*Official* English Football Season 2006-07

[Barney Rubble]

Terrible news about Giacinto Facchetti, eh Craig? Guy was only sixty two.

Facchetti died, too? Damn. Been a bad day. RIP, one of the greatest full-backs ever to play the game.

 

[TT Boy]

Facchetti died, too? Damn. Been a bad day. RIP, one of the greatest full-backs ever to play the game.

Yeah cancer, just saw it on UEFA's website.

Nice little eulogy by UEFA

Inter great Facchetti passes away

FC Internazionale Milano president Giacinto Facchetti, one of the Nerazzurri's all-time great players, died today of cancer at the age of 64.

Glory years
Born in Treviglio, near Bergamo in 1942, he played for CS Trevigliese before joining Inter where he revolutionised full-back play in the early 1960s after being converted from a centre-forward by coach Helenio Herrera. Inter's man-to-man marking system allowed Facchetti to attack at will and he scored 60 league goals, a record for a Serie A full-back. A key member of 'la grande Inter' that won the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1964 and 1965 – still their only triumphs – Facchetti also featured in four Serie A-winning sides and lifted the Coppa Italia.

Italy captain
Facchetti made his Italy debut in 1963 and earned a then-record 94 caps, 70 as captain, including the 1968 UEFA European Championship final victory against Yugoslavia and FIFA World Cup final loss to Brazil two years later. His international career ended in disappointment as he was injured shortly before the 1978 World Cup, although his influence was such that he travelled to Argentina as a non-playing squad member.

Italian football has lost one of the best characters in its history
Dino Zoff on Giacinto Facchetti

Zoff honour
Facchetti's former team-mate Dino Zoff, the man who collected the World Cup as Azzurri captain in 1982, said: "I have great memories of Giacinto. We played together for the national team for a long time and he was an extraordinary friend - it was impossible not to love him. Without a shadow of doubt he was a fantastic person both on and off the pitch. Italian football has lost one of the best characters in its history."

President
He had replaced Massimo Moratti as Inter president in January 2004 having previously been vice-president, and also worked on various UEFA committees. He leaves a wife, Giovanna, and four children.

And from Inter's website

Dear Cipe,

I didn't manage to tell you what I wanted to for fear of making you understand that time was inexorable and the illness terrible.
I am sorry, but I think I should thank you most of all for the patience you have always had with me. For your eyes that smiled, until the end, at the enthusiasm or the irony with which I tried to overcome the difficult times with you.
A few days ago you spoke to me with hardly any voice left - and with the expression of someone who loves you - about Inter, projecting your thoughts towards a future beyond our possibilities, humble, ignorant and human.
A few months ago I asked you, half joking and half serious, why we never managed to have a referee as a friend, so we could feel protected at least once. And you, with an expression that was both soft and severe, replied to me that I couldn't ask you this because you weren't capable.
Fantastic. Your great dignity wasn't capable of it, your natural honesty wasn't capable of it. Neither was the sportsmanship that remained intact since your first day at Inter, with Herrera who mistakenly called you Cipelletti, and since then all of us have called you Cipe. Gentle, intelligent, courageous, reserved, far from every vulgar reaction.
Thank you again for having honoured Inter, and with her, all of us.

Massimo Moratti

 

[aussie]

Crime me a river, FFS.

wrong person dawg, ask Timberlake..

 

[aussie]

Actually, the fact that he is being selected and is about 6th or 7th choice centre midfielder only backs up what I've said about them being a long long way down the pecking order

ok yes thats true,, but it doesn't mean that Jenas is better than the names i mentioned or deserves to be in side more than them.

 

[Matteh]

dawg

I thought you'd stopped this?

 

[aussie]

And hows he then going to get in the squad, let alone the team?

Well looking at the first choice mid-fielders have, Hargreaves is first choice DM with Carrick is main rival, Gerrard on the right with Lennon as back-up, Cole on the left with downing as back-up, so that leaves Lampard out. I know Gerrard & Cole would be considered as a back-up there as well but i think McClaren would want them to concentrate more on their roles as wingers.

So if Parker can stay injury free between now & Euro 2008 & becoming a goal-scoring mid-fielder (doesn't have to be of the Lampard class) to add to his other very good attributes, based on what i've seen of him in the past, McClaren would be crazy not to recall him.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Yeah cancer, just saw it on UEFA's website.

Nice little eulogy by UEFA

Inter great Facchetti passes away

FC Internazionale Milano president Giacinto Facchetti, one of the Nerazzurri's all-time great players, died today of cancer at the age of 64.

Glory years
Born in Treviglio, near Bergamo in 1942, he played for CS Trevigliese before joining Inter where he revolutionised full-back play in the early 1960s after being converted from a centre-forward by coach Helenio Herrera. Inter's man-to-man marking system allowed Facchetti to attack at will and he scored 60 league goals, a record for a Serie A full-back. A key member of 'la grande Inter' that won the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1964 and 1965 – still their only triumphs – Facchetti also featured in four Serie A-winning sides and lifted the Coppa Italia.

Italy captain
Facchetti made his Italy debut in 1963 and earned a then-record 94 caps, 70 as captain, including the 1968 UEFA European Championship final victory against Yugoslavia and FIFA World Cup final loss to Brazil two years later. His international career ended in disappointment as he was injured shortly before the 1978 World Cup, although his influence was such that he travelled to Argentina as a non-playing squad member.

Italian football has lost one of the best characters in its history
Dino Zoff on Giacinto Facchetti

Zoff honour
Facchetti's former team-mate Dino Zoff, the man who collected the World Cup as Azzurri captain in 1982, said: "I have great memories of Giacinto. We played together for the national team for a long time and he was an extraordinary friend - it was impossible not to love him. Without a shadow of doubt he was a fantastic person both on and off the pitch. Italian football has lost one of the best characters in its history."

President
He had replaced Massimo Moratti as Inter president in January 2004 having previously been vice-president, and also worked on various UEFA committees. He leaves a wife, Giovanna, and four children.

And from Inter's website

Dear Cipe,

I didn't manage to tell you what I wanted to for fear of making you understand that time was inexorable and the illness terrible.
I am sorry, but I think I should thank you most of all for the patience you have always had with me. For your eyes that smiled, until the end, at the enthusiasm or the irony with which I tried to overcome the difficult times with you.
A few days ago you spoke to me with hardly any voice left - and with the expression of someone who loves you - about Inter, projecting your thoughts towards a future beyond our possibilities, humble, ignorant and human.
A few months ago I asked you, half joking and half serious, why we never managed to have a referee as a friend, so we could feel protected at least once. And you, with an expression that was both soft and severe, replied to me that I couldn't ask you this because you weren't capable.
Fantastic. Your great dignity wasn't capable of it, your natural honesty wasn't capable of it. Neither was the sportsmanship that remained intact since your first day at Inter, with Herrera who mistakenly called you Cipelletti, and since then all of us have called you Cipe. Gentle, intelligent, courageous, reserved, far from every vulgar reaction.
Thank you again for having honoured Inter, and with her, all of us.

Massimo Moratti

Very nice tribute. One of a handful of players who can claim to have revolutionised their position - in fact, the more I think about it, the more I struggle to name a player who redfined his role as radically and as effectively as Fachetti did.

 

[TT Boy]

From the BBC- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/5314292.stm

Chelsea say they sold William Gallas because he threatened to score an own goal if he was selected for their first game of the season.
The Stamford Bridge club have released a statement explaining their reasons for allowing the French defender to join Arsenal on transfer deadline day.

Gallas, 29, allegedly refused to play again for the Blues.

Chelsea claim he said he would score an own goal if he was forced to play against Manchester City on 20 August.

 

[Pratters]

hahahahaha

 

[PY]

My hero.

 

[Barney Rubble]

More players should do that when they're unhappy, instead of just sulking and playing badly. It's far, far more amusing.

 

[aussie]

haha, Hargreaves should take a leaf out his book if he really wants to go to United.

 

[TT Boy]

haha, Hargreaves should take a leaf out his book if he really wants to go to United.

Shame Owen has four years to run on his contract.

 

[grecian]

Hmm, if an Exeter city player deliberatly started playing badly, I'd guess no-one would notice

Shame Gallas couldn't of stayed until after the mancsum match. I knew I hated the transfer window for some reason.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Hmm, if an Exeter city player deliberatly started playing badly, I'd guess no-one would notice

Shame Gallas couldn't of stayed until after the mancsum match. I knew I hated the transfer window for some reason.

Hey, heads up, first away win in eight and a half months, things are on the up... and maybe I'll be able to get to a match soon...

 

[sledger]

that kind of behaviour would incur a heavy penalty for gallas, seen it happen before, if he actually was stupid enough to attempt that i think he would have found himself in rather a lot of trouble, has happened before.

 

[Matteh]

From the BBC- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/5314292.stm

Chelsea say they sold William Gallas because he threatened to score an own goal if he was selected for their first game of the season.
The Stamford Bridge club have released a statement explaining their reasons for allowing the French defender to join Arsenal on transfer deadline day.

Gallas, 29, allegedly refused to play again for the Blues.

Chelsea claim he said he would score an own goal if he was forced to play against Manchester City on 20 August.

Would have been so funny to see Gallas just turn around and slam one past Cech

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Waddle wants international revamp

"Look at England's group. Beyond Russia, Israel and Croatia, Macedonia can be dangerous and every team should be taking six points off Estonia and Andorra. What's the point of that?"

I do sort of agree with the sentiments here, but Estonia? The team have recently drawn with Russia, held Portugal to 0-1, beaten and drawn with Latvia (who made it to Euro 04) and finished six points off qualifying. Hopefully they'll nick a point, or even three, off England in Tallinn and shut Waddle's mouth firmly.

IMO, it should be split by population, and nothing else: football is a big enough sport that this can be done. Mind you, the only four you can force into a pre-qualifier on that basis is Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino and the Faroe Islands; next up the list is Iceland, who have on their list of scalps a 3-1 home win against Czech Republic in their prime, a 0-0 draw with Germany, and a number of professional players in the Championship and even the Premiership. Possibly there's an argument for Luxembourg too, given that out of their population of 465,000, 459,000 wouldn't been seen dead out of their suits...

 

[sledger]

oh yeah...had forgotten that england were actually playing again this week....thus summing up my interest in these sorts of matches i suppose, will watch the qualifiers that may actually put up an interesting game.

 

[Pratters]

I did read the piece a few hours back as well. I would say population shouldn't be the factor for the splitting. Maybe past performances in World Cups, Euros. Fifa rankings (no matter how crappy they are) can be taken as a starting point as well. Always find the topic interesting because of the reactions it generates.