The EFM Press Box

[Cloete]

The EFM Press Box - Match Day 1!

This thread is the after match interview with the managers and a few of the stand out players.

It's up to the managers to decide on what they write about, it's appreciated if everyone does "conduct" an "interview"! Otherwise you might not be too well liked by the press throughout the world!

Get posting!

 

[Cloete]

After the Porto v Real Madrid game, EFMTV reporter Fred Faker caught up with Real Madrid manager Andrew Cloete in a post game interview. Here is the interview:

FF: A good win today? You must be happy with the performance?

AC: Yeah really happy with the win. All of the boys really put in and our midfield was in control of the game from the word go. Great to come out and get a win in the first game of the season.

FF: Speaking of your midfield, definitely a top performance. But it was actually a Porto player, Costinha, who was awarded the man of the match award. What are your thoughts?

AC: Very interesting decision indeed. I definitely feel Ronaldo deserved the accolade. Credit must go to Costinha though, we talked about him a fair bit leading up to the game. He was definitely their standout player today and really showed what he can do. I was also imprssed with Porto's young defender, Rosencrans. Ronaldo was definitely the man of the match in my mind though, on a luckier day he would have scored a hat-trick.

FF: Ronaldo did have a few shots denied by brilliant saves from Baia, but overall he made quite a few errors. What are your thoughts on the two keepers?

AC: I was slightly dissapointed in the way Iker did get beaten as a clean sheet was definitely on the cards. I did feel he had a good first game but he knows he can't really afford to make those sort of mistakes against some of the bigger teams, particularly with young Johansson waiting for an opportunity. We are very lucky to have two quality keepers in Johansson and Casillas, while I feel Porto's only capable keeper is Baia. I agree though he did make some amazing stops, but I'm sure Dave will be dissapointed with his overall performance. Baia has a bad tendancy to punch and it helped Ronaldo to his only goal. He was very unlucky not to conceede a few more, his handling really let him down on a number of occassions and you simply can't afford to make those sort of errors

FF: How do you think Real went defeinsively today?

AC: Definitely a good game to get back to full match fitness. We didn't have too much to do at the back, but what we did have to do we did well. Makelele didn't have a great game though and he'll no doubt be looking to make up for it next game. But the midfield as a whole didn't do enough tackling and that allowed Costinha too much space and time, we were just lucky he didn't really hurt us today. If we make our tackles in midfield then I think you'll be seeing Real Madrid's name near the top of the table at the end of the season.

FF: The goal for Real Madrid is obviously to come away as victors of the first season of EFM no doubt. But how do you think other team's performed this round?

AC: It's not too difficult to take a guess at which team will be dominating the front page of every newspaper. Chelsea were ruthless in their destruction of Inter and that kind of display early in the season definitely sends a message out to the rest of the competition. The other team to really throw their name into the ring was Manchester United. Milan were one of the faouvrites coming in and for Manchester to win with just 9 men was certainly a result not to be taken lightly.

FF: Thanks for your time, best of luck to you and Real Madrid for the rest of the season.

AC: Cheers.

So there you have it. Cloete definitely seems pleased with the result but Porto did put up much more of a fight than expected. Already teams are putting their names forward for title contenders while others are putting theirs down for the wooden spoon. Only time will tell how things pan out, with 12 rounds still left in the season.

 

[Agent TBY]

A visibly disappointed Sriram refused to speak to the press, but mentioned the fact that he was glad that his flawed tactics were shown up as early as this. Two of his best players were completely wasted, which meant it was 9 vs 9 all the way.

He also told Porto to expect an onslaught, and a pretty big one at that. Meanwhile, a trusted source, overheard this gem of a conversation which could throw light on Milan's future :

Franco Baresi : "Genius".

Sriram : WTF?

Franco Baresi : "Nothing, I just can't believe we lost to 9 men...."

 

[Slats4ever]

Injuries, Suspensions and Dissapointing Result

A dissapointed, and bemused Bayern Manager Ian Markus had some very strong words about the performance of the referee, PSV and his own side following his side's 2-2 draw to PSV at Olympistadion.

Helmut Frintz: A dissapointing first round, considering the pre season form shown in the friendlies.

Ian Markus: The performance definately wasn't up to scratch. Admittedly most things in the match didn't go our way and I'll no doubt touch on that later, but the sides performance was woeful and if we are to be a force we are going to have to improve.

H.F: After taking the lead twice in the match, and to then go on and let PSV back in it not once but twice must've been a concern. Certainly you could've put them away.

Ian Markus: To have two players sent off within the space of 40 minutes for what could only be described as soft challenges in the end cost us. I felt with 11 men on the park we would beat PSV as they are one of the weaker sides, but to have a refferee play such a major role in the game is very dissapointing. In the end it was he who cost us the result, not our own performance. I believe that the Referee association should look at the performance today and seriously consider never letting this referee have the whistle in another EFM game.

H.F: PSV fought well however and there's no denying that. The feeling was that tactically they outplayed you.

Ian Markus: It's not hard when you're down to 9 men to outplay an opposition and I don't think it was due to tactics. They played an aggressive style of football and tackled very hard. The tackle which sent Mackaay to the ground was nothing short of deplorable and it is something that shouldn't go on in soccer.

H.F: Makay is now out for 3 weeks with a broken nose, do you think you can cover him?

Ian Markus: We're going to definately have to change things. We don't have a striker like him in our squad to take his spot so we are definately going to have to look at making some formation changes for next round.

 

[cometer]

A very relieved David Comley found the time to speak to the press following his side's very closely fought match against Celtic in front of 30,000 fans today. Here's what he had to say:


Press : Congratulations on the victory here today although i'm sure you weren't expecting it to be quite that close?

David Comley: No we certainly weren't expecting it to be as close as it was and for a long time i was extremely concerned but in the end relieved that we got over the line. A wins a win as they say and it doesn't matter at the end whether you win by 1 goal or 10 goals as long as you get the result. Full credit must go to Celtic, their defense in particular deserved a different result.

Press : Mr Comley, your side had 60% of the possession yet you only managed to score 1 goal which came from a penalty. Surely this must worry you for when you take on more difficult opposition in future weeks?

David Comley: I understand what you are referring to and will keep an eye on this in the next match but considering we had a man sent off after 2 minutes of the game and had one of our key striker's in Eto'o injured after 40 minutes I am not overly concerned. Yes we only won with a late penalty but we had much more of the ball and a lot more chances. I believe that credit should be given to the Celtic defenders and in particular their goal keeper Gomes. Apart from one crucial error Gomes came up with many great saves today which could have led to a much higher scoreline.

Press : Despite the struggle to convert up front and the number of chances missed your defence seemed very strong particularly in the first half where the opposition weren't able to get one shot for goal. What's your secret?

David Comley: I'm not one for giving away any secrets but i will say that i was very pleased with our defence today. In particular Milizar showed promise and had quite a good match by winning the ball and executing some brilliant passes. I'm not getting carried away though but i will let each of those defenders who played today know that I'm proud of the way they played and will ask each to continue that form next week.

Press : Any comments on the referee Mark Shield?

David Comley: No comment on the referee but i will say i wasn't happy with some of the decisions that went against us.

Press : Next week you take on Ajax at home and you will be missing both Eto'o and Puyol. How are you going to be able to account for this?

David Comley: We will miss Eto'o and Puyol badly, they are fantastic players. However we are fortunate to have other quality players which will be able to handle those positions. As to tactical changes, those shall be kept secret within the club. If our defense holds as strong as this week I see no reason why we can't defeat Ajax.

Press : Thanks for giving us some of your time David Comley and we await next round's match.

David Comley: You're welcome


The interview ends and David Comley rushes up the tunnel to go and speak to his players. A very relieved manager after a closely fought out 1-0 victory here today against Celtic.

 

[Mister Wright]

Juventus Rusty but Show Promise In Front of Sellout Crowd

Juventus began their season at home against Liverpool in front of a sell out crowd. There has been a lot of talk about a manager who has repeatedly says he hates the game of soccer take the helm of a very successful side, and it was obvious the crowd turned up in big numbers just to see how the side would go.

The early signs were not good for Juventus, Liverpool were on the scoreboard in only the second minute when Owen scored courtesy of a Harry Kewell header. However, Juventus regrouped early and started to take pressence on the field. Manger Kyle Wright has brought a very expansive game to the Italian side and he took a few risks by playing only two defenders. It seemed to pay off as Juventus spent a lot of time in their own half, however did not get a decent shot at goal. As the half drew to an end, Liverpool began a strong charge and threated the Juventus goal posts however, none were good enough.

The second half was a little quiter as both teams chalked it up in defence. All the action came in the last 10 minutes. In the 74th minute Owen had a chance to put his side 2-0 up, however a great save from Buffon saved his team. Juventus' best chance to score came in the 82nd minute when Ibrahimovic had a chance to even the score with a penalty goal. However, it was saved and thus ended the hopes that Juventus could take something out of the game.

Manager Kyle Wright faced the press after the game.

"I thought we played very well out there. We were up against it early, and we set up many chances, however didn't get a good chance of getting in some decent shots, we will have to look at that for next game. I thought some of the yellow cards that were given should have red ones, but that happens in soccer, and we had enough ball to give ourselves a chance of a win. We will work hard and come back strong for round two. I'm pleased with our effort and think we can build from this and have a successful season."

 

[steds]

Celtic Manager Sean Bennett refused to comment on yesterday's game with Barcelona, but unofficial sources at Barcelona airport quote him as saying "The referee was a f***ing disgrace. Typical f***ing Aussie favouring that f***cking Aussie manager of Barca's. They f***ing got their f***ing penalty, but when that w***shaft Milazar hacked down Gulbrandsen what the f*** did we f***ing get? F*** all! And f***ing everyone could see that Martyn should f***ing never have f***ing been sent off. F***ing a***wipe referee!" when his team left the country to return to Scotland.

 

[chaminda_00]

f*ck get used to it, Celtic are crap

 

[superkingdave]

Porto's season got underway with a 3-1 home defeat to Real Madrid. Manager Dave Richards attempted to use the hairdryer treatment at half-time, but was foiled by the lack of a two pin adaptor for his trusty Braun Futurpro. Richards, however, refused to make excuses, saying "You won't hear any excuses from me, but the ref was absolutely atrocious and all three of their goals were offside"

Richards was impressed with debut of Åge 'Rosie' Rosencrancs and the form of midfielder Continha, but other players were dissapointing. According to the Englishman, striker Helder Postiga was one of the worst offenders. "I Saw him in Euro 2004 and for most of the games he looked like he couldn't hit a cows a*se with a banjo, but then he came on against England and managed a jammy equaliser near the end. The trouble is Calamity James isn't playing for any of the EFM teams. He's living on borrowed time with Mathias 'The King' Rex hot on his heels."

Veteran Vitor Baia made some crucial saves but also looked shaky at times, though the lack of a quality backup keeper means his place won't be threatened. The midfield looked overpowered at times and the manager might experiment with a new formation in future, or perhaps look to bring in a loan signing to bolster the squad.

Next match sees Porto travel to Milan to face fellow losers AC in another match they are expected to struggle in. Some say Milan are on a downward spiral following their dramatic European Series Play-off loss to Liverpool Reds but they have some quality players at their disposal. What they may lack is the English grit which Richards will instil in his Porto side, whether grit is enough to carry the day remains to be seen.

Keep The Faith

 

[sledger]

arsenal manager Henry Pearce did not conduct any post match interviews but did release this statement to the press.

"i am encouraged by this performance, our defenders and goalkeeper were outstanding, i cant praise the youngsters in the side ( pearce and kiwomya ) enough as they were truly excellent. We were unlucky not to score on several occasions but the ajax keeper was on form and denied us on 9 separate occasions, mildly dissapointed with the result, but a very encouraging performance, we are now eagerly anticipating our next round clash with chelsea."

 

[roseboy64]

Mixed Emotions For Manchester United Boss

Manchester United manager Xavier Rose said in his post match interview that he was delighted to have won his first match and especially against a team of the quality and history of AC Milan. He was however disappointed with the sending off Giggs and Scholes. Rose said in regards to this, " I'm truly upset that they managed to get themselves in those positions.Two players of such experience shouldn't get sent off that early in the piece." Rose was however pleased with the performances of the rest of the team especially Rooney. He noted that this lad's "one for the future".

 

[DJellett]

f*ck get used to it, Celtic are crap

YOU SHALL DIE NOW

 

[marc71178]

Truth hurts does it?

 

[Kweek]

Ajax Manager Tarick Weber released in a short media statement.
Ajax is very happy with the draw, and the fact that Stekelenburg proved the odds wrong for easy scoring is very hopefull.
though he is very dissapointed that Gravesen lost his temper in his 1st match already! though he questions the decission of the referee.
Ajax will be looking for more firework in there next match against Barcalona.

 

[Agent TBY]

English grit was nowhere to be seen in Milan as AC walked all over Porto's carcass. Even a second minute sending off of captain Paolo Maldini wasn't enough to keep the Rossineri from fulfilling their promise to come at Porto hard.

Andriy Shevchenko, fresh from a crucial penalty miss at Old Trafford, decided to take Porto to the cleaners, scoring an amazing 4 goals in the process. Kaka's injury presented Guerrero with a chance to prove his worth to the team, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. A goal from Lopez, and Porto were sent packing with an embarassing six-nil scoreline.

Surely this is a message to all the teams in the EFL..."Don't count us out after just one loss".

The only thing that put a dent in the celebrations was Maldini's suspension, which means PSV will have an opportunity to exploit a pretty weak defense. But Eindhoven will have a mighty tough task trying to contain Milan's scoring streak. Will more goals ensue? Can PSV chop down another giant? Only time will answer that.

Franco Baresi : "And me, genius".

 

[chaminda_00]

Liverpool manager Tharmi Loganathan trys to keep a level head on his young players, after they completed a convincing 3-1 win over German gaints Bayern Munich. The victory gives them Anfield club 100% record and puts them in 3rd position on the table just behind Chelsea and Barcelona on goal difference.

When asked about what he felt was the biggest positive to come out of the game for the Liverpool boss replied: " No doubt the biggest positives were the goals from midfield and the overall defence. There are probably stronger midfields in the league, but i think the key to our midfields is the goals that they will score. Also our defence has been great in the last two weeks, Cudicini has only had to make one save, unforuntely he didn't make it. But i think that factor just shows how well the boys have been defending as a team"

The Liverpool manager also gave some insight into his thought for the club next match aganist Real, who had a shock loss to PSV, " Well i think we (Liverpool) play a similar style of game to PSV, so the plan is differently to try and mirror the game PSV played aganist them (Real Madrid). I think if they struggle to contain Farfan, i love to see how they are going to try and contain Robben. But in saying that i think we might have it a bit tougher to get past Johansson compared to what PSV had to do to get past Casillas. I can't see them keeping Casillas in goal after letting through 4 goals."

The Liverpool manager also said he had no comment on the Kewell goal, saying the referee made his decision.

 

[marc71178]

The injury to Lampard aside, Chelsea were extremely satisfied at going to Highbury and disposing of Arsenal so well.

A brace from Adriano underlines just how much Marc Robbins wanted to sign him in the summer, and with Steven Gerrard also scoring, the Blues are looking good.

 

[Cloete]

In an interview conducted afer his team's match, Real Madrid manager Andrew Cloete had the following to say;

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Casillas **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

Thank you for your time!

 

[Simon]

In an interview conducted afer his team's match, Real Madrid manager Andrew Cloete had the following to say;

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Casillas **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

Thank you for your time!

loser...

 

[roseboy64]

Manchester United manager Xavier Rose said despite his team's loss he was pleased with their preformance. He said that his team played attacking football and always looked like scoring." We created chances but couldn't put them away. That's bad but sooner or later they're gonna go in," said Rose. He was however disappointed that his team let in 3 goals and said some changes might be coming if his defensive unit don't stop conceding.