The Republic of Sport

The Special One

The Special One's Comments

Posted Saturday November 28, 2009, About: Feilhaber receiving overseas interest

I am all for this, the more attacking minded mids we have the better orr we will be. Long-ball football must die :)

Posted Thursday November 19, 2009, About: Toronto FC to hire Preki

So you thinking a little of both? A little (or a lot :)) of the B-list players and some poor coaching in the 2nd half?

Posted Thursday November 19, 2009, About: Toronto FC to hire Preki

You know, I didn't get a chance to see the game with Denmark, but on paper it looks like a coaching failure. In that I mean, he had a seemingly good plan to start, but he could not counter the moves made by the Denmark manager. Maybe it was just a case of not having the right people on the bench, but then again, that also is a management decision.

Posted Wednesday November 11, 2009, About: Robinho desperate to exit Man City

http://espn.go.com/soccer/worldcup/news/_/id/4447078/GuideToSPI

It actually is a predictive model, and it is quite brilliant. Nate Silver came up with it and he is a genius with numbers. I think he made his name with baseball stats. The link is to the down and dirty. Here is his take:
Unlike other soccer ratings systems, SPI is explicitly designed to be predictive -- so a team like Argentina, which in fact struggled to qualify for the World Cup, won't be penalized that much provided the system is convinced that the talent is still there. The two main innovations in the SPI are to incorporate results from club play -- if Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o scores a goal for Inter Milan, it will (marginally) help Cameroon's rating -- as well as to incorporate a "competitiveness coefficient" based on the actual lineups that each team used in each match. The latter is important because international soccer clubs play a lot of matches -- friendlies, some second-tier international tournaments -- in which they're essentially sending their taxi squads in, which tell us very little about the teams that will actually be on the field in South Africa next year.
From the Article:
.. it would be quite a shame if a single number could tell us everything that we needed to know about a soccer team. SPI does not. It merely reflects the relatively limited statistical information that is available in international soccer, and does so in a way that is as fair and accurate as possible. In other words, SPI is designed to serve as a general guideline -- as a starting point for debates about team quality. It is not intended to be the ending point or to settle all arguments.

Sounds great, we will see how the model works out.

Posted Tuesday November 10, 2009, About: Barca linked to Liverpool midfielder

Liverpool, suffice to say, cannot afford to lose more player in the midfield.

Posted Sunday November 08, 2009, About: Duka to sign with MLS

That was horrible on 2 counts. He should have been carded (red) on that challenge to Drogba. (moral of the story for floppers: your reputation precedes you, and you often don't get calls you should). The rake on Carvalho should have been at least a second yellow. One way of the other he needs a good SAF slappin'.

Posted Sunday November 08, 2009, About: Beckham staying for MLS playoffs

So true, the CDM role is so critical in the age of wide backs going forward. So much pressure on that center of defense when those backs press up. It often collapses with one of the center backs going wide and the CDM sliding back a bit to pick up for that now wide, center back.

Posted Saturday November 07, 2009, About: Yankees to pass on free agents?

Yeah, but is it in Brooklyn, because if it isn't I'm not interested, like the Yankee's weren't interested.

Posted Saturday November 07, 2009, About: Can Tottenham stadium top Chelsea's naming rights?

For the record, I think the whole business of naming rights stinks. I was so thankful growing up in Baltimore to have Memorial Stadium and Oriole Park At Camden Yards. Look at what sits across the street..Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards, err. I mean, PSINet Stadium, er...I mean Ravens Stadium, er...I mean M&T Bank Stadium....
All those names in ~10 years. Cheapens it all. You will note the same thing, although to a much smaller extent, happened in Houston with Enron Field Astro's Field to Minute Maid Park. (The Ballpark at Union Station was always better)

Posted Tuesday November 03, 2009, About: Altidore returning to Villarreal?

I'm not so sure Villareal is out of the question anymore for him. They have been pretty awful this year so far, and 9 points from 9 matches, and a GD of +9 only after a 5-0 win this past weekend (so 6 point from 8 matches).
Also, I think it is premature from 1 game against an 0-5 away team to say anything has turned a corner. I mean it was Tenerife, statistically almost the worst defending team in La Liga (Xerez is worse by GD). Also they had 9 points from 8 matches with a -7 or so GD.

Posted Monday November 02, 2009, About: U.S. calls up Castillo

I agree with you 100% We point to some of these indivuals, who are really exceptions, and hold them as the standard.
Examples, IMO - Boswinga, Evra, Abidal to name a few (a very few) who defend decently well and can go forward well.

Posted Monday November 02, 2009, About: U.S. calls up Castillo

Hehe...I know how you feel. I coach up here in MYSA the U-10s traveling this time around, and I had some kids who liked to play defense, and played it well. It killed me to move them out of that position. But you know how that want everyone to move around...

Posted Monday November 02, 2009, About: U.S. calls up Castillo

It is funny, I started as a back and was pushed up to holding mid as I got taller and showed I can handle the ball at my feet. I enjoyed it, and you are right, I had some colleagues who had good technical skill, pushed back and wide, and I felt I spent a good portion of the game reminding them there angles were back, why they were caught out of position etc....
Some adapted well, but most were nothing but mediocre backs, and their defensive mistakes, in retrospect, hurt more than their offensive contributions.

Posted Sunday November 01, 2009, About: Are MLS teams playing not to lose?

"There are a lot of games in our league that I can't watch," he said. "The problem in our league isn't who is or isn't in the playoffs; it's that not enough people want to watch our league yet, and we have to convince them that our league is worth watching."

I cannot find fault with that sentiment in any way.

Posted Saturday October 31, 2009, About: Man City Tevez told to learn English

I'll be honest too, I have a bias against short forwards ;) They irritate me, and I loved knocking them are the top of the box as a holding midfield.

Posted Saturday October 31, 2009, About: Mowbray on Celtic hot seat

Is the rumor I heard about Rangers and Celtic wanting in to the EPL just rubbish or does it have legs?

Posted Saturday October 31, 2009, About: Man City Tevez told to learn English

Totally, if Tevez was a Yank, we would hear the stories of the typical arrogant American unwilling to embrace new cultures.

Posted Friday October 30, 2009, About: Blanco leaving Fire for Mexico

I agree, and I think overall the game was decently officiated. The game was physical, as soccer can be. I don't think Grandpa Pat needed a red, it was an appropriate yellow. They even mentioned to rule at game time. Push to the face/neck etc.. above the shoulders is a straight red, anything below is a judgement call. It was a playoff match, it was physical, I am giving a yellow in that situation, too. I am not changing the nature of the game based on a call early in the match. I enjoyed the match. That stadium was rockin', made me proud of the progress soccer has made in this country.

Posted Friday October 30, 2009, About: Hull City gives Brown one last chance

Like Newcastle? :)

Posted Friday October 30, 2009, About: Blanco leaving Fire for Mexico

I couldn't resist!

Posted Friday October 30, 2009, About: Blanco leaving Fire for Mexico

That is the biggest load of **** I have seen on these boards in a long time. I played baseball, basketball and soccer growing up from about 9 onward through college. Baseball was by far the least challenging, and in boring as all snot. Thankfully being a lefty I spent most of my time pitching where I was involved on every pitch. When I hear people talk about soccer being too boring, I assume they have never sat through the snore-fest that is current MLB.
Basketball was fun, and fast and I enjoyed it but used it primarily for sprint drills in the offseason for soccer.
In reality most kids stop playing soccer because it is far more demanding than pretty much any other sport we play in the states, with the exception of lacrosse and hockey. As the kids progress in ages and become faster and stronger, many realize they don't have the lower body coordination to do well. Humans evolved to have hand eye coordination, we throw sticks and rocks for a living, but nature never asked us to kick a rock at our prey. A good midfield player in a soccer match will run between 5.5-6 miles a game. All the while keeping the legs strong enough to make pinpoint passes and shots etc.. That is impressive to do, if you don't think so come on out and I'll run your *ss ragged.
In short I think you need to pay attention to how many pro-athletes are in to soccer. Welker and Moss doing soccer drills in NE (google it). Moss asked Welker his secrets for running clean routes and Welker said it was soccer that helped him the most. Kobe and KG and their love of soccer. Shaq apparently is a Benfica fan. Steve Nash's assistance with the slam dunk competition a few years back chipping the ball up to be dunked was classic. I am sure there are more.