i don't think man utd will fear madrid...but i guess they are the right favoured side...RVP is magic though...i'll conceed arsenal losing to munich but that's one i think if we do spend and those players can play we could win. Problem is most players we'd spend on already played in the CL so they cannot play. Sounds dumb probably (yeah it does) but i'd rather munich than PSG.
Madrid, Porto and Donetsk probably the runners-up that have the best shot at advancing - I'd say porto my #1 choice amongst the runners up (and the rest of the world i imagine)...some nice fixtures though.
Madrid, Porto and Donetsk probably the runners-up that have the best shot at advancing - I'd say porto my #1 choice amongst the runners up (and the rest of the world i imagine)...some nice fixtures though.
"RVP is magic though"....sorry i just choked on my drink....this isn't league play...this is big time(ie. Euros, WC)...he can dominate at utd. and arsenal and feyenoord....not including qualifiers i think he has maybe 3 goals in those competitions...(could probably name them as well...one v. germany last euro when we lost 2-1....one i remember v. the ivory coast 2 world cups back on a spot kick...missing another one somewhere, i can picture it)far from magic, though...i couldn't tell you his stats in CL competition, maybe they are better?....i'd wager not....but asking him to show up when it counts is asking a ton... major disappointment in my eyes when the lights are on him...yes i am still pissed about losing the WC to spain....i will never forget
last year with the gunners he scored 1 vs Milan and 2 vs Dortmund. for national team, in 2012, he scored 6 goals...again, not a bad take back
all-time he sits currently tied for 37th with 23 goals in 59 CL appearances and that .39 gpg is identical to rooney's 28 in 71 games. He is 1 CL goal shy of Luis Figo and 2 back of Scholesy...
his 31 dutch goals are 8th all time behind kluivert, bergkamp, mykneestillsore, cruyff, 2 guys from the 40's i don't know, and huntelaar
seems you're not giving the credit he's due. i know until this year i did the exact same thing
all-time he sits currently tied for 37th with 23 goals in 59 CL appearances and that .39 gpg is identical to rooney's 28 in 71 games. He is 1 CL goal shy of Luis Figo and 2 back of Scholesy...
his 31 dutch goals are 8th all time behind kluivert, bergkamp, mykneestillsore, cruyff, 2 guys from the 40's i don't know, and huntelaar
seems you're not giving the credit he's due. i know until this year i did the exact same thing
my early predictions (games not for almost 2 months). Gala/Schalke is just a disaster...sad that one of them will get to final 8. other than United/RM the Dortmund/Shakhtar match really stands out for me. Arsenal will have a lot of work to do to be competitive against Bayern by February but we'll see what they do in the transfer period. Barcelona will ass-rape Milan's youngsters and I think United will be defeated by Madrid but should score plenty. Bottom two matches are really tight...Porto not as good as past years nor are Valencia. I circled PSG simply because I think they're going to spend heavy these next few weeks. They have a very beatable opponent for the final 8 and are in a dogfight in local league. They are way too reliant on one player so expect them to go after some scorers....word is Balotelli heading to Paris
THE LAST 16 DRAW
Galatasaray v Schalke
Celtic v Juventus
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund
AC Milan v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Manchester United
Valencia v Paris Saint-Germain
Porto v Malaga
THE LAST 16 DRAW
Galatasaray v Schalke
Celtic v Juventus
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund
AC Milan v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Manchester United
Valencia v Paris Saint-Germain
Porto v Malaga
btw, cocktails, those 6 RVP Dutch goals in 2012 came in only 10 appearances (not 10 starts). would love the USA to find a striker that scores every other game. For his career it's 31 in 71 appearances (44%)...
I was in your boat until i've had the oppy to watch him play every game. he is a tremendous out-and-out striker....certainly something i've not seen in old trafford since mykneestillsore
I was in your boat until i've had the oppy to watch him play every game. he is a tremendous out-and-out striker....certainly something i've not seen in old trafford since mykneestillsore
yeah, but roll, take it from someone born there(netherlands)and follows the national team religiously...he scored those goals mostly in qualies....i know he's on yer club and quite rightly love his game, as u should....he has just been an underachiever...along with the rest of the hyped generation(robben, sneijder, etc.)
he did get one big goal vs barca a couple of years ago but the fact that arshavin scored in the match too is the bigger shocker. The next leg RVP red carded on a BS offside call and we lost the tie....but i thought he was very good in those two matches. It doesn't erase the years of not produce for the Netherlands but perhaps will bring on fond memories against another Spanish side. I hate all the BS talk about Spanish league being better than England when 2-3 clubs are good and the rest crap. So i do hope United win....
let's be honest ct...if you discount qualies and friendlies then the entire dutch team underachieves 
i'll take a .44 strike rate from any striker, on any team, in any competition, any day.
it's not like suddenly i'm his biggest supporter...i've been anti-rvp for years but i'm definitely coming around. looking at it objectively if you're one of the top 40 CL and top 8 dutch goal scorers of all-time at the age of 29 you're probably better than you're giving him credit for.
like i said, before watching him every week i took i thought he was van pussy as well...he's not (well, until he gets a 10 week hamstring pull and misses the title deciding matches)
i'll take a .44 strike rate from any striker, on any team, in any competition, any day.
it's not like suddenly i'm his biggest supporter...i've been anti-rvp for years but i'm definitely coming around. looking at it objectively if you're one of the top 40 CL and top 8 dutch goal scorers of all-time at the age of 29 you're probably better than you're giving him credit for.
like i said, before watching him every week i took i thought he was van pussy as well...he's not (well, until he gets a 10 week hamstring pull and misses the title deciding matches)
His health has actually been the most surprising part of his lat 2 campaigns...as for underachieving, what can I say? It's what the Dutch do....'88 is all we have in the cabinet...no one cares about 2nd place....if they did the Dutch would be alltimelet's be honest ct...if you discount qualies and friendlies then the entire dutch team underachieves
i'll take a .44 strike rate from any striker, on any team, in any competition, any day.
it's not like suddenly i'm his biggest supporter...i've been anti-rvp for years but i'm definitely coming around. looking at it objectively if you're one of the top 40 CL and top 8 dutch goal scorers of all-time at the age of 29 you're probably better than you're giving him credit for.
like i said, before watching him every week i took i thought he was van pussy as well...he's not (well, until he gets a 10 week hamstring pull and misses the title deciding matches)
good heads up tide, look forward to getting insight from you fellas on this as time passes. A few early leans,
Bayern (+1.13) v. Arsenal.
- I feel that the Germans destroy the English in this one. That my first reaction, line from Pinnacle.
PSG (+2.03) v. Valencia.
-reaks of value IMO. Again line from Pinnacle.
Any of you cats feel that a draw between R. Madrid & Man. Utd is a posssiblity?
Laters!
Bayern (+1.13) v. Arsenal.
- I feel that the Germans destroy the English in this one. That my first reaction, line from Pinnacle.
PSG (+2.03) v. Valencia.
-reaks of value IMO. Again line from Pinnacle.
Any of you cats feel that a draw between R. Madrid & Man. Utd is a posssiblity?
Laters!
