I think they should have given Tony Adams more of a go. after all they sold all the good players.

They should of game him one more game. Losing to Liverpool is something Portsmouth expected i guess.

Man Utd will drop points eventually but with a game in hand and 2pts clear, I can't see either Liverpool or Chelsea managing to win more in their current form.

Scolari's exit is going to rattle the team big-style even if he did need to go for the good of their long-term prospects.

Liverpool have more trouble with injuries to their key players and the media baying for blood at some of Benitez's customary contraversial decisions.

There's too much trouble in the back room's of both clubs for them to mount a major threat to United who are just calmly going about business as usual - not playing brilliantly but still scraping results. In all honesty though, if they could only win one thing, I'd sooner see them retain the European Cup and make history than clinch the Premiership.... but that's if I had to choose, which I'm glad I don't cos that way they can win both AGAIN and maybe throw the FA Cup in for good measure like 10 years ago! :D

We will see i guess.

I saw Portsmouth play against Villa and Liverpool and to be honest they looked a decent side, tbh they didnt deserve to get nothing out of both games. Thier best players were sold and Adams was in the process of rebuilding. Pennant was a good buy for them.

I think it was a panic (and undeserved) sacking. The owner has been trying to sell the club, if they go down the chances of someone buying it are slim to none. Also, Portsmouth aren't a big/strong enough team to go come straight back up again and i think they'd really struggle if they got relegated (look at Charlton for an example). The team would need rebuilding because James, Crouch, Johnson, Pennant and maybe more would all leave.

Portsmouth cannot afford to be relegated, hence the sacking.

Meh, sometimes they look dreadful though. I haven't saw them play many good games this season. Against us they weren't anything special either.

Yeah, but would they not get a parachute payment if they were relegated? I think that, as long as they can convince the remaining players they are going to come straight back up, they could easily overcome challengers from the Championship or at the very least negotiate their way through the play-offs. Pompey are a good side even if they've had the setback of losing some of their better players and I agree completely that Adams has been made a scapegoat. It's like they've tried to put a plaster on a broken bone - a useless and stupid decision at such an early stage of his managerial career.

EDIT: In response to liljovi's last comment though, I could say the same for the way Liverpool played in that game and yet the teams are at opposite ends of the table. Liverpool were lucky to get anything from that match let alone all 3pts.

Well put it this way, If West Brom get relegated (looking likely) i reckon they would stand a better chance of coming straight back up than Portsmouth because they would be able to keep the squad together.
Can you really see players that are pushing for international recognition (Crouch, James, Johnson etc) wanting to play in Championship. Never gonna happen! They'd be in big trouble and would need time to rebuild the whole squad.

Not really. It looked that way because of the way the scoreline was going, but in the end, we were the better team. Plus, no Torres, Gerrard, Kuyt, Alonso or Riera playing until later in the game is another reason. I think we deserved the 3 points.

Spain 2- England 0

Spain are a fine specimen of what a team should be and what we need to attain. England did get a few bad ref calls but I dont think it would have made a lot of difference to the result.

Im pleased Becks got his caps .

Dawn

I agree, Spain were great. They are a really good passing side and the better team by far.

My only gripe?

How the **** does Shaun Wright Phillips, and more specifically Stewart ****ing Downing get a place on the England left-wing instead of Ashley Young?? :confused:

Stewart Downing has to be the worst player to pull on an England shirt in the last few years, absoloute bollocks. Wasted every touch he took.

I agree about Downing. Personally, i like SWP and always have. He's quick, got good skill and can score. Same with Young though too. It would be hard to choose.
Made up Spain won. Supported Spain before the euros and still do. Torres had a nightmare start, every touch, every pass was bad. He done some nice turns though which made up for it :)
Villas goal was well took too. Wouldn't mind him playing for Liverpool.

The thread title says it is about football but I have ever heard of any of these guys or teams. Santonio Holmes Rocks!!!!
:)
Dave

SWP showed again last night that most of the time he has no end product. Yeah he's got a couple of tricks but he runs way too far, often getting crowded out. Young may be fast and skillfull, but the difference is he knows when to a release a ball and he does it well.
What's the point of playing strikers like Crouch, Cole and Heskey if we've got wingers (Downing & SWP) incapable of delivering decent crosses?

That's maybe because we're talking about soccer as it's called in America. Here(Europe) we call it football :p

Meh, I'm not bothered about the result too much cos it was a friendly afterall but had the challenge on Heskey in the first half been in a competitive match, I'd have been raging! That one incident could (and should) have seen the defender sent off or Heskey would have been clean through one-on-one. Instead - offside?!?!

There were a few decisions like that but you need a little luck when you're playing teams as good as Spain and we just didn't have it. I don't think we deserved to win it after the second half performance but during the first half, I thought we more than held our own against the European champions.

A watchable match though.

I have never and never will care about International football, so last night's match was boring to me. :p

A player like SWP can do that i think. Downing can't though.

Portugal beat Finland 1-0, scored Ronaldo.
We had 24 shots... Oh well.. at least we won. :cool:

Hate it when we batter teams and only get a 1-0 win lol. Even worse if we lose or draw :p

A win is a win, lads. ;)

yeah, but a win like 5/6 -0 would be much more epic. :D

Yes, of course. But it's always three points no matter how many goals you win by. :p

Yeah, but extra goals give you better goal difference :)

Which should never be needed as you should be picking up your points! :p

But sometimes you can't win every game so you need more goals.

If you won every game 1-0 you have won the title, though.:p

You edited it! :lol:

People could win 2-0 every game :p

Err, not if the other team one 1-0 every game as by default, you have lost to them on two occasions 0-1. ;)

Ohhhhh :mad: :p

I give up! Either way, the more goals the better. :D:D

I should of just said that in the first place.

Fair enough. :p

Who reckons Beckham will stay at Milan?

I think he will. All this "i will be going back to the US" is a load of crap. He only went for the money, we all no that, and now to get his England caps up, he wants to stay at Milan. In some ways it's a good thing, but it just proves how much he wants/wanted the money.

Man, I'm so upset. This is the first season in years I haven't followed the footy and my mate was telling me how exciting this season has been :(

Haha. Yeah, it has crossed my mind that you never really post in this thread.

He will stay at Milan. Definitely.

I think so too.

And the weekend returns! So does the football :D

Belenenses - SPORTING this Saturday. We OUGHT TO win. :p

Liverpool have no game this weekend :)

Time to get players fit.

LA Galaxy have said today that they have not recieved an acceptable offer and will now not be accepting any late offers. So looks like he's definatly going back to LA.

Ooo... I still think he will go though. I think that Milan will place a big offer and it will make LA change their mind.