Luis Enrique

Ballack didn't have as much of a presence going forward or even in midfield because he had to keep back to help out the damnable defense. The defense just could not muster any tactics to counter the Turkish offense. If this is the defense that Germany has in the finals, either Spain or Russia will easily penetrate it.

Crap, crap, crap referee. Glad Spain won despite his inummerable blunders and "oversights."

Ballack's shot. A real cracker! http://www.d1g.com/video/show/?id=2054495 (site's in Arabic so you have to use the scroll down bar on the left)

Another Ballack diary entry from last August:

Didn't Sidwell have his Chelsea contract terms tattooed on his chest? I guess that will have to be altered.

Here's some footage of the tackle. What was Maka thinking??? http://link.brightcove.com/services/player...ctid=1564399636

English language interview with Ballack from Stern magazine. An interesting read. http://www.stern.de/sport-motor/fussball/:...27m/620376.html

On a somewhat related note. I read on another forum that Milan is bleeding money and may have to declare bankruptcy. Has anyone else heard of this?

Hmm, just like they did at the "Christmas party" that Ferdinand organized complete with hundreds of spit roasting candidates. And Ronaldo, Nani, and Anderson's use of the out of town escorts (and they didn't give them a gratuity! Cheapskates!) Funny, The Sun has identified the grounds keeper as a Milwall fan...

PFA voting takes place in January (why, I don't know), so it in no way captures success and play across the season. Fabregas won young player of the year award, but his play since coming back from injury (I think it happened in late November) hasn't been on the same level. The players must face a dilemna when nominating and voting.

God, this just makes me sick in my heart. I have a very elderly mother (82) and the thought, well... RIP Pat Lampard.

Some snowballs may have a fighting chance.... But Messi to leave Barca? Kaka out of Milan? Seriously delusional. Kaka would be more likely to go to Madrid or Man U. I think Messi is pretty happy where he is and he's still quite young to be picking up and moving any time soon.

While I agree with most here that Grant is not the most adequate coach, Ben Haim knows his history in Israel probably better than anyone at Cobham or SB and probably has justifiable reservations. Nontheless, it was a completely unprofessional outburst that has the possibility of undermining the team's solidarity. He acted like a spoiled child who couldn't get the ice cream he wanted for dessert; he should have just sucked it up. He also acted like a player who wants to be sold. I wonder if he realized that he would receive such a hefty fine. Even Drogba didn't get fined after he threw his little fit at the French paper after Mourinho's dismissal.

Cech's face is the only thing Ben Haim has made contact with this season. I have a hard time fathoming how a defender can manage to put the spikes to his own goalie's face.

This is one of the few times the press has written an article that makes complete sense to me. I think it's pretty obvious that there are internal leaks coming either from players, some old coaching staff or both, and Simon Greenberg has admitted as much (interview at CFCnet). In the frame of what has been going on recently, Clarke's desire to set out on his own not only makes sense, but is really a way not just of expanding his future, but preserving it and his reputation. It will be devastating to the players. I think it was the Spurs match where at the beginning of the second half, the players were huddled around Clarke and ignored both Grant and Ten Cate. This speaks volumes about the trust and confidence they have in Clarke and what is lacking in their relationships with Grant and Ten Cate. Ten Cate has really seemed an odd bird for me. I'm not entirely sure why he was brought in. As a tactician and organizer for Grant? To be a liason/mediator with players? He's failed stunningly in both aspects. He had a bad reputation in the Netherlands for having "personality conflicts" with players, so much so that rather than deal with them, he sold them off disregarding the potential effect it could have on his team. It's not surprising when there were rumors about a row with JT. In light of Grant's glaring inadequacies and Ten Cate's prickliness, I suspect that Clarke is the only glue holding the team morale together. I'm not sure that he really has any role beyond this. I think it's pretty clear that he was marginalized by Ten Cate's hiring and whatever wisdom he picked up from Mourinho regarding tactics and his own knowledge about the individual players and what makes them tick has been pretty much ignored. Whatever he decides, good luck to the man. He deserves better than what he's getting.

So Stuttgart has set a sellin price for Gomez: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=522319&cc=5901

The good thing about Avram is that he will probably get the players HE wants, instead of what Roman wants. I think(hope) Roman has learned a lesson not getting involved in buying players too much. Luxury that Jose didn't have. I bet Avram has the ability to go to Roman and Kenyon and justify why he wants a certain player. I don't think Jose was able to do that very well. Let's just hope that Grant actually goes after decent players. I mean the guy can't sub to save his life nor change tactics mid-match. It doesn't bode well.

I think it's pretty safe to say that if it were not for Gomez, Stuttgart would not have won the Bundelsliga championship last season. He's a bit off his goal scoring pace because he started the season with an injury. He's a big guy (6'3") and can be a physical player. Yes, he does look awkward on the field, but he has a nose for the goal. I watched the Germany Switzerland match yesterday and for both goals he came seemingly out of nowhere to strike both times. His first goal was really a thing of beauty. He also assisted on Klose's goal. He'd definitely be worth the money. As for adaptation, he will manage it.

Absolutely. We really need that guy Hey, my cat does that when she's constipated and can't quite get it out. Shameful, shameful reporting.

He's been injured quite a bit at both this year and last. Last year he was also benched because he'd complained to the press about the coach. His play and goalscoring has been affected by his injury status and Klose and Toni's preferred inclusion on the squad. He's still unseasoned and immature. In two or three years time, I think he could be a very good choice depending on how he matures.

That's weird. I would have expected that since most of them grew up working class, that Tory wouldn't be their affiliation. Then again, can't say I know much about UK politics.

I think I remember hearing something about Cech having some tests done in january next year or around that time and then they'll decide what to do. I wonder if Cech will get rid of it if he can or if he'll want to keep it on. Well, if Mrs. Cech has any say in the matter, I suspect he'll keep it since she's heavily pregnant with their first child. Couldn't really blame him if he chose to keep it.

Well, he grew up relatively priveleged, he's now quite wealthy and wants more money, and has had sex scandals of his own, so, yes, it would appear to be a good fit.

He ALWAYS has had his hands on his hips. It's his typical stance. He's done this ever since he started out with Kaiserslautern. His stance is interpreted as laziness, not just by Chelsea fans, but also his own fans when he played for Leverkeusen and Munich. But it's deceptive and he does get the work done. Last CL season when they were clocking how many kilometers players had run during matches, he regularly put in 13 and 14 km.

I'm not inclined to believe any press rumors about Juve right now. Goal.com has Ballack going in January on a 6 month loan (like Chelsea would give him up at ACN time) and a separate article claims that Werder Bremen's Tim Borowski is heading to Juve next season. Does Juve need Borowski and Lampard at the same time?