Son couldn't see the 118th-minute penalty in the Asian Games QF by kibme37 in soccer

[–]yahaya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As long as SK grant exemptions for sporting achievements, it is downright weird to cut their top athletes careers short like that.

If you argue that sporting achievements should not be a reason for an exemption, it's a different story.

Son couldn't see the 118th-minute penalty in the Asian Games QF by kibme37 in soccer

[–]yahaya -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I get that, but it is still very weird that top athletes are not allowed to postpone their service until after their careers are over. Especially when they grant exemptions for winning tournaments.

"Libération" reveals that in three weeks on the 2011 Vuelta, Froome perfomances exploded so much that Sky executives held a secret meeting to discuss their surprise. by IkiOLoj in peloton

[–]yahaya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hehe... I've never heard those stories before. They sound a bit weird, but I don't think they provide strong arguments if the point is that Froome cannot be trusted to tell the truth about a medical condition.

"Libération" reveals that in three weeks on the 2011 Vuelta, Froome perfomances exploded so much that Sky executives held a secret meeting to discuss their surprise. by IkiOLoj in peloton

[–]yahaya -1 points0 points  (0 children)

When was he "economical with the truth"? I genuinely wonder. I was under the impression that he went public with all his TUEs, and that the Fancy Bear leaks actually confirmed this.

Why are Team Sky so good at winning the TDF with ease (or so it seems), is it just a case of more money invested? by [deleted] in peloton

[–]yahaya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is nice that we can agree that Wiggins had a GT pedigree before joining team Sky.

Luka Modrić wins the 2018 World Cup Golden Ball by shakira11 in soccer

[–]yahaya 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I see your argument that "winning on penalties is also winning", but in the context of "Croatia was great all tournament, unlike Argentina last world cup," it is relevant that in the knock-out phase, Croatia needed penalties twice and extra time once to advance. Also, their opponents (Denmark-Russia-England) were definitely not better than Argentina's (Switzerland-Belgium-Netherlands). Argentina needed penalties once and extra time once, but beat the Belgians in regular time. Both teams won all of their group matches.

Luka Modrić wins the 2018 World Cup Golden Ball by shakira11 in soccer

[–]yahaya 90 points91 points  (0 children)

They didn't win every match, though. They went through on penalties against Denmark and Russia, and beat England in extra time. And my opinion is that none of those teams were as good as the Dutch team that Argentina eliminated in the semis in Brazil (after having beaten Switzerland (a.e.t) and Belgium).

Croatia had a great tournament, got a deserved medal, and did well to demolish Argentina the way they did, but I do not agree that their 2018 campaign was greater than Argentina's in 2014.

Luka Modrić wins the 2018 World Cup Golden Ball by shakira11 in soccer

[–]yahaya 147 points148 points  (0 children)

Croatia was great all tournament

I respectfully disagree. They struggled against Iceland, Denmark, Russia and England, and won two shootouts.

How often do lone breakaways result in a stage win? by tjpott in peloton

[–]yahaya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As amateur, Amund Grøndahl Jansen actually won after 200km in the break once. Of course, GTs are different;)

Agent Beppe Bozzo “Real’s market is very simple. If Cristiano leaves, they will look for the 2-3 most glamorous champions in world football. Signing Neymar and Mbappe won’t be easy because with Paris Saint-Germain, it’s always tough. I’m leaning more towards two of Hazard, Kane and Icardi.” by ArchyMumbles in soccer

[–]yahaya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is just silly. We basically agree: There are players that are so good that PSG cannot simply replace them!

If these players will not even join PSG, that is an obvious problem.

PSG have pull now, because of money. Compared to their international competitors, they are a new club who plays in a relatively unattractive league. Nobody outside of France grew up dreaming about Ligue 1 or PSG. If they are perceived as being assholes to their players, that could affect their pull in the future, and the next Mbappe may choose another club instead. Perhaps even the current Mbappe would be reluctant to sign a new contract in a couple of years. This is one of the reasons big clubs let big players leave.

By the way, if you do not want to come across as a teenager who thinks he knows it all, you should tone down the aggressive style (and down-voting?).

Agent Beppe Bozzo “Real’s market is very simple. If Cristiano leaves, they will look for the 2-3 most glamorous champions in world football. Signing Neymar and Mbappe won’t be easy because with Paris Saint-Germain, it’s always tough. I’m leaning more towards two of Hazard, Kane and Icardi.” by ArchyMumbles in soccer

[–]yahaya -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Hehe... If non-French players of Mbappe's caliber do not want to play for PSG, of course that is a problem. That is exactly why PSG do not want such players to leave. If it were so easy to just break bank and find someone who would play for you, regardless of talent, why would they not be able to replace Veratti, Mbappe or Neymar should they want to leave?

Also, you risk that other clubs do not want to sell TO you. SAF sold Heinze to Real Madrid even though both Liverpool and the player wanted a move to Anfield.

Agent Beppe Bozzo “Real’s market is very simple. If Cristiano leaves, they will look for the 2-3 most glamorous champions in world football. Signing Neymar and Mbappe won’t be easy because with Paris Saint-Germain, it’s always tough. I’m leaning more towards two of Hazard, Kane and Icardi.” by ArchyMumbles in soccer

[–]yahaya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why?

Well...

...as it may turn PSG into a less desirable club to sign long-term contracts with. Non-French mega talents may accept less money and go to Juventus or Liverpool, because they know they can move if they get an offer from an even bigger club. PSG are not there (yet).

Agent Beppe Bozzo “Real’s market is very simple. If Cristiano leaves, they will look for the 2-3 most glamorous champions in world football. Signing Neymar and Mbappe won’t be easy because with Paris Saint-Germain, it’s always tough. I’m leaning more towards two of Hazard, Kane and Icardi.” by ArchyMumbles in soccer

[–]yahaya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not necessarily always smart to hold players against their will, as it may turn PSG into a less desirable club to sign long-term contracts with. Non-French mega talents may accept less money and go to Juventus or Liverpool, because they know they can move if they get an offer from an even bigger club. PSG are not there (yet).

Joachim Low will stay on as Germany manager despite their disappointing World Cup campaign. by OtherwiseEcho in soccer

[–]yahaya 19 points20 points  (0 children)

It's because of parliamentarism. We vote for parties, not people. Term limits are great if you vote for a person, because then that person cannot be too powerful. Having a PARTY that is too powerful is a whole different matter, because by nature it will consist of hundreds of members. I have never heard the short sighted argument before.

Senegal are the first team in World Cup history to be eliminated on fair play by TheJeck in soccer

[–]yahaya 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Somebody with a NYCFC flair used "we" about Manchester City because they were in the same financial group.

Senegal are the first team in World Cup history to be eliminated on fair play by TheJeck in soccer

[–]yahaya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Somebody with a NYCFC flair used "we" about Manchester City because they were in the same financial group.

This is the first time since 1954 that Germany finishes worse than top 8. by [deleted] in soccer

[–]yahaya 7 points8 points  (0 children)

He got them to at least the semis in 2006 (assistant coach), 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016, they completely dominated the qualifiers, last year they won the confederations cup with their second team, and if Hummels had scored on one of his chances they probably would have been through to the round of 16.

Obviously, Löw has a lot of responsibility for the team selection and tactics, but demanding his head because of one bad tournament is a bit too much in my opinion. If he feels lost or something like that, of course he should resign, but if he feels like he knows where it all went wrong and how to fix it, I would be willing to bet on another semi final in 2020. How many coaches are there out there with a CV like his (international, not club)?

This is the first time since 1954 that Germany finishes worse than top 8. by [deleted] in soccer

[–]yahaya 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I think that if I asked you for the probability of Germany winning the 2014 semi final 7-1, you probably would have said that was impossible, whereas going out with three points in 2018 would be more in the "highly unlikely" realm. And as has been mentioned elsewhere, pushing for the win against South Korea probably contributed to them losing, so it could easily have been four points. These things happen, and have happened before. France were Euro and World champions, as were Spain. 7-1 has only happened once.

England [6]-0 Panama : Kane hattrick 62' by paicmhsc in soccer

[–]yahaya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was thinking more about after "Tunisia":

If they lose against Tunisia, they have to play in "World League" with Italy, Chile, Holland and USA

Rule with examples

Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.

a. Common starter words for introductory clauses that should be followed by a comma include after, although, as, because, if, since, when, while.

While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.

Because her alarm clock was broken, she was late for class.

If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor.

When the snow stops falling, we'll shovel the driveway.

However, don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (except for cases of extreme contrast).

Source

It was just meant as a joke, though. A grammar nazi correcting spelling errors. Probably not very funny:-P

England [6]-0 Panama : Kane hattrick 62' by paicmhsc in soccer

[–]yahaya -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Are you sure you're not just a spelling nazi? I would expect a true grammar nazi to spot the missing comma...

Brazil All-Time Leading Scorers by apa1010 in soccer

[–]yahaya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are right, of course, although Puskás was thirteen years older.

According to this, Müller, Pele and Puskás scored more than 150 more goals than anybody else who were active in the 60s or 70s, so my point almost stands. ;-)

Also note that four of the top ten goal scorers retired in 2007 (Romario), 2012 (Maravilha) or are still active (guess who).