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Black Wizard

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How does that work, anyway? I know little about Egypt, but they failed to qualify for the WC after losing a playoff game to Algeria, a team that finished dead last with 1 point in a fairly mediocre group. Despite this, Egypt has moved up 3 places and is now in the top 10, way ahead of teams like Ghana and Paraguay which actually made the quarter-finals. What gives?

Egypt won the African Championship this year. Third time in a row now. For some reason they keep freezing up when qualifying for the WC though...

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I had always thought qualifying for the WC in Africa is based on the same results as qualifying for the African Cup of Nations?

The only difference being a lot less of them make it to the World Cup... Was I wrong?

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I had always thought qualifying for the WC in Africa is based on the same results as qualifying for the African Cup of Nations?

The only difference being a lot less of them make it to the World Cup... Was I wrong?

That was the case this time, but not always. In the final qualification stage, the winners of the four team groups qualified for the WC, while three teams from each group qualified for the ACN.

Egypt finished equal with Angola at the top of their group, 13 points, 9 goals for and 4 goals against. A play-off match in Sudan between the two teams was necessary for Egypt to once again fail at qualifying for the WC.

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:lol:

Puyol is 32 and slowing, so that makes sense. He has won everything now. Might as well concentrate on the club.

He hasn't won the Confederations Cup or the UEFA Cup, which I'm sure he cries himself to sleep about.

Motherwell are playing an Icelandic team called Breidablik in the UEFA Cup tonight.

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CL draw tomorrow...*gulps* These games come around too damn early in the season. The WC was only finished a little while ago, and most of the players are probably only coming back this week from their holidays. Bit hard to conduct transfer dealings, as we've been trying to do. It means our squad is still incomplete and we're likely to get beat by whatever opposition we get drawn against. Our best hope has to be Braga or Ajax. Dinamo Kiev wouldn't be too bad. I'd hate to see us face Zenit or Fenerbache.

I suppose it can't get worse than Arsenal last season. Although, we didn't find them as difficult as I had feared prior to the tie.

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I suppose it can't get worse than Arsenal last season. Although, we didn't find them as difficult as I had feared prior to the tie.

... mate, the aggregate score was 5-1 to Arsenal. And your away strip made your players look like walking wasps.

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Score didn't really reflect the nature of the matches. Arsenal turned it on in flashes, as they can against any side in Europe, and we just didn't have the same kind of fire power to match it, unfortunately.

And oi, I liked that away strip. :D

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Craig Gordon injured again. Damn.

Sunderland and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon will miss the start of the new season after breaking an arm.

Gordon fractured a bone after falling awkwardly in training and had surgery on Thursday to repair the damage.

According to the Scottish Football Association's website, he is expected to miss the first four Euro 2012 qualifiers against Lithuania and Liechtenstein in September, and world champions Spain and Czech Republic in October.

We can cope without him for the first two ties, but the second two are crucial and we need a decent 'keeper. All respect to Neil Alexander, but he is not anywhere near the standard we need.

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In more transfer gossip, apparently the Madrid Zoo has tried to buy Paul the octopus but Oberhausen Sea Life Aquarium rejected the offer.

I heard from an unnamed source that Mourinho wants to use him has a holding midfielder.

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Why are Man City spending 16 million on Kolarov when they already have players in that position? Who, you might ask...

Wayne Bridge, Garrido, Boateng, Barry, Cunnigham and Lescott (at a push).

No one else seeing the ridiculousness of their transfer policy?

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Well, Boateng is really a right-back, Lescott and Barry were not bought as left-backs, Cunningham is listed as a midfielder and is quite young anyway, and Garrido is (like Bridge) presumably not considered good enough. A club with fewer resources might have to cope with a youngster and a utility player to provide competition for Bridge, but a club like Man City, who have something like eight central midfielders? They can just fix the problem with more money.

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It's highly bothersome for the production of future players. Take Cunningham, for example, I wonder how many games he's going to get at City? I'd be pushing for a loan move away if I was in his position. I'm not sure about him being a midfielder. I've only seen him used at left back. He had a strong game there for Ireland in our last fixture. It's a position we have a bit of bother in, as Kilbane has been kept their for too long. We could use someone else for that position, and young players coming through is key.

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On a national level, I really don't understand what Ajax Amsterdam is doing. Last year we had Suarez as the big star, with excellent work from Pantelic and Rommedahl. Pantelic scored loads of goals and after years Ajax seemed to have a good striker again. Rommedahl has a proper season and then became the best Danish player on the WC. Both players did not get an extension of their contact, when I thought Ajax would be lucky to have them for another year.

Suarez on the other hand is very likely to leave if a big club comes. And that is the expectation.

Keeper Stekelenburg and Gregory vd Wiel in defense are the other stars, and they are also rumoured to go. And there is talk that Martin Jol will go to Fulham. Looks like a total mess at this point.

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Martin Jol is a great replacement to bring in for Hodgson. I was surprised slightly that they secured it. Ajax are still a pretty big club. I guess the allure of the EPL was too strong.

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