn't/wouldn't get in a bidding war with United or the Renties
They don't have the money. Plain and Simple.
I know it's a hypothetical, but Benzema's off to Spain. Probably Real.
by LiamP on Apr 8, 2008 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
not this coming year though, he already said he wants to play next season with Lyon (just signed an extension) and then wants to go to spain or italy.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 7:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
oops reply to Liam....
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 7:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
-1
"You are this month's NYTXFAN." - t ball
by Chase Irwin on Apr 8, 2008 9:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
hwo are you -1ing?
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 8, 2008 9:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he has that on auto reply
Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
by DaheelzCM on Apr 8, 2008 10:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Cool.
"You are this month's NYTXFAN." - t ball
by Chase Irwin on Apr 9, 2008 12:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not so much who
the diary.
"You are this month's NYTXFAN." - t ball
by Chase Irwin on Apr 9, 2008 12:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like soccer...
but this is a no-brainer. Give me Opening Day.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on Apr 8, 2008 10:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Soccer
tickets so I could sell them for $$$$$$$
"He throws that curveball so hard and it snaps 12 to six like you've never seen." - Matt Kemp on Clayton Kershaw
by miles on Apr 8, 2008 11:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
do english much, miles?
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
by Jayslick on Apr 9, 2008 12:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Say waaaa?
"He throws that curveball so hard and it snaps 12 to six like you've never seen." - Matt Kemp on Clayton Kershaw
by miles on Apr 9, 2008 9:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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