Off Topic: Soccer and NASCAR

[Marko69]

Very surprised at how well England played last night. If Pirlo isn't on the pitch, I reckon they'd have won. Ok he's 35 years old but he's still world class. If I was Roy, I'd be starting Ross Barkley because he looks like he could open a defence in and around the area and I'd give Ricky Lambert 25-30 minutes. Bit of brilliance from Rooney with the cross for Sturridge, but on the whole, quite disappointing for him. I also wonder if Roy regrets leaving Ashley Cole out of his squad. Leighton Baines is a great left back, but I'm sure the experience of Cole would've been more effective in that game last night. Must admit, I did feel sorry for them, they played very well and didn't deserve to lose. Very tasty fixture against Uruguay coming up Thursday.
And a great night was had by all, plenty food, plenty bevvy and was a good laugh. Those Italians know how to celebrate!

[Fraquar]

Cole would have been just as helpless to cover 2 attackers when the LM (Rooney) wasn't tracking back to help. Candreva must have felt like a kid in a candy store.

[Fraquar]

If I were going to clone 2 modern players, it would be Pirlo and Ibrahiimovic. There isn't a pass Pirlo can't pull off, and there isn't a shot audacious enough that Ibrahimovic can't pull off.

[Marko69]

Cole would've been more "captain like" at left back and the Rooney problem may have been sorted onfield. He has heaps more experience than Baines.
But Rooney just looks uninterested totally. Apart from the cross, he done nothing else. And his post match interview on BBC was shocking.

[Fraquar]

I'd argue they have the wrong personnel in those conditions (high humidity) to play the 4-2-3-1 vs Italy - who has a field general who knows how to exploit it.

1) With a 2 CDM setup, Gerrard had to be the high energy CDM to cover the LB overlap - 5 years ago, sure. Today - no chance. Furthermore, he's the primary guy responsible to front Pirlo.
2) If you don't have the CDM covering the overlap, that leaves one alternative - an extremely high energy LM to cover the overlap - and to remove himself from the attack mostly. That was Rooney, a guy they are expecting to create goals, ugh.

Italy played that fiddle to a T.

[Marko69]

Dean...... Get Roy on the phone to Fraq, he's sussed it!

[Fraquar]

Personally, I'd use a more conservative formation against Italy if they have Pirlo pulling the strings. He has to be man marked and closed down.

[Marko69]

I never understand why Pirlo gets so much room in any game he plays. Even watching him for Juve, he always seems to get stacks of room. Maybe given too much respect. We (Scotland) played them in a qualifier a few years back and I think it was Charlie Adam who emptied him in a challenge and was booked for it. It wasn't as if the players couldn't get the ball from him, it was the fact that he wasn't even being approached..... Adam (I think) came on as sub and hit him hard. Well, probably wasn't hard at all, but Pirlo jumped and rolled like a floor gymnast.

[DeanUK]

Hey you're hiding in this thread!!!!

[Tony G]

should have combined the two threads. futbol only needs one thread

[DeanUK]

It's a game of two halves though

[Tony G]

LOL

[Marko69]

I didn't even know there was another thread. That's gotta piss off a few on here eh?! Two soccer threads in the main area???? I'll be a good wee boy and keep my soccer Shyte in here.

[Tony G]

They had Eric Ebron to give the call to start the engines for today's race. His mike never went live and he was left looking foolish.

[Tony G]

http://opentravel.com/Things-To-Do-In-Scotland-Attractions

Top 15 Attractions & Things To Do In Scotland

While the major cities overflow with glorious architecture, whisky tasting shows and frenetic art festivals, the Highlands invoke the legend of King Arthur, pierce with the sound of bagpipes, enchant with the romanticism woven into the tartan pattern, sooth with abundantly grassy hills and hypnotize with mysteriously steamy lakes. A sense of enigma lurks in the countless fortresses scattered all over the country, rests up high on the spires of magnificent cathedrals, plummets from the edges of treacherous cliffs, and hovers over tranquil archipelagos.Following some research into the preferences and opinions posted by users of various social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as own resources and reviews by the most popular travel sites, Open Travel has compiled a list of top 15 things to see or do on your Scotland Vacations. Let yourself be mystified!

1. 1 Old Town of Edinburgh
   
   
   Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
   
   Photo by Tilmandralle
   
   No other European capital could provide a canvas for The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. On arrival you come to see the respectable figure of the Old Town's medieval tenements robed in the New Town's neoclassical chic. Heels tap rhythmically on the frigid cobblestones of the Royal Mile a...
   
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2. 2 Neist Point
   
   
   Location: Island of Skye, Scotland
   
   Photo by David and Lynn
   
   The Island of Skye, situated off the West coast of Mainland Scotland and with its 350 miles of coastline, is the largest and best known of the Inner Hebrides. Often referred in Gaelic poetry as Eilean a' Che?, the Misty Isle, the place is famed for stunning natural beauty and wildlife. The drama...
   
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3. 3 Glasgow Merchant City
   
   
   Location: Glasgow, Scotland
   
   Photo by John Lindie
   
   Here in the heart of Glasgow, where tobacco traders once came to settle down, do business and build their warehouses, you will find a hermetic environment consistent with its historical roots and proud of its mercantile background. Overflowing with galleries, fine historic buildings, some of the...
   
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4. 4 Loch Ness
   
   
   Location: Loch Ness, Scotland
   
   Photo by Shadowgate
   
   Dark-watered, deep and mysterious, the Loch Ness is the instantly recognized lake not only in Scotland but worldwide. It stretches for over 20 miles along the natural geological cleft from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the north. Reaching as deep as 740 feet, the lake is the largest o...
   
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5. 5 Dunnottar Castle
   
   
   Location: Aberdeenshire, Scotland
   
   Photo by Hossein Mansouri
   
6. 6 Beaches of Outer Hebrides
   
   
   Location: Hebrides, Scotland
   
   Photo by Gordon Hatton
   
7. 7 Shetland Islands Hopping
   
   
   Location: Shetland Islands, Scotland
   
   Photo by John Winterbottom
   
8. 8 Glen Coe
   
   
   Location: Lochaber, Scotland
   
   Photo by ben matthews :::
   
9. 9 St. Kilda - The Cliffs Of Hirta
   
   
   Location: Hebrides, Scotland
   
   Photo by CaptainOates
   
   The archipelago is a World Heritage Site that has managed to preserve ecosystems for thousands of years. These distant and solitary islands are home to the highest cliffs in Europe nesting the most important colonies and breeding sites of birds in the north-eastern Atlantic. A birdwatcher's parad...
   
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10. 10 Rannoch Moor
    
    
    Location: Pitlochry, Scotland
    
    Photo by Mahir Sayar
    
    Uninhabited and barely accessible, the Rannoch Moor has a sense of a legend and mystery interwoven into its heavy mists. The windswept expanses of peat bogs, sweeping moorland clad with heather, granite tors, and gnarled pines make for the spot's simple, yet beguiling beauty. Difficult to navigat...
    
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11. 11 Heart of Neolithic Orkney
    
    
    Location: Orkney Islands, Scotland
    
    Photo by Shadowgate
    
12. 12 Speyside Whisky Distilleries
    
    
    Location: Scotland
    
    Photo by foxypar4
    
    When you think of Scotland you see romantic castles, dramatic rugged landscapes and men in kilts maybe. But there is one more thing that should definitely not be left out, the whisky. Whisky, Uisghe Beatha, The Water of Life as it is often referred to, has changed and evolved for more than 500 ye...
    
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13. 13 Firth of Clyde
    
    
    Location: Scotland
    
    Photo by Robert Watson
    
14. 14 Melrose Abbey
    
    
    Location: Melrose, Scotland
    
    Photo by Akinom
    
15. 15 Forth Bridge
    
    
    Location: North Queensferry, Scotland
    
    Photo by George Gastin