Blog Roundtable

Your least favorite blog feature returns.  In this episode Neal and Jeremy wonder over the fallout of Real Madrid's shopping spree, wax nostalgic over MLS, and run the rule over Brazil's holding midfielders (really!).

Session Start (jspitzberg:Neal J Thurman): Wed Jul 01 13:34:38 2009
[13:34] JSpitzberg: seems to be official
[13:34] Neal J Thurman: Karim to Real?
[13:34] JSpitzberg: http://fantasyepl.blogspot.com/2009/07/real-madrid-sign-united-target-benzema.html
[13:36] Neal J Thurman: how are they funding all of this activity?
[13:36] Neal J Thurman: they can't have sold THAT many Beckham jerseys while he was there
[13:36] JSpitzberg: "loans"
[13:36] Neal J Thurman: do the Arabs secretly own Real as well?
[13:37] JSpitzberg: basically govt bonds
[13:37] JSpitzberg: no...
[13:37] JSpitzberg: full faith and credit of the king of spain
[13:37] Neal J Thurman: I guess there's a reason that they're called "Real"
[13:38] Neal J Thurman: I wonder about your point on selling the cast-offs to Champions League competitors
[13:38] JSpitzberg: wonder how?
[13:39] Neal J Thurman: since those are the teams with the money to pay (Citeh aside) I wonder if the can afford NOT to sell to Milan/Inter/ManYoo/Ars/Che/Liv
[13:39] JSpitzberg: true...
[13:39] Neal J Thurman: Citeh can't buy all those guys (OK, I suppose they could but even they aren't that crazy)
[13:39] JSpitzberg: but i'm saying there would be a premium
[13:39] JSpitzberg: for manu
[13:39] JSpitzberg: that say a villa
[13:39] JSpitzberg: that quitely has lerner's money
[13:39] JSpitzberg: wouldn't have to pay
[13:40] Neal J Thurman: guess it depends on whether those clubs have the money to spend - Villa (and Lerner's money) have been VERY quiet thus far this summre
[13:41] JSpitzberg: makes sense
[13:41] Neal J Thurman: Spurs are talking a lot but doing nothing; Villa aren't even talking; EVE don't have any money
[13:41] JSpitzberg: TOO much real and citeh money around
[13:41] JSpitzberg: wait for that to settle
[13:41] Neal J Thurman: Sunderland probably aren't a "big" enough team to attract those names
[13:41] JSpitzberg: NO one else is doing anything
[13:41] JSpitzberg: save for the promoted sides
[13:41] Neal J Thurman: except Burnley who are signing everyone
[13:41] Neal J Thurman: and yet no one
[13:42] Neal J Thurman: and Wolves who (I think) got a good deal on Doyle
[13:42] JSpitzberg: and they're shopping at walmart, not neiman marcus
[13:42] JSpitzberg: tesco, not sainsbury
[13:42] Neal J Thurman: lol
[13:42] JSpitzberg: or something like that
[13:43] Neal J Thurman: so you figure that Villa goes to Barca, Eto'o to Citeh and then the real business starts playing out with all of the crazy money off the table?
[13:44] JSpitzberg: i'm starting to think eto'o to utd
[13:45] Neal J Thurman: could be
[13:45] Neal J Thurman: wonder if he'll take less money to go to a bigger club
[13:45] Neal J Thurman: if he's going to move to Manchester
[13:46] JSpitzberg: i can't speak for him...
[13:46] JSpitzberg: but you figure playing in the CL
[13:46] JSpitzberg: rather than the Carling Cup
[13:46] JSpitzberg: has it's attraction
[13:46] JSpitzberg: and good for him if he's willing to not take top dollar in order to play top football
[13:47] JSpitzberg: speaking of (kinda)... how interesting was it to see GSilva playing at international level?
[14:11] Neal J Thurman: yeah, GSilva was sort of invisible out there
[14:12] JSpitzberg: isn't that his thing?
[14:12] JSpitzberg: isn't he "the invisible wall"?
[14:12] JSpitzberg: but if anyone is a judge of holding players, it's got to be dunga ;-)
[14:12] Neal J Thurman: lol - but only if the "wall" part is working
[14:12] JSpitzberg: or was gsilva the best brazil had... faint praise
[14:13] Neal J Thurman: didn't they actually use two holding guys in that line-up - nelo or melo or something like that being the other?
[14:13] JSpitzberg: y
[14:13] JSpitzberg: that's dunga's system
[14:14] Neal J Thurman: wonder if Wenger was watching what two holding Ms combined with a lot of attacking talent can do
[14:14] Neal J Thurman: :-)
[14:14] JSpitzberg: sanga != maicon
[14:14] JSpitzberg: but it would be fun if they gave it a try
[14:15] Neal J Thurman: sadly, no Amaury to insert come next year
[14:15] JSpitzberg: couldn't gauruntee first team football
[14:16] Neal J Thurman: or that he'd actually be healthy for 10 consecutive days
[14:16] Neal J Thurman: (althought that hasn't led to 'sicky's release yet)
[14:16] JSpitzberg: ha
[14:16] Neal J Thurman: any mid-week MLS this week?
[14:16] JSpitzberg: don't think so
[14:16] JSpitzberg: 1 friday game
[14:16] JSpitzberg: rest 7/4 w/ fireworks
[14:16] Neal J Thurman: makes sense
[14:16] JSpitzberg: biggest attendance day, IIRC
[14:17] Neal J Thurman: something has to draw the crowds
[14:17] Neal J Thurman: means I can deal with line-up changes tomorrow :-)
[14:19] Neal J Thurman: wow, talk about optimistic - I hadn't realized that there is an American Airlines logo embedded in the MLS schedule grid (presumably to encourage people to fly to see a match)
[14:19] Neal J Thurman: I wonder if anyone has ever clicked on it
[14:19] Neal J Thurman: and actually followed through and bought a ticket
[14:29] JSpitzberg: i clicked it to see what it was about
[14:29] JSpitzberg: professional interest
[14:29] Neal J Thurman: and?
[14:30] JSpitzberg: doesn't even prepopulate a destination field
[14:30] JSpitzberg: just takes you to AA.com
[14:30] JSpitzberg: LAME
[14:30] Neal J Thurman: how useless
[14:30] JSpitzberg: btw, check the blog for gold cup/mls info
[14:30] JSpitzberg: lots of players out
[14:30] Neal J Thurman: our blog or the MLS blog?
[14:36] JSpitzberg: ours
[14:36] Neal J Thurman: nice
[14:36] JSpitzberg: ;-)
[14:36] JSpitzberg: i needed the 411 anyway
[14:36] JSpitzberg: for instance, cummings was called up by jamaica
[14:37] Neal J Thurman: grumble
[14:37] JSpitzberg: just an example of the things you might learn
[14:37] Neal J Thurman: and am learning as we speak, err, IM
[14:38] Neal J Thurman: wow, remember the days when DCU was decimated by these tournaments because they had so many good players
[14:39] Neal J Thurman: (and the days when the US roster for an Int'l tournament didn't include so many chumps)
[14:41] JSpitzberg: lol
[14:41] JSpitzberg: usa, boliva, el salvador
[14:41] JSpitzberg: didn't leave us with much
[14:42] JSpitzberg: curt onalfo getting PT
[14:44] Neal J Thurman: I'm not even sure I know who Brad Evans is (East Coast bias and all that)
[14:44] JSpitzberg: seattle middie
[14:44] JSpitzberg: i think he came over from CLB
[14:44] JSpitzberg: takes kicks ;-)
[14:45] Neal J Thurman: which would be great if MLS had a decent fantasy game :-)
[14:45] JSpitzberg: lol
[14:46] JSpitzberg: indeed
[14:46] JSpitzberg: though in a real game you'd be upset that Cummings missed a PK
[14:46] JSpitzberg: in this game...
[14:46] JSpitzberg: meh
[14:46] JSpitzberg: i'm relieved, you are pissed
[14:46] JSpitzberg: but not gutted
[14:46] Neal J Thurman: although I'm not sure I have it in me to learn about obscure wing backs from FC Dallas because they take corners from one side of the other
[14:46] JSpitzberg: lol
[14:46] JSpitzberg: fcd home to nyrb
[14:46] JSpitzberg: but cooper gone
[14:46] JSpitzberg: so why bother?
[14:47] Neal J Thurman: you mean why even bother playing the game?
[14:47] Neal J Thurman: I completely agree
[14:47] JSpitzberg: well, picking for fantasy
[14:47] JSpitzberg: but they could cancel the game for all i care
[14:47] JSpitzberg: save everyone the heat stroke
[14:47] Neal J Thurman: exactly