SOCCER SPORT !

[Raza]

Very little. To me it looked mistimed rather intentional.

Anyway I hate when fans complain about another team's play not getting sent off. It is like we can't win with 11 men so ref do us a favor.

One flaw in your theory, though; we did win with 11 men against us.

[meijlinder]

I have no problem with physical play, Everton managed to stay on the right side of dirty for the first 60 minutes of the game. They dominated the game physically the first 20-30 minutes with hard but fair tackling. But that went out the door with Barkley challenge.

[tribe125]

Red

Whether he meant it or not, it was reckless and dangerous.

[93EXCivic]

Pardew out at Crystal Palace...

Not really feeling sorry for him

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

[tribe125]

Now then, does this make it more or less likely that Watford will beat Palace on Boxing Day?

With the natural pessimism of a football supporter, I reckon less likely.

[Raza]

Now then, does this make it more or less likely that Watford will beat Palace on Boxing Day?

With the natural pessimism of a football supporter, I reckon less likely.

Interesting timing to be firing managers. I guess they want to get a new one in as fast as they can, show him his office, and give him the Paypal password so he can buy some new players?

[93EXCivic]

Has anyone noticed that Pardew is the cut-rate Mourinho? His coaching seems to work for a year or two then the excuses start and the wheels fall off.

[Raza]

Has anyone noticed that Pardew is the cut-rate Mourinho? His coaching seems to work for a year or two then the excuses start and the wheels fall off.

I think that happens to a lot of managers. They have their ways, get set in them, and lack the ability to adapt. Look at how spectacularly Villas-Boas failed at Spurs. Even Pep is having a hard time adjusting, and he's considered one of the best managers out there.

[OTGabe]

So Big Sam is back in line for a coaching gig? I guess the shock and horror of his ethical lapses have subsided after just a few months.

Back to the Hall of Fame discussion for a moment. Alan, I have never been to a HOF other than the NC sports HOF, and only because it's part of the state history museum where I take my kids. I would wager that only a tiny fraction of 1% of all sports fans have ever gone to one either. The NFL, MLB, and NBA hall of fames are located out in the middle of nowhere, not in major cities, and would not be considered a place to make a pilgrimage by most, no matter how much they love sports. It really isn't about a physical place, but rather a place in history.

I suppose in football you have the golden boot and player of the year awards, but that seems sorely lacking to only be recognizing the biggest stars in a sport that is so team oriented. Here the HOF discussion centering around who is worthy and how an entrant from today compares against historical greats is important for the sports. It keeps players alive for the next generations who were not around to see them, and provides a link back to past figures who were crucial to the game even though they played before TV, Internet, and all the hoopla of today. It's about legacy, not a tourist destination.

It does strike me as quite strange that with as much as the English value their history, there is no official means of recognizing greatness in football. Not just for the best player or scorer on a team or in a league, but for the gritty defensive midfielder or center back doing the dirty work. Those who may not appear on the stat sheet often but show up year upon year and truly make the game what it is. I read a lot in UK media about how the game is losing its ties to the past and being gobbled up in globalization, but it seems that when you leave your past to oral history told by aging fans or dusty biographies and newspaper clippings read by few, that is the intention. Here the Hall of Fame concept is an attempt to keep that from happening, even as the world changes around us and time marches on.

[tribe125]

I didn't know Halls of Fame were also physical places.

The honours system in Britain is a funny old thing but it does honour sportsmen and link them to the past. We have knighthoods for Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, Bobby Charlton, Alex Ferguson, etc. Pele has an honorary knighthood (honorary because he's not a British subject).

Amongst those who have MBEs and OBEs are: Denis Law, Alan Shearer, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Kevin Keegan, Frank Lampard, Bobby Moore, Nat Lofthouse, Bill Shankly, Gianfranco Zola (hon.), Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, Peter Schmeichel (hon.), etc.

For all the oddity of the honours system, it does mean that footballers and other sportsmen have the same level of recognition as other figures in public life, whether they be establishment figures like politicians and judges, or actors, industrialists, academics, etc.

Personally, I'd feel more honoured with an OBE, MBE or knighthood than with selection for a Hall of Fame. And you get a nice day out at Buckingham Palace.