• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Football Thread 2013/14 |OT5| Levy to Woodward "You're nobody. Pass me the ball"

Status
Not open for further replies.

danwarb

Member
I've only ordered the XBone so far. Amazon switched it to the day one edition so it comes with a FIFA14 code. I've pre-ordered it to try the extra stuff MS are shoving into their console, while there are no games.
 

Arnie

Member
Thank god there's only one week left till good football is back.

We play on the Monday.

Fucking pants.

The FA have to use scheduling to knock us off the top spot. Ferguson's influence lingers, even if it isn't potent enough to make United win football matches.
 

GorillaJu

Member
Driving games bore me to absolute tears. Driveclub, Forza, Gran Turismo. The last one I truly enjoyed was Need for Speed Most Wanted, the launch game, not the reboot.

Battlefield 4 is the only game that interests me at launch, and there's mumblings that the next-gen version is wonky as. I'll wait for a proper consensus on it before deciding whether I'll 'jump ahead' and get a next generation box.

Won't have a current gen console with me until at least early October, so by the time I am reunited with my 360/PS3 I'll have GTA V and PES 2014 to keep me occupied, so I probably won't need to upgrade.

Just got back from my run, was lovely. Feel nice and exercised now, ready for some chicken. Gonna tweak my CV, watch Pursuit of Happiness, and maybe write a blog post on the winners and losers of the transfer window.

The way you feel about driving games is essentially how I feel about shooting games.

To be honest I'm not very picky about genre - there's pretty much no genre of game that I explicitly don't like. I'm not a fan of shooters, as I just stated, but Metroid Prime could be called that and is one of my all-time favorites, and I really liked Bioshock and Dishonored, from this gen. I can't even say I don't like dating sims, because Persona 3/4 are half-dating sim and those are both excellent games.

I'm willing to give any genre a try if it looks like a good game, and for some reason I just have a good feeling about Driveclub.
 
I went into the store to pre-order one the other day, looked at the games and then walked out again :lol

All of the release day games I want (BF4, Watch_Dogs, AC4) will all be shit loads better and cheaper on PC.

None of the release day exclusives for either console excite me.

If you have a decent PC there's no point buying one now. It would cost £500 for the PS4, a controller, a game, and Playstation Plus to play online. Makes sense to wait until there's some decent exclusives and they're not charging £50 for controllers and games. And by then the console will probably be <£300.
 
Gentle Lovers (we'll have a new team name I imagine in 2014) is moving to PS4! We can have a NeoGAF rivalry.

Probably for the best, the move to an unorganised team would be a bit jarring to you. Unless you guys are equally as disorganised then that will be a lot of fun.

I'm getting Killzone in the bundle I pre-ordered and Driveclub via PS+ (even if not all features will be available). Might pick up Resogun, looks fun. I haven't bought a FIFA game in many years. Last one I bought was '04.

I'll probably try the free-2-play games like Warframe and Planetside 2. I might get back into DC Universe Online.

Don't Starve looks like a game I would enjoy for a couple of hours.

I might also pick up Assassin's Creed 4. last game I played in the series was AC2.

If BF4 is bad I'll probably switch to KZ. The bundle I'm getting has an extra controller instead of Killzone.

I always prefered a second controller when a console launches, especially for games like Fifa or when someone comes over and want to try any kind of split screen multiplayer (If that will still exist in next-gen).

Don't Starve should be coming to PS+ as well, at least Sony America said. The Binding of Isaac is also going to be free for PS+.
 

LTWheels

Member
My gaming habits have really changed since the last around of consoles came out.

Now days I mainly use my console to watch TV and movies as an extra sky box, rather than play games.

The only games I ever play on my Xbox is Fifa and fighting games; but I only play them when there is someone sitting on the sofa next to me. I'm not even bothered about GTAV at the moment. I'll most likely wait for a steam sale of the eventual PC release.

I use my PC more to play games like Total War, FM and Civ.

From all the next gen stuff announced I only really want to play Titanfall, Killer Instinct and Destiny. Sort of interested in Ryse because I'm a history buff.
 

Arnie

Member
tumblr_ms9a47Ygnr1qllzizo5_250.gif
 

K1LLER7

Member
I don't get the appeal of buying a £300-400 console to play these kind of indie games when they practically can be purchased for pennies in the multi steam sales throughout the year.
I'm thinking of getting a new PC to go alongside a PS4. No idea how much it'd cost to build a Gaming PC though.
 

Yen

Member
Sturridge isn't going to be in the England squad for the game against Ukraine. Good, but hopefully hes ok for Swansea.
 

Facism

Member
News coming out of Turkey state that Man United failed in a bid to get Arda Turan despite meeting his release clause of 24 million euros.

olol.
 

LTWheels

Member
When Liverpool were shit, my rugby team was a top team.

As Liverpool has been improving, my rugby team has been getting shitter.
 

Arnie

Member
10 questions for Premier League clubs after the transfer window, from the Guardian.

Guardian said:
1 Will Marounae Fellaini make any difference to Manchester United's midfield?

David Moyes is under a certain amount of scrutiny already, not just because of a farcical transfer window that yielded only an over-priced Marouane Fellaini, but because his side have failed to score in their past two games and he chose to start with 39-year-old Ryan Giggs in the defeat at Liverpool without even finding a place on the bench for Shinji Kagawa. Fellaini will only be a good acquisition for United if he is given a defined role. The Belgian was back as a defensive midfielder under Roberto Martínez at Everton, though a year ago Moyes beat Manchester United at Goodison by deploying him as a marauding attacker. The tricky thing is that United do not need Fellaini to perform either of those tasks, and the £27.5m capture may struggle to convince fans that he is the creative, clever midfield presence the team lacks. If it is true that United passed on Mesut Ozil because they had Kagawa for the same role, it is time for Moyes to show the same amount of confidence in the Japanese playmaker.

2 Do Manchester City's many signings mean they have a better team?


The arrival of Martin Demichelis, before injury ruled him out for six weeks on Friday, was intended to provide Manuel Pellegrini with cover in central defence in the absence of Vincent Kompany and Micah Richards. Once all three return City should look more like the side that last season conceded fewest goals in the Premier League, always assuming Joe Hart's dip in form proves temporary. But it is further up the field where the City manager needs to make his intentions clear. Playing 4-4-2 against Hull in their last league game, with Fernandinho and Yaya Touré in the centre of midfield, City were set up too defensively to spring any surprises on their opponents. While Jesús Navas has the searing pace to operate as an old-fashioned winger, David Silva is wasted stuck out on the flank. Alvaro Negredo is somewhat similar to Edin Dzeko and a decision needs to be made there, while Stevan Jovetic must be wondering if he needs to get past both of the big men in order to get a game or somehow displace Sergio Agüero. As with United, it is not all about the new acquisitions.

3 Have Liverpool's new arrivals turned them into genuine title-contenders?

In making their best start to a season in nearly 20 years, Liverpool have turned into the new Arsenal, or possibly the old Arsenal, winning all three games 1-0 with a certain amount of luck. There was nothing lucky about the victory over Manchester United that sent Brendan Rodgers's team to the top of the table, though the first win of the sequence required a last-minute penalty save from Simon Mignolet to deny Stoke a draw they probably deserved. The goalkeeper was also instrumental in preserving a slender lead at Aston Villa and is already looking like one of the smartest acquisitions of the summer. For a free transfer Kolo Touré looked more than useful before succumbing to injury, and given that Victor Moses has also arrived on loan, Rodgers has made some cost-effective improvements as well as spending £12m on an extra centre-back in Mamadou Sakho. Liverpool now have four centre-halves to choose from in Sakho, Touré, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel, and when Luis Suárez returns in a couple of weeks they will potentially have the trickiest forward line in the country. Liverpool's stay at the top may well prove more than a fleeting visit.

4 Can Romelu Lukaku make a big difference to Everton?

Bill Kenwright played a blinder in the transfer window, even if few other clubs were falling over themselves to pay £14m for James McCarthy. Leighton Baines remains, Gareth Barry is there for a season on loan and, most significantly, so, too, is Romelu Lukaku, a striker so capable that hardly anyone in the world except Chelsea would farm him out to Premier League rivals. Perhaps Chelsea do not see Everton as direct rivals. Judging by the way they have started the season, with three draws and no goals in their past two games, the Roberto Martínez revolution may take a while to work. It certainly did at Wigan. Everton are not Wigan, though, and there is no reason to be too gloomy when they were a little unlucky not to come away from Cardiff with a win. But they are not Chelsea either, a fact unlikely to go unnoticed when they entertain José Mourinho's side, an encounter Lukaku will have to sit out. Everton cannot say they are going to miss a player who has not even kicked a ball for the club yet, though it feels as though they might. Nikica Jelavic, this is your moment.

5 Will Samuel Eto'o score more goals than Romelu Lukaku for Chelsea?


This question is related to another: will Eto'o play more games for Chelsea than Lukaku would have done? Given Mourinho's striking choices towards the end of transfer window, it is obvious he trusts a legend of the game whose work and personality he knows so well from a treble-winning campaign at Internazionale more than a youngster who made an impressive name for himself on loan at West Brom last term. There are some questions about his fitness after a stint in Russia, and at the age of 32 his pace may not be what it once was. But his levels of athleticism have astonished some club doctors. The most intriguing element is where he fits into the system Chelsea have been playing for some time. Can Eto'o be the lone striker, required to link play and hold up as well as race on to the supply lines that come from three creators behind him? In his Barcelona heyday he was part of a mobile front three with Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi for company. At Inter, Mourinho rebranded him into a hard-working right-sided forward, as Diego Milito led the line. Eto'o follows some of the most revered figures from African football to pull on a Chelsea shirt. Whether Eto'o has the fitness to be more of a Didier Drogba than a George Weah at Stamford Bridge remains to be seen.

6 Can Mesut Ozil push Arsenal above the annual scrap for the top four?

There is a school of thought that spending £42.5m on a silky playmaker from Real Madrid is all well and good but not really what Arsenal needed. While it would be bonkers to argue that a striker and extra defender would not be extremely useful, it is wrong to suggest that a creative nugget such as Ozil is merely an indulgence. Bringing in an arch-creator to add pure precision to a passing game that sometimes struggles for end product could be a masterstroke. It is a gap that needed filling since Cesc Fábregas left two summers ago. As Lukas Podolksi points out: "The only thing that has been missing was the last punch, that surprise moment. That's exactly what Mesut can give us." There is always a risk about expecting a key player to slot in immediately at a new team in a new league – and Ozil is going to be central to how Arsenal play from the first minute – yet Arsenal are confident his style should make for an easy transition. If they are right, it could make a significant difference to Arsène Wenger's ambitions for the season. It may be a bit much to expect one eye-opening signing to transform Arsenal into instant title challengers, though.

7 Will Paolo Di Canio's self-styled Sunderland revolution end in tears?

Not necessarily, but he needs time to instill his philosophy in 13 foreign signings and make his stellar coaching ability count. Even Titus Bramble – departed, disgruntled – praised Di Canio's coaching, but the Italian's tough love management has raised red flags. Unfortunately for Sunderland's manager, tight editing of his multi-layered reflections produces dramatic soundbites highlighting scathing player deconstructions while removing the context, nuance, intelligence and humour cushioning them. After a poor start and with tough home fixtures looming, critics – "crows" Di Canio calls them – are circling but most Sunderland fans, well aware the club's mindset required dramatic readjustment, trust they have finally found the crusader they need. Teething troubles seem inevitable and Di Canio – who does not disguise his ego – probably needs to remove Lee Cattermole from the deep freeze before reaching a rapprochement with the midfielder. Cattermole's abrasion could ensure the team's winger-propelled 4-4- 2 formation functions properly. Adam Johnson and Emanuele Giaccherini promise creativity from wide but much hinges on Ki Sung-Yueng's central-midfield vision and the attacking chemistry between Steven Fletcher and Jozy Altidore or Fabio Borini.

8 After making one loan signing are Newcastle doomed to a relegation scrap?

Almost certainly not. Merely borrowing the France striker Loïc Remy from QPR was testimony to Joe Kinnear being way out of his depth as director of football – surely Mike Ashley, the owner, has to retire JFK now – but Alan Pardew's first XI, bolstered by five signings from France last January, is strong. No side boasting, among others, Tim Krul, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon, Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa should struggle but Pardew – who the smart money now suggests will see off Kinnear – ideally needed another striker, left-winger and centre-half. Instead, Ashley's puzzling small town mentality endures. With a 52,000 capacity, city-centre stadium and turnover in the world's top 20, Newcastle fans wonder why the club is not more ambitious. Especially after a summer when rivals speculated to accumulate. Until Ashley finally sells, all Pardew can do is prove why he was the 2012 manager of the year. Replacing last season's long balls with considered passes, restoring the recently unsettled Cabaye and under-achieving Cheik Tioté to their central-midfield pomp, keeping Ben Arfa fit and happy and turning Remy and Papiss Cissé into a potent attacking partnership would represent a good start.

9 Have Tottenham turned Gareth Bale's sale into a boon?

Spurs have used their £82.5m windfall to strengthen almost everywhere. They reinvested the Bale money in upgrading their midfield and attack, as well as adding another centre-back in Vlad Chiriches. Whether they finish in the top four will mainly depend on two things: first, how quickly all the new players can familiarise themselves with each other and the Premier League and find fluidity; and second, whether André Villas-Boas cultivates the right style and tactics to get the best out of his new signings. The Portuguese aspires to control games but sometimes that comes at the price of unpredictability and, especially, a high tempo. Last term Bale regularly came to the rescue but this season the manager needs to prove he can shape the conditions for creativity to flourish. Spurs have yet to score from open play in their opening three league matches but that should change as Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen and Nacer Chadli become more integrated. Then Roberto Soldado should be given the opportunities to demonstrate he is the top striker Spurs have lacked in recent years.

10 Did West Ham need Stewart Downing, a winger, when they are crying out for firepower?

Will West Ham ever learn? When they were relegated in 2003, it was partly because a failure to start the season with enough strikers forced them to play Ian Pearce up front for a short period after injuries to Paolo Di Canio and Freddie Kanouté. Such mismanagement was supposed to be a thing of the past and yet West Ham have entered this season with one fit striker, Modibo Maïga, who has struggled. They cannot blame misfortune. West Ham knew Andy Carroll, whose fitness record is questionable, had a heel injury when they signed him for a record £15m from Liverpool. Making his loan deal permanent was a risk worth taking but it was obvious that they needed to sign another striker given that Carlton Cole had left when his contract expired. Instead Sam Allardyce signed Stewart Downing, even though he had four players to use in wide positions, and then said no more money was available unless players were sold. However, last Saturday's insipid defeat at home to Stoke caused mild panic and led to an unsuccessful attempt to sign Demba Ba on loan from Chelsea on deadline day. Then came Tuesday's news that Cole had been offered a short-term deal to return to the club. Two days later, the move was off after Cole failed a fitness test. No, West Ham will never learn.
 

Labadal

Member
If you have a decent PC there's no point buying one now. It would cost £500 for the PS4, a controller, a game, and Playstation Plus to play online. Makes sense to wait until there's some decent exclusives and they're not charging £50 for controllers and games. And by then the console will probably be <£300.

I'm getting a Ps4 with 2 controllers, Camera and Killzone for €500. Much cheaper than it would cost to buy here in Sweden. My PS+ ends in mid 2015.
 

Wilbur

Banned
Wilbosaur I'm going Nandos soon and I quite fancy trying something new, what's good other than a half chicken?

Peri tamer wrap with halloumi
Double wrap if you got the p
Get a new loyalty card

Butterfly is too dry
Pitta's got dirty pitta mix
 

L1NETT

Member

Valley Parade was top today, Brentford are beyond wank.

Nahki survived the transfer window, might put a cheeky bet for us to get promoted. Don't like betting on my own team though, do you lot do it?
 

Fry

Member
I think the Fellaini signing was all United needed. I actually think they'll win the league now.

Liverpool title contenders? I'll be happy if we finish 4th.

I don't think we'll fight for the title, but we'll fight for 4th (maybe even 3rd)
 

kharma45

Member
Hmm will have a look at this when I get home. Cheers.

As long as I could play something like Witcher 3 I'd be happy.

I'm thinking if getting something this time next year, hopefully the price of sone of these parts come down.

Come to our thread, i will look after you.
 

faridmon

Member
Yeah, I am worried about Lukaku not fitting our style of play. Do we actually need a strong attacker when we need some help to get the ball from Midfield to attacking midfield? Is Lukaku technical enough to do the job by himself or will he need service? What sort of service does he need? Will he be able to convert the crosses of Baines into goals, not just chances?

Questions questions :/
 

Clegg

Member
Danny Taylor says United are worried about Fergies new diary.

They think it might further damage relations with Rooney if Fergie has written anything negative about him.
 
Yeah, I am worried about Lukaku not fitting our style of play. Do we actually need a strong attacker when we need some help to get the ball from Midfield to attacking midfield? Is Lukaku technical enough to do the job by himself or will he need service? What sort of service does he need? Will he be able to convert the crosses of Baines into goals, not just chances?

Questions questions :/

I think he fits your style perfectly. He's like a much better version of Kone.
 

Tc91

Member
Danny Taylor says United are worried about Fergies new diary.

They think it might further damage relations with Rooney if Fergie has written anything negative about him.

Looks like a good read that article.

This part made me lol:

Since then, the books emanating from Old Trafford have been vapid, to say the least. Cristiano Ronaldo's Moments has almost as many photographs as words, like a hardback version of Hello!, Paul Scholes's autobiography never gets any more controversial than revealing he doesn't like the team's blue away kit. Ryan Giggs starts promisingly, with an anecdote about punching Martin Edwards's son, but quickly settles into the usual formulaic stuff. It is all very different to the days when Stam described the Neville brothers as a pair of "busy cunts".
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom