Re: Ask Anklebreaker about soccer
 

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working on having leagues have more native players too as the game should be about styles

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So soccer fans believe segregation is good? Do you have any idea how hard it was to get rid of segregation in American sports (and all other aspects of American life). I think you should reconsider your position on this one.

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its not segregation at all. With players fleeing to europe and top clubs buying foriegn players it hurts both the leagues that the players came from and the league that they are being bought into. It has gotten to the point where some teams in leauges have fielded a team that didn't include one player from that nation, this is a major problem. You are looking at this through tunnel vision and are twisting my words to work how you want them to work. There is nothing to rethink about this position as UEFA itself has instituted a policy saying that every club must have at least 4 native players on teh club, and in a few years that number will be up to 8 with a certain amount having to be on the field. This is about keeping football strong in the countries not about segregation

Re: Ask Anklebreaker about soccer
 

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how much soccer do you actually watch.

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I watch the world cup, and a few champions league matches. I'm glad that you've finaly listed a problem with soccer. I still would interested in knowing what you think the biggest problems with soccer are.

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there are lots of problems with football, but it varies from country to country, so giving a uniform set of problems for football as a whole is near impossible IMO. Right now one of the biggest problems in europe is the G14 basically running the club show and they are only looking out for their own intrests, but there are also corruption problems in many of the nations that aren't in the top 5 or 6 leagues. stuff like the goal size, size of teh pitch, etc aren't the real problems with the game and won't make a positive difference IMO, but taking away the massive corporate nature of it will surely make a positive difference and working on having leagues have more native players too as the game should be about styles

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So you believe that there are no overarching problems that effect all of soccer?

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did I not say that there were a few overarching problems, like noting the corporate culture that has come in. The main problems vary though from nation to nation as one nation's problems will be very different from anothers. I don't see how that gets interpreted into there being no overarching problems in the game

Re: Ask Anklebreaker about soccer
 

Name the most active chilean players you can.

Re: Ask Anklebreaker about soccer
 

I've got a question. I played in the early 60's and we played a 2-3-5 formation, with two fulls and three halves. I don't watch much modern soccer, but when I do, I don't really know wtf I'm looking at.

Please pretend you are addressing a 12-year-old of average intelligence and tell me wtf a Sweeper is. At first I assumed they were a re-named fullback, but I see them running around the entire field. In a modern formation, who is the intimidator? Some sweepers seem fairly aggressive, but I don't see them with the big kick (maybe they have them, but don't use them?).

just curious

Re: Ask Anklebreaker about soccer
 

When a team uses a sweeper, that person plays slightly behind the main defensive (fullback) formation. This person is responsible for backing up the defense. At least, that's what we called it when I played in the 90's.

Re: Ask Anklebreaker about soccer
 

Here's a wikipedia article about soccer formations:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formation_%28football%29

Re: Ask Anklebreaker about soccer
 

Formations work to team strengths and how well an attacking centre midfielder can flow the attack.

For defensive teams that rely on counterattacks, they rely on absorbing and disrupting through passes into their half.

I've played every position. It's a toss between keeper and centre defense for what is toughest. Acrobatics is all well and good for a keeper, but he has to be very, very good and natural at recognizing angles and an attacker's intent as he's coming into the box.

Trusting your defense to have potential rushing attackers covered whether by air or by ground is what makes a good team flow on all cylinders. If the defense's solid and have good rapport with each other...

Attacking? Wingers gotta be able to carry the ball well or be very consistent in their crossing into the boxes and corners.

Set pieces are simply drilling, drilling, drilling until the kickker pretty much can do the shots on autopilot. The ability to have a shot that can curve nastily and still have enough moumentum to make it very problematic for the keeper.

Corners. Good lift, good angles, good patterns, knowing the cornertaker's tendencies.

Penalties are a guessing game, during the game. And some calls are debatable, but for the most part, refs get it right. The key is to realize the foul is deterring a genuine go at goal. Whether it's a hip bump or deliberate tackles that may or may not be dirty... The ref has a better handle on the flow and temeprament of the game than those in the stands or watching on TV. It's metagame. Some are obvoius droolers who somehow are still working.

Sometimes there's no heart in the pro game. It's a paycheck, not unlike the major leagues here in NA. You got people who are talented, playing for contracts and stuff. No diffeent, really. That's why country competitions are valued.

Favorite player: Jairzinho. If he hadn't emerged in the Péle era...

Brazil FTW, but not because they dominate. It's the fact you can grab 11 boys off a Carioca beach, kit 'em up, set them up against any league team with the exception of Premiership teams and that elite ilk...

It is a religion. Moreso than most of the world. Samba, soccer, carefree livin'. It's a way out of the favelas for many Brazilian boys and now girls.

Grew up knowin' the Carib approach. Younger brother was a prodigious talent who still plays competitively, but just for fun and free kit mostly in California.

Liverpool... That CL final. What else but Shankly pride would have carried them that second half? They were mostly outclassed on talent.

It's a glorious game. Most of it's about setting up a few golden opportunities. And when that ball crosses the line, it's amazing.

Just a few words. All a boy needs is a ball and a few friends and a stretch of road or a beach, and off a game goes. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Nice thread.

Re: Ask Anklebreaker about soccer
 

I was just at the pub watching this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ls/6042682.stm

European Championship Qualifying : Group F Table

1 Sweden 12
2 Denmark 7
3 Northern Ireland 7
4 Latvia 3
5 Spain 3
6 Iceland 3
7 Liechtenstein 0

*Bounces*

England lost to Croatia 2-0. The 2nd goal was an absolutely horrific mistake where the keeper went to kick a backpass but completely missed the ball.