Another championship for the Glazers!!

[mjs020294]

Clearly he doesn't have the confidence to hit his spot.

Yet he can place a free kick from 30+ yards on a dime piece.  It is baffling why he can't just smash a PK inside the post.

[MBF]

Chelsea were unlucky to lose in that fashion, but it couldn't have happened to a better team of thugs.

They were lucky to get a goal before half time. United should have been 3-0 and the game should have been over. At least the right team won in the end, despite the crappy way it happened.

You're right, it was a fluke of a goal, taking 2 deflections of United defenders before Lampard put it home.

And about Ronaldo...he's pretty damn good. He's only missed 2 penalties this season IIRC, and scored a host of others. Penalties, headers, free kicks, tap ins, backheels....he scores them every way.

[klb55]

Clearly he doesn't have the confidence to hit his spot.

Yet he can place a free kick from 30+ yards on a dime piece. It is baffling why he can't just smash a PK inside the post.

I played for 17 years and the only time I almost missed was in high school when the pressure of the magnitude of the game got to me.  I didn't hit it well and it was almost saved.  I think the pressure of it being only 12 yards away and the fact that is so easy gets to people.  A player of his ability should be able to hit side panel almost everytime.  IMO, many of those shots were not close enough to the corner which indicates the pressure of the situation.  

I became a Man U fan when I saw them back to back years in Philly.  I got to see they play Celtic in Philly about 4 years ago.  The year before that I saw Barcelona play Man U.  It was an electric.  It was a "friendly" and unlike anything I seen before or since.  

[Tampa Bay Todd]

Didn't watch it, don't really care to, but glad the Glazers got another championship for the trophy case.
I will say I watched the movie "Euro Trip" and they did a pretty good satire of the Manchester United Fan Club. At least I hope it was satire 'cause those guys were way over the top in their support of the team. Pretty funny though.
Some of those soccer players have pretty hot wives/girlfriends from what I've seen.

[Neubi]

And about Ronaldo...he's pretty damn good. He's only missed 2 penalties this season IIRC, and scored a host of others.

Sorry, but if he missed 2 this season, than he is pretty average in that category!!
No way I'd send a player in a penalty shooting, if he already missed twice in the season!

[dbucfan]

LOL - yea bucsnoles - you got it - it is the rest of the world. 

It is fine not to like another sport like "soccer" - it is fine not to understand it - but to not understand the sport and critize the sport when others are enjoying a conversation on line is not fine.  You are real good with adjectives - find yourself one that represents ill spent time on an unknow subject and I suspect it will fit.  I am not into the opinion you offered of "organized kickball for is for crybabies".  You are way off base on my perception of the game and what it represents.

To each his own - but don't rain on other folks with meaningless babble that does nothing but take up space on the internet that could be better used left empty.  Just my .02

[mjs020294]

You have to be open minded in life, and many Americans are never really exposed to the game properly.  I know from of taking Americans to Anfield that once they experience the game live they have a new found appreciation for it.  I have taken a few Brits to Ray-J, and they weren't that impressed with NFL football mainly because of all the stops and wasted time. 

I will concede that certain nationalities, <cough> Portuguese, do like to throw themselves on the ground quite a lot.  That sort of stuff is not really acceptable in the UK, try listening to the boos when Ronadlo does it.  Funniest thing I saw all season was Nani (a Man U player) went to ground acting, and his own team mates ignored him and carried on playing.

[Neubi]

I will concede that certain nationalities, <cough> Portuguese, do like to throw themselves on the ground quite a lot.

<cough2> Italians
http://youtube.com/watch?v=O9RZV57Inwo

[JavaBuc]

You have to be open minded in life, and many Americans are never really exposed to the game properly. I know from of taking Americans to Anfield that once they experience the game live they have a new found appreciation for it. I have taken a few Brits to Ray-J, and they weren't that impressed with NFL football mainly because of all the stops and wasted time.

Considering I live in a place that has far more Brits than Americans, I've been exposed to soccer more than most americans.   However, I have yet to become a fan of the game.   I've attended a few big time games live in south america.   One time in Argentina, I thought the fans were so nutty to the point where I felt unsafe at the game.    To say that americans experiencing a game live gives them a new appreciation I think is a bit of an overstatement.   Soccer is extremely easy to understand - perhaps the simplest sport in the world.    And any event where the people are passionate will be somewhat entertaining.     But that doesn't make it more entertaining than NFL for those who can understand the game.

NFL football is extremely complex, most likely the most complicated sport in the world.   I don't see how anyone can appreciate it without growing up with the sport.   To bring Brits to an NFL game that they don't understand is similar to me bringing my indonesian girlfriend to a game.    My girlfriend likes soccer because she can understand it (although she greatly prefers badminton and bowling).   She can't make heads nor tails of NFL football so she doesn't like it.   That's ok, she can give me a special massage while I'm watching an NFL game on TV.   No worries.

[JavaBuc]

I almost forgot to mention...   

GREAT JOB GLAZERS!    It looks like it's easier to win in soccer than in the NFL.   The NFL is just too damn competitive.   I'm glad to see they've gotten involved in a different sport as well where they can walk away with titles easily.

[mjs020294]

Cricket is far more tactical that the NFL

No way is cricket more tactical than NFL. I happen to know cricket quite well due to spending so much damn time in India. You may have to keep track of your bowlers counts and how you use your bowlers, but it's nothing like the strategy of an NFL game where player substitutions and different strategies on every play are key.

ROFLMAO....I love you bro, but my god you make so many ignorant posts its funny.

Cricket is incredibly tactical in terms of rotations and fielder positioning.   A university actually did a survey on sports in the 80s, and cricket was the most tactical sport in the world.  I will go with their findings and my own observations before your opinion if you don't mind.

BTW - I HATE CRICKET

[king_frog]

Neubi,

Ronaldo if not the topped ranked player in the world is either 2 or 3. How do you not let him take a PK??
 I have seen Pele, Gerd Mueller, Rodney Marsh and many of the worlds best at the time blow a PK.
In that situation with the unbelievable amount of pressure it happens. With that being said, it looks so simple when a player walks up and calmly puts it in the corner.
If you miss and fall off the horse, you need to climb right back up in the saddle and do it again.

MJS,
How do you figure that Terry does not take that miss to his grave ?? I know that I would !!!

[dbucfan]

If Ronaldo simply takes the kick, without the "pause" and strikes it solidly - well - losing the pause would benefit him I believe...

Terry will recall the disappointment of that moment for life.  Reconciling the slip of his plant foot will help - but it was all there...

[king_frog]

dbuc,
You are correct about taking the kick direct. Always much better !! I hate when a player stutter steps it trying to read and fake the keeper at the same time.
Just get up there and strike it..

[dbucfan]

That is the second time the "stutter"/stop has failed him.  Now perhaps someone will mention to him that perhaps since he has one of the most accurate and powerful shots in the world a gimmick approach is unwarranted...