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The most memorable soccer moments of 2006 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Miss Dangerous*
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What a year 2006 was!
World Cup madness, EPL sameness and a cracker of an FA Cup final as well as a top Champions League final. Plus Beckham, Rooney, Zidane and Klinsmann hogging more than their fair share of the headlines.
Join me as I relive some of the best and worst moments of 2006.
World Cup 2006
Best Match: Germany vs. Italy ... before big matches you always hope for something special and more often than not, you're disappointed. I was lucky enough to be at the Westfallen and trust me, it was epic.:toast:
Worst Match: England vs. Ecuador ... just mentioning it sends me back into a cold sweat. To call it football is disrespecting the game we all know and love. That truly was the low moment of England's tournament and it wasn't a big surprise to me when the 'nutters' kicked off in Stuttgart.
Best Manager: 'Big Phil' Scolari, Jurgen Klinsmann or Marcello Lippi are the top candidates. Scolari took an ageing team to the semifinals while Klinsmann matched him with an inexperienced side. However, Lippi is the genius for winning the whole ball-of-wax.
Worst Manager: Let me see ... I'm about to go the World Cup Finals so I'll select a boy who has never played a top-flight match before after watching some video tape of him. Sven-Goran Eriksson, you're a $26,000-a-day genius!
Best Celebration: Fabio Grosso's ecstasy was similar to his countryman, Marco Tardelli in 1982, as he curled home a beauty to beat the hosts in the 119th minute of their classic WC semifinal at the Westfallen Stadium. Joy like that should be shared with billions and it was.
Worst Substitution: Argentina coach Jose Pekerman had the most potent team in Germany and nothing could conceivably stop them from winning the World Cup, except ... Pekerman himself. He'll still be having nightmares about replacing his maestro Juan Roman Riquelme, allowing the Mannschaft to reclaim a foothold in a match when victory looked certain.
Best Comeback: France wins this award hands down as they looked pathetic during qualifying and barely limped over the finish-line. Coughing and gasping, they then made the knockout rounds before finding form. The 'Dad's Army' of football proved the critics wrong and showed the world that they had one last hurrah in them ... simply amazing.
Most Over-rated Team: Brazil, Spain or England ... pick your poison. I suppose what it proves is that football will never be a game we can play on paper, which for a pundit is a massive disappointment. It's got to be England though, hasn't it?
Best Penalty: Zinedine Zidane against Italy in the final ... you have stones the size of Texas.
Worst Penalty: Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher against Portugal in the quarterfinal ... equally shocking.:dazed:
Worst Referee: Take a bow, Graham Poll. It's not often that a player gets booked three times in one match but you managed to show Croatian Josip Simunic more cards than a Vegas blackjack dealer against Australia. No wonder you retired from officiating in international football, now do us all a favor and retire from the EPL!:wink:
Best Goal: Maxi Rodriguez for Argentina against Mexico ... Gooolaaaasoooooooooooooo!
Rest of the football world
Most Bizarre Goal: Gary Neville's back pass that skipped over Paul Robinson's foot while Borat looked on as England lost to Croatia in Euro 2008 Qualifying. If that doesn't sum up Steve McClaren's reign to date, I don't know what will.
Worst Football Association: The English FA was cantering away with this award what with Wembley and Eriksson until the United States Soccer Federation went one better. Delaying the naming of a new coach is embarrassing; stalling for close to six months is mind-boggling and then losing your top-choice at the death is plain incompetent.
Best Club Team: It would be easy to say Barcelona for their Champions League and La Liga triumphs, but for sheer consistency nothing can beat the five consecutive titles won by Lyon in France. The fact that they've almost wrapped up number six despite losing top members of their squad year after year is a testament to a footballing dynasty.:smile:
Best English Player: John Terry has been the model of consistency for both Chelsea and the national team. A leader, a rock and the kind of center-back that we used to turn out regularly.
Best Comeback Team: This time last year, Portsmouth were dead and buried in the Premiership. But under the wily Harry Redknapp, they're now comfortably in the top half of the table. Clever management, astute signings and a fan-base that is as loyal as they come.
Worst Choke Job: Argentina's Boca Juniors had the Apertura title in their hands with two rounds to play. They only needed a point while closest rivals Estudiantes needed miracles. In fact, Boca coach Ricardo Lavolpe said he'd quit if they blew it. Well, blow it they did in a dramatic 'winner-takes-all' thriller against 'the Students'. The look on the faces of the Boca players was priceless while the reaction of the Estudiantes fans was spine-tingling. Lavolpe kept his word and walked, straight to Boca's rivals Velez Sarsfield!
Best Transfer Signings: Portsmouth snared Kanu, Sol Campbell and David James ... for a combined total of NOTHING!
Worst Transfer Signings: Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano arrived at West Ham United and sent the team straight into a tailspin, which resulted in Alan Pardew (who had no hand in the signings) being fired. They now look like favorites for relegation. Wow.:skull:
By Nick Webster
FOX Sports
World Cup madness, EPL sameness and a cracker of an FA Cup final as well as a top Champions League final. Plus Beckham, Rooney, Zidane and Klinsmann hogging more than their fair share of the headlines.
Join me as I relive some of the best and worst moments of 2006.
World Cup 2006
Best Match: Germany vs. Italy ... before big matches you always hope for something special and more often than not, you're disappointed. I was lucky enough to be at the Westfallen and trust me, it was epic.:toast:
Worst Match: England vs. Ecuador ... just mentioning it sends me back into a cold sweat. To call it football is disrespecting the game we all know and love. That truly was the low moment of England's tournament and it wasn't a big surprise to me when the 'nutters' kicked off in Stuttgart.
Best Manager: 'Big Phil' Scolari, Jurgen Klinsmann or Marcello Lippi are the top candidates. Scolari took an ageing team to the semifinals while Klinsmann matched him with an inexperienced side. However, Lippi is the genius for winning the whole ball-of-wax.
Worst Manager: Let me see ... I'm about to go the World Cup Finals so I'll select a boy who has never played a top-flight match before after watching some video tape of him. Sven-Goran Eriksson, you're a $26,000-a-day genius!
Best Celebration: Fabio Grosso's ecstasy was similar to his countryman, Marco Tardelli in 1982, as he curled home a beauty to beat the hosts in the 119th minute of their classic WC semifinal at the Westfallen Stadium. Joy like that should be shared with billions and it was.
Worst Substitution: Argentina coach Jose Pekerman had the most potent team in Germany and nothing could conceivably stop them from winning the World Cup, except ... Pekerman himself. He'll still be having nightmares about replacing his maestro Juan Roman Riquelme, allowing the Mannschaft to reclaim a foothold in a match when victory looked certain.
Best Comeback: France wins this award hands down as they looked pathetic during qualifying and barely limped over the finish-line. Coughing and gasping, they then made the knockout rounds before finding form. The 'Dad's Army' of football proved the critics wrong and showed the world that they had one last hurrah in them ... simply amazing.
Most Over-rated Team: Brazil, Spain or England ... pick your poison. I suppose what it proves is that football will never be a game we can play on paper, which for a pundit is a massive disappointment. It's got to be England though, hasn't it?
Best Penalty: Zinedine Zidane against Italy in the final ... you have stones the size of Texas.
Worst Penalty: Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher against Portugal in the quarterfinal ... equally shocking.:dazed:
Worst Referee: Take a bow, Graham Poll. It's not often that a player gets booked three times in one match but you managed to show Croatian Josip Simunic more cards than a Vegas blackjack dealer against Australia. No wonder you retired from officiating in international football, now do us all a favor and retire from the EPL!:wink:
Best Goal: Maxi Rodriguez for Argentina against Mexico ... Gooolaaaasoooooooooooooo!
Rest of the football world
Most Bizarre Goal: Gary Neville's back pass that skipped over Paul Robinson's foot while Borat looked on as England lost to Croatia in Euro 2008 Qualifying. If that doesn't sum up Steve McClaren's reign to date, I don't know what will.
Worst Football Association: The English FA was cantering away with this award what with Wembley and Eriksson until the United States Soccer Federation went one better. Delaying the naming of a new coach is embarrassing; stalling for close to six months is mind-boggling and then losing your top-choice at the death is plain incompetent.
Best Club Team: It would be easy to say Barcelona for their Champions League and La Liga triumphs, but for sheer consistency nothing can beat the five consecutive titles won by Lyon in France. The fact that they've almost wrapped up number six despite losing top members of their squad year after year is a testament to a footballing dynasty.:smile:
Best English Player: John Terry has been the model of consistency for both Chelsea and the national team. A leader, a rock and the kind of center-back that we used to turn out regularly.
Best Comeback Team: This time last year, Portsmouth were dead and buried in the Premiership. But under the wily Harry Redknapp, they're now comfortably in the top half of the table. Clever management, astute signings and a fan-base that is as loyal as they come.
Worst Choke Job: Argentina's Boca Juniors had the Apertura title in their hands with two rounds to play. They only needed a point while closest rivals Estudiantes needed miracles. In fact, Boca coach Ricardo Lavolpe said he'd quit if they blew it. Well, blow it they did in a dramatic 'winner-takes-all' thriller against 'the Students'. The look on the faces of the Boca players was priceless while the reaction of the Estudiantes fans was spine-tingling. Lavolpe kept his word and walked, straight to Boca's rivals Velez Sarsfield!
Best Transfer Signings: Portsmouth snared Kanu, Sol Campbell and David James ... for a combined total of NOTHING!
Worst Transfer Signings: Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano arrived at West Ham United and sent the team straight into a tailspin, which resulted in Alan Pardew (who had no hand in the signings) being fired. They now look like favorites for relegation. Wow.:skull:
By Nick Webster
FOX Sports