New football season 2008-2009
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:44 pm
sleepkid wrote:I knew Leeds were doomed to a decade of despair when O'Leary signed Seth Johnson. You just can't make that kind of signing and expect good things to happen.
Fortunately for Leeds fans, Johnson was signed in 2001, which means your decade of despair will end in 2011. That's only 4 years from now. You're past the halfway mark, though at the rate things are going you'll be a conference side by the time the curse is lifted.
...however, the curse isn't entirely vicious. I mean, you did get Dennis Wise as manager instead of Glen Hoddle. Or rather...
...well, anyway, if you're trying to visit all the league grounds, you can do Crewe Alex, Doncaster, and Port Vale next year.
sleepkid, that's got to be the worst pep talk I ever heard! Like, er, thanks. Perhaps we'll expand on all this tomorrow.
Meanwhile, this just came on the radio:
The BBC wrote:Italian league halted by violence
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has called off all this weekend's Serie A and Serie B games after a policeman was killed at a match on Friday.
Officer Filippo Raciti died as violence flared during the Serie A game between Sicilian rivals Catania and Palermo.
FIGC has also cancelled Italy's friendly with Romania on Wednesday and all matches until a solution is found.
Commissioner Luca Pancalli said: "What we're witnessing has nothing to do with soccer, so Italian soccer is stopping."
He added that the decision to stop the games for the duration of the weekend was not enough, and said there would be more meetings on Monday "to identify those drastic measures that will allow us to restart. Otherwise, we're not restarting the games."
The game was already given an early time slot on Friday because of fears over public safety.
The derby game was suspended after an hour when tear gas, used by police to break up the fighting outside the ground, drifted onto the field.
There was fighting outside the ground, reported ANSA news agency, because Palermo fans could not get into Catania's Stadio Massimino until the second half.
The two teams fled the pitch for the dressing-room, with the game suspended for 30 minutes.
Prior to kick-off, a minute's silence had been held following the death of a club official from lower league club Sammartinese at a game last weekend.
After the match, fans continued to fight running battles with police on the streets outside the stadium and around 100 people were being treated for injuries.
The federation said that another police officer was in critical condition, and police said dozens of people with lesser injuries had been taken to local hospitals.
Catania club executive Pietro Lo Monaco reacted to news of the officer's death by announcing he would leave football.
"I've heard that a policeman has died," he said. "To speak of football right now seems useless. For me this is the end. I will leave the football world.
"I don't recognise myself in this world anymore. I have loved football intensely but after this right now it seems absurd."
Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin was quick to blame Catania fans for the violence.
"We won the match, but we cannot enjoy this victory," said Guidolin. "Football cannot last for much longer like this. There will be no joy in it."
The Catania prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into the incident.
Italian prime minister Romano Prodi also issued a statement.
"After the serious incidents that occurred tonight in Catania, my first thought is for the people that have been affected and for their families," he said.
"I feel a duty to say that we need a strong and clear signal to avoid the degeneration of this sport which we are seeing more dramatically and more often."
Palermo had taken the lead through Andrea Caracciolo, but Catania equalised within 60 seconds of the teams coming back out thanks to Fabio Caserta.
Palermo won the game with a controversial David di Michele goal in the 83rd minute.
I don't know what to make of this yet.
