i always thought it was funny to have dickov and kuqi on the same team... there's this native kid who is a member of the detroit red wings organization (or maybe he was just in camp as a tryout), playing hockey over here... his name is robin big snake. that's got to be one of the best names in sports.

hahahaa... in texas, i'm used to hot hot heat, bone dry, wearing a rovers shirt and shorts... watching on my tv. maybe a nice wet wind would be a nice change for a few games

since seeing friedel play for team usa in the 2002 world cup...

and just in case anyone is interested, here are the 2 different uniform that tampa has worn: http://www.athlegraphic.com/FFP/images/1990/TampaBay92.gif these ARE ugly, but they're part of the team's history that glazer refuses to acknowledge. new uniforms: http://www.athlegraphic.com/FFP/images/1990/TampaBay97A.gif http://www.athlegraphic.com/FFP/images/1990/TampaBay97H.gif

To be fair to Glazer, he's been very successful with American football teams (I'm sure our American chums can fill us in here). However, as I understand it, he's achieved his success at the expense of the fans by hiking up ticket prices and basically selling the soul of the club / team. As Man U doesn't have a soul anyway though I'm not sure what he'll do at United. i'm not sure i'd call glazer very successful with the buccaneers... in 1995, he bought the buccs... in 1995, they would miss the playoffs, and had a losing season. but to be fair, the team was traditionally pretty crappy, so it's not glazers fault they missed the playoffs. in 1996, glazer fired the coach and hired a new one. they would finish with a 6-10 record. in 1997, he decided that his team's uniforms were too "girly" so he ditched the orange and red pirate, and adopted darker red, metallic "pewter", and black as the new colors, and changed the logo into a skull and pirate flag... most people agree that the new uniforms are much more professional... however, it may be a bad omen for man u fans, since glazer was so quick to discard tradition... in the NFL, it's customary to wear "throwback" jerseys every once in a while, to honor your team's history... glazer has repeated said he refuses to see his team in the old uniforms ever again. in 1997, they would finish 10-6, and a wildcard playoff spot. they were taken out in the second round of the playoffs. in 1998, they would once again have a losing season, and miss the playoffs. in 1999, they won their division, and finished with an 11-5 record, which was the best in team history. they would lose to st. louis in the NFC championship game. one game before the super bowl...... (and i wish they would have won that game, because my titans were in the superbowl that year... they could have beaten tampa.... but they lost to st. louis.. literally by a few inches) in 2000, they came within 1 win of the division, but lost because the weather in green bay was too cold for them... in their wildcard playoff game, they lost because the weather in philadelphia was too cold for them in 2001, they finished with a 9-7 record, disappointed in their coach, glazer once again fired his coach, and looked for a replacement. he decided he wanted bill parcells... but parcells wasn't completely on board with it, and tampa bay didn't have a back-up plan... when parcells turned down the job, they scrambled and panicked. they ended up hiring Jon Gruden from the Oakland Raiders... but by doing so, it cost them a lot in compensation to oakland, since gruden was already employed. in 2002, the move for gruden would look like a genius decision... they would finish with a 12-4 record...the best in franchise history. they would go into the playoffs very strong, and end up making it to the super bowl. gruden and the buccs would play oakland (the team that gruden coached the previous season). this would be a huge advantage for tampa, since gruden knew the oakland offensive playbook and players so well that they easily won the super bowl. this year was definately successful for glazer. in 2003, after winning the super bowl, expectations were high... however the team dropped back down to it's usual mediocrity, with a 7-9 record... in 2004, they would finish with a 5-11 record, once again missing the playoffs... their miracle coach gruden looked to have peaked his first season, as they haven't looked like a team to fear for a few years. overall, i wouldn't say he's been a failure in the NFL by any stretch of the imagination.. but to say he's been very successful is pushing it. he took a team of lovable losers, did everything he could to disavow team history, made a few questionable front-office moves... had a revolving door quarterback, won 1 super bowl, and endured several losing season.... winning a superbowl isn't easy, so kudos to him for doing that... but i'd reserve the term "very successful" for teams like the patriots, who threaten to win it all every season, because of their wonderful management and team-oriented mindset...

well, it's not called the isle of woman, now is it?

we do have hope for the future, and getting this far again (or farther) next year... especially now that we have a manager who respects the competition and sees the merit in a long cup run. i still say there's a big bright-side to look at... now's the time to sit back and reflect on how far we've come under hughes, and set our sights on next season, with some proven strikers.

maybe it's just me, but on the first goal, i still haven't been able to find matteo on the replays... where was he?! i haven't seen it indepth, or many times, or in slowmo or anything... but i've seen it full speed a few times, and never saw matteo on the screen. other than that, i thought he did make a few solid defensive plays.

that's what van Persie gets for watching his pretty ball into the back of the net. keep your head on a swivle, as they say in american football no need to admire your own shot

we may be out, but it was a great run. further than i think any of us ever expected. i'm going to look on the bright side of this loss, and remember the great cup run we put together, even if it ended a game or 2 short of where we all dreamed. i'm proud to be wearing the blue and white halved shirt this morning

wow.... ANOTHER texan welcome. that makes what? 5 texans? Good to know there are other Texan Rover fans around. I'm actually originally from Dallas. Alas, the only decent player my HS ever produced had to go and sign with Man Ure. *sigh* All I know is I've got my venue, my cable, and a good stock of Shiner Bock for tomorrow's game. Go Rovers! HA. funny should say that. i'm stocked with shiner as well. just bought some last night.

wow.... ANOTHER texan welcome. that makes what? 5 texans?

from what i gather, amo's a great guy, that we're all a fan of, personally... but he's just not good enough to warrant a spot in the club.

i definately agree. i love the kits this season.