Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Open Thread: The November Friendlies


I know you're angry and scared, Fabio. An England midfield without Gerrard is a truly frightening thought

No, the November Friendlies isn't the name of a new band from Ohio and we're not Pitchfork. It's time for international duties at the worst possible time, and in a period where everyone is so gripped by the league in full swing, or the Mickey Mouse Cup, or the early rounds of the FA Cup, or the Champions League, or the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, or Gentlemen's Clubs or... well, you get the idea.

So many England regulars have handed in sick notes, and they're facing ze Germans in Deutschland this evening, while some permed Argentine with a runny nose is prepping a team to play up in Scotland. No clue what that's all about.

Talk about it all here. Will Maradona quit by half-time? Will England's B team do anything worth paying attention to in Germany? How many of your team's players will get hurt tonight (please, I beg you Daniel Agger, stay out of any nasty challenges)?

Quote BBC live-texter Caroline Cheese (yes, her real name):
I've just been in the United States of America for a couple of weeks, which is an utterly brilliant country except for the chronic lack of proper sport. I mean, the bombshell news about Aidy Boothroyd's departure from Watford did not warrant a mention in a single newspaper. Not a single one. Unbelievable. It was all Obama this, Obama that. So personally I couldn't be more excited about this evening's action, my first taste of soccer… ahem, football, for fully 21 days. You?


Ouch. Still, she's ready (and her sarcasm's working nicely), and so are we. To the comments section!


Tonight's Today's games:
Denmark vs. Wales (kicked off at 2.15pm ET... nothing of note thus far)
Germany vs. England
Northern Ireland vs. Hungary
Scotland vs. Argentina

Other notables:
Oh, who am I kidding, there are none. Serbia beat Bulgaria 6-1 earlier, in case you bet the under by mistake.

LINEUPS:
Germany: Germany: Adler, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Westermann, Compper, Schweinsteiger, Rolfes, Jones, Trochowski, Gomez, Klose.
Subs: Wiese, Hinkel, Tasci, Helmes, Podolski, Marin, Hitzlsperger, Schafer, Weis.

England: James, Johnson, Terry, Upson, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Carrick, Barry, Downing, Defoe, Agbonlahor.
Subs: Carson, Robinson, Lescott, Richards, Mancienne, Davies, Parker, Bullard, Young, Crouch, Bent.
---

Northern Ireland: Taylor, Duff, Evans, Baird, McGivern, Gillespie, Clingan, O'Connor, Brunt, Lafferty, Healy.
Subs: Mannus, Tuffey, McGinn, Feeney, Shiels, Paterson, Thompson.

Hungary: Babos, Bodnar, Rudolf, Juhasz, Vanczak, Halmosi, Toth, Vadocz, Huszti, Gera, Torghelle.
Subs: Fulop, Vermes, Feczesin, Horvath, Dardai, Dzsudzsak, Szalai.

---
Scotland: McGregor, Hutton, Caldwell, McManus, Broadfoot, Brown, Hartley, Ferguson, Commons, McFadden, Iwelumo (how he keeps his place is beyond me).
Subs: Marshall, Alexander, Naysmith, Maloney, Clarkson, Berra, Miller, Robertson, Barr, McAllister.

Argentina: Carrizo, Zanetti, Demichelis, Heinze, Papa, Rodriguez, Mascherano, Gago, Gutierrez, Lavezzi, Tevez.
Subs: Romero, Coloccini, Denis, Cata Diaz, Villagra, Burdisso, Sosa, Lopez, Montenegro, Gonzalez.

---
Denmark: Denmark: Sorensen, Bogelund, Agger, Rasmussen, Kroldrup, Kristensen, Norregaard, Nordstrand, Krohn-Delhi, Bendtner, Rommedahl.
Subs: Andersen, Mtiliga, Jorgensen, Andreasen, Retov, Vingaard, Ilso, Larsen.

Wales: Myhill, Gunter, Williams, Collins, Bale, Edwards, Ramsey, Nyatanga, Collison, Bellamy, Evans.
Subs: Hennessey, Tudur-Jones, Blake, Ricketts, Morgan, Eardley, Vokes.
---

34 comments:

Jacob said...

I liked The November Friendlies better when they were on K Records.

Jacob said...

Poland score before the liveblogger for SkySports even gets going.

Bigus Dickus said...

"It's all going swimmingly for England," reckons Clive Tyldlsey in that nasally way of his. And that's Germany's cue to dispossess Barry in mid-way and venture forward with pace. England regroup well and Schweinsteiger is obliged to knock the ball backwards. It eventually comes all the way back to the keeper and Germany have to rebuild, which they attempt to do but Jones eventually mis-controls a hopeful long ball and, frankly, it's just like watching England of old. This new England are well on top. "

From the Guardian....Come on England.....Sorry Geoger..I'll whisper....come on england.

BackBergtt said...

pitchfork died to me when they gave zaireeka a 0.0

Jacob said...

Yuck. 1-0 Argies. Shots are probably 5-0 at the 8 minute mark.

I've owned Zaireeka for how long now? 0.0 was probably for the modal average of plays it gets.

BackBergtt said...

i think you misunderstood my confederacy comparison. pull for your country all you want but dont act like one act of success nearly half a century ago makes your recent failures less than the united states recent failures

its like dave chappelle said, the ten year old kid with cancer who had a dying wish of meeting michael jackson, that kid is full of shit he doesnt remember thriller hes only ten years old.

Bigus Dickus said...

GOOOOOOALLLLLLLL!!!! Take that Gerry!

Upson. One in the eye of the auld enemy.

I LOVE YOU FABIO!

Jim Hendry said...

Georger: did they really? I liked that album a lot. It was "crazy".


Also... England up 1-0, thanks to Matthew Upson. The German keeper pulled a Gomes and fluffed on a corner leading to a toe-poke from 4 yards.

BackBergtt said...

zep a 0.0

ill admit it was one of their weaker albums but they were trying something noone else had done. pitchfork is just so goddamn pretentious. listen you smarmy bastards just because a rapper is an english woman doesnt mean she is good.

Bigus Dickus said...

Georger.

Who mentioned 66? You ever heard me crowing about how we won the World Cup? I have suffered defeats on penalties and had no success in my life as an England fan. Nowt but misery. You obviously know some annoying twonk who rubs you up the wrong way. Don't stick us all in the same boat mate. Maybe you could ask him to just rub you up regular style. Probably more enjoyable.

BackBergtt said...

zep = yep

what the hell

BackBergtt said...

when you said sing my song when the usa wins the world cup i thought thats what you were referring to, the fact that england had and the usa had not.

Bigus Dickus said...

Hardly crowing. You made the quip first. I have been dying for some England joy since birth. Even Auto has felt my pain during a penno shootout. I hibernate for two weeks following... Of all the scribblings I have squirted out from my miniscule brain you will never once have found one reference boasting a World Cup win.

BackBergtt said...

well i misunderstood then what you were saying my bad.

transfer everything i directed at you to matt then.

Bigus Dickus said...

Okies. Sorry Matt.

Regardless..42 years is a long wait.

BackBergtt said...

christmas on mars finally came out. movie and the soundtrack.
im terrified of how weird it surely is.

BackBergtt said...

listen, if a country other than the usa has to win the world cup (PERISH THE THOUGHT) id like it to be england. for one my club captain plays for them. two, i speak english. three, poland is fucking awful and thats my heritage.

it just irks the shit out of me that people my age act like england is so vastly superior to the united states. sure their talent is better but since we've been around theyve done fuck all. youve got that bit of history but results are what matter, so yeah i take a bit of joy when they miss a tournament or bow out early because it shuts those smug fuckers up. bad apples ruining the bunch.

Bigus Dickus said...

Poland? I thought you were from Georger?

half time 1-0.

In your haus jerry!

BackBergtt said...

oh man greece up on italy in the battle of the most boring game ever played

Bigus Dickus said...

Did you know England are beating Germany in Berlin?

BackBergtt said...

and italy right back level
well now its surely destined for a draw

BackBergtt said...

englands playing today?

Precious Roy said...

At home with Ribery, Anekla, and Henry and France are still being outshot by Uruguay.

How does Domenech keep his job?

Bigus Dickus said...

47 mins: Germany begin the second half looking angry, but still fairly rubbish. Within moments they've gifted possession to Wright-Phillips, who charges down ... and then over it.

-Guardian.

BackBergtt said...

thats two time world cup champion uruguay to you pal

and it all comes full circle



assuming domenech doesnt make it to south africa (god help you if he does) who would you want to take over? DD? GH? .. dare i say ... AW?

Bigus Dickus said...

ZZ?

BackBergtt said...

im still holding out hope zidane unretires and dominates the mls

and im using initials because i cant spell french names

Precious Roy said...

Me? Not French. I'm the Eye-tal. I don't care what happens to Domenech... Wait, actually I hope he keeps his job because France ain't winning anything with him in charge.

Germany level. Terry Fail!

phil said...

I, unfortuantely, cannot share Georger's sentiment. By nationality, I am American, and so root for USMNT, but by heritage, I'm Irish, so I cannot support England. So, pretty much, when the World Cup rolls around, I'm fucked. But at least I'm saved the overweening pride and inevitable disappointment of the England fans.

Bigus Dickus said...

Carson is a pleb. Why does he still get picked? That was was for Helmes poochie.

Email us at said...

Terry certainly upped the degree of difficulty on that, but Carson's biggest weaknesses are 1) he doesn't command his area and 2) he cannot catch.

Capello would be a lot better off with Green or Foster in the squad now that Hart's injured

BackBergtt said...

sorry roy i couldnt remember who was who on the french/italy thing.

my sincerest apologies for associating you with that shit show

Bigus Dickus said...

woooooooooo. Hooooooooooooo.

Get in fabio.

Unknown said...

Yeah, I'm late to this party (like the England national side of old), but tonight - all congrats to my beloved England. Yeah, I love my country too.

But seeing as I had all of Georger's bag of shit dumped on me, might I point out that I too never once mentioned 1966...

PR: "Two World Wars and One World Cup? Not without some serious help on all three."

Georger: wow. i am in your debt sir that is the ultimate slam on england fans.

So there. Great way to bring up a 66 reference then accuse someone else of milking it. Nice one.