Interfering With Play 12/08/08
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 12 Aug
Welcome to a very special edition of Interfering With Play. For readers who don’t visit every week, or those new to the site, you may not be aware but this is the first birthday of Interfering With Play, along with the 50th instalment of the column. Interfering With Play is an independently produced article that covers and discusses a number of topics from the gaming, football and football gaming worlds, in an informal and open manor. The whole point of the article is to provoke thoughts and opinions amongst readers, who in turn will contribute their opinions on what has been put each week. Yes, PESGaming.com is a Pro Evolution Soccer site, but many of us have interests that are not solely limited to the Konami game, and this is the perfect environment to discuss ideas with similar minded individuals, or in some cases argue with them! I always welcome new posters and contributors, so feel free the give you penny’s worth at the end of the article. With that said, lets get this week’s Interfering With Play rolling.
Lost In The Premier
As with the very first IWP article, it would be silly not to talk about the huge sporting event, beginning this Saturday, known as the English Premier League. Whilst many of you will be able to predict the top four and bottom two teams, without even looking at form, or new signings, there is no denying that the elite league provides some of the best, most open, attacking football seen in Europe. The strength of the Premier League was shown again in the previous campaign, with both Chelsea and Man United making it all the way to the Champions League Final, and both domestic cups were won by teams outside the top four for the first time in many years. Some people will claim the league is more predictable than the Spanish and Italian top flights, and to a certain extent this is true, but when it comes to relegation battles, the big teams dropping points against expected walkovers and hugely entertaining games (Portsmouth v Reading, Arsenal v Derby, Fulham v Man City etc.) there is no other league I would rather watch.
So, who are the likely teams for this season’s top honours, and who is most likely to break into the top four? Well, the join of the Premier League is that you can never be sure, and for that reason, I am taking predictions on who will win the three domestic cups this season. Incredibly, the Carling/Milk/Littlewoods/League Cup begins tonight, and having won that, Tottenham Hotspur have attracted some top talent from around Europe in order to make a serious challenge on another domestic success. For me personally, I can see Liverpool winning this competition, due to the sheer power of their squad. Unlike Man United and Arsenal, the red side of the Mersey have a second string full of experienced players as opposed to exciting youngsters, and providing they can see of Chelsea in the early rounds, I feel they will be too strong for any other sides they will play during the quarter final/ semi final period, that takes place during the fixture pile up just after Christmas. The F.A Cup on the other hand is a different story. With Wenger and Ferguson both tempted to throw in their big names, it could be another case of those to contesting the final, although if previous matches between the two are anything to go by, it will be nothing to write home about. However, I am going to allow my heart to rule my head on this decision, and go for Aston Villa. The side currently are everything that the Premier League and English football want to stand for, young, hungry, exciting to watch and mainly home grown, and on their day are capable of beating anyone. Man United has knocked them out so many times over the last few years, that they deserve a little luck of the draw, and hopefully will end up the season with some much deserved silverware.
The Premier League title, in my opinion is a three horse race. I still feel Benitez lacks the ability to motivate his players for the week in week out, must win encounters, which is the reason they do so well in the big champions league games. With this in mind, it is between Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea. There is no denying that Chelsea, once again, has the fair superior squad. The two players they have brought in ooze International class, and in the form of Deco, they have a multi time Champions League winner and has won titles wherever he has played. Couple this with the fact that they haven’t really lost anybody, and the side that took United to the last day in the previous campaign are going to be doing it again. United, providing that they keep Ronaldo happy, are going to be the team to beat again. They look very ordinary at times, but with their forward line, they can turn a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 or 5-0 one effortlessly, and take games away in the process. They have an exceptionally settled back four that is swimming with both cover and experience, and as long as the goals keep coming for Tevez and Rooney, its hard to see the trophy ending up anywhere else. Yet my prediction is one based on my love of flowing football, and therefore is Arsenal. Three seasons without any major titles is not acceptable for a side that posses such raw talent and plays some of the best football in Europe, and no trophy this season will see some of the stars look for new pastures to fulfil that silver itch. Whilst still young, players like Clichy, Fabregas and Walcott have got to start turning there top performances into consistent ones, and with new signings such as Nasri, and returning players such as Rosicky and Eduardo, you get the feeling its now or never for this generation of young guns at the Emirates.
So there are my three shouts for domestic honours this season. Feel free to drop yours in the form of a comment or e-mail and I will keep a note of them until May. Of course, it is just for fun, but its nice to wager your football knowledge against others, and the result is an interest in all of the competitions throughout the season.
PES 2009, Too Much To Ask
I think with PES2009 starting to gather some pace, there is a feeling of both anticipation and nervousness in the air, in particular surrounding the online modes of the game. I have played PES online, via PC, since its inception in PES 4, and never had a lag spoiled game until PES 6 on PC, which ruined the whole online experience for me. I have dabbled since then on the PS3 version, but realise that lag makes the game exceptionally hard to read, and as many will claim, luck plays as much of a role as skill does. So with PES 2009 just around the corner, are we expecting the online problem to just disappear, and the game to run smoothly. Metal Gear Online proves that Konami can produce a working online Multiplayer title that requires quick thinking, real time decisions and online technology has progressed quickly and efficiently over the past 12 months, with pretty much every game featuring some kind of online modes, be the multiplayer or simple leader boards. So on paper this should translate into a better online gaming experience for all PES gamers? Well, I definitely hope so. With Fifa constantly providing enjoyable and variable online games, coupled with a user interface that is easy to use, and makes playing online as simple as playing offline, Konami can not afford to miss out on this aspect of the market, doing so will be a blow they may never recover from. And this goes for more than just the actual in game experience. I am of course referring to the ability to create online tournaments, send messages, create large game rooms, access downloadable content, or simply see other gamers information without having to trawl through pages and pages of menus. These are features that have been going on in other games for the last two years, and the patient PES gamers are starting to get bored of the same old excuses.
The Interfering With Play League
The Interfering With Play league has been running for a couple of weeks now, and overall is going pretty smoothly. 90% of matches have been played up to date, and whilst lag is no doubt playing a part in some matches, overall the scores are reflecting real football, and the selection of teams is resulting in no one side running away with the table, so far! One gamer has been experiencing connection problems, and therefore has had to leave the league, resulting in an opening occurring should anyone want to join. The side available are FC Porto, and if you are interested, you must be a PS3 gamer, have a working e-mail address and Internet connection, and be able to get in touch as soon as possible. E-mail the usually address if you are interested in taking part, for further details.
River Island, No, Top Shop, No… New Look
I am currently speaking to a couple of individuals regarding a logo for Interfering With Play, to tie in with our new look and the beginning of our second year! I have a personal favourite, but am slightly concerned regarding copyright at the moment, so it may take a couple of weeks to clear up all the legal sides. Until that stage, Interfering With Play will follow the same format of short topics and easy to read sections. Anyone with any suggestions for the future of Interfering With Play (and I personally have about 30 or so new ideas for the next 12 months) is more than welcome to suggest them via e-mail,
Happy Birthday, Interfering With Play
Finally this week, I would like to wish the column a very Happy Birthday! It started out on the forum as a simple post, and following some correspondence with Peter Willis, has become a weekly feature of PESGaming.com. I am aware that Peter has taken a slight back seat in the running of PESGaming.com and would to wish him thanks for all his support over the past 12 months. I look forward to working with Matt, and hopefully PESGaming.com will continue to grow in its current manor. This column is something I really enjoy doing, as I have always liked writing, and always have a lot of opinions, but it would really mean nothing without the readers, and the contributors, who do so much to provide talking points and keep the weeks ticking over. It pretty easy to talk about PES when its just come out, but to have people carrying on with discussions 10 months after the title is released is a credit to you, lets just hope Konami starts to see the dedication we all have for, what I believe, is the best football game on the market. Recently, matt posted a comment asking for new bloggers or people to contribute to the site in a number of ways, to which one individual responded, “man what makes y’all think I wanna be a part of ya little firm?” I couldn’t help but smile at this because at the end of the day, there is no pay, no glamour, no glory, and everyone involved with this site does it simply, for the love of game. And that’s what it is totally all about.
To end this years proceedings, I have decided to induct four posters into the IWP “Hall Of Fame” for their contributions over the past 12 months. They have all been regulars, and whilst we may have had differences of opinions on a number of occasions, it is these kinds of people that keep the site ticking over. I speak to none of these individuals via MSN, and don’t know any of their real names. The four people are Steve From Stoke, assache, mn9ajas and dougiedonut. Whilst I know I have many more readers and more people do in fact take part in discussions, it has been these four that have earned my time and respect for their support of Interfering With Play for the past year. If you’re a silent reader, or a fan who occasionally posts, I ask that you get more involved in debates and conversations over the next 12 months, as I would love to make the Interfering With Play hall of fame a big deal!
So that’s it, for year one, and this week. Interfering With play started off life as a 500 word column talking very briefly about certain things, and has now turned into a 2,000 word plus weekly article read by thousands at work or school, with its own associated league, a player of the year award and even a posting hall of fame! I thank everyone greatly for their support and hope for another successful and enjoyable year of writing and interaction! danbolas@hotmail.com is the place where your e-mail can reach me, and please leave your comments regarding your predictions for next season, it would be quality if someone got all three right, especially if they were seemingly ‘unpredictable’. Interfering With Play will be back next Tuesday, and every Tuesday!
Thanks for Reading
happy birthday!!!
top 4 predictions: 1. Chelsea, 2. Manchester United, 3. Liverpool, 4. Arsenal, spurs could be 5th
cl winner: chelsea/real madrid
fa cup winner/carling cup: you never can predict that
top scorers: ronaldo, torres, keane, bent, lampard
relegation: stoke, fulham, bolton
promotion: birmingham, watford, qpr
great iwp this week
Congratulations Dan. I read IWP often and enjoy it a lot. As long as you want to keep writing IWP, PESGaming will be very honoured to publish it. Looking forward to working closely with you and the other bloggers who are joining the team.
Congrats on this year, great post…
Happy Birthday. Great IWP.
Happy Birthday!! Keep up the good work
Top 4 predictions:
1. Chelsea ( Solid back line in Terry, carvalho and cech, experienced midfield in deco, ballack and lampard with a powerful speedy frontline of J. Cole, Drogba and Malouda.
2. Man United (With both Rooney and Ronaldo injured,they may lack goals at the beggining of the season)
3. Tottenham Hotspur (Surprise entry into top four! only if woodgate and king dont get injured though, quality purchases in Modric, Bentley, Gomes and Dos Santos. And with Bent starting to score goals they may not need a new striker (unless berbatov leaves))
4. Arsenal ( Great youth but may lack the experience to pose a real threat to challenge for the title)
Relegation:
18. Wigan
19. Stoke
20.Hull
Champions League: Real Madrid
FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur
Carling Cup: Chelsea
oof you think spurs could make the top 4? I’d love them to, but they are such perennial underachievers I can’t see it happening so soon, maybe if bent bangs in about 30 goals :P
Firstly happy birthday to IWP and thanks for the mention! Like you say, I’m sure some of my opinions are vastly different to the other readers but I hope they bring something to the mix!!
I’m busy trying to assemble my fantasy football squad together for the new Budweiser Fantasy football league season and like Bennetinho I fancy Tottenham to be one of the surprise packages this year. As such Bent is definitely in my starting eleven, after his pre-season so far!
Anyone who’s an Arsenal fan though – I just wondered what you guys thought or have seen of Nasri and Vela?? Noticed they’ve been scoring in pre-season and with the shortages in midfield Nasri might feature but just wondered what your views were??
Talking of Fantasy football leagues, Dan and Peter I have just taken the liberty of creating a PESGaming Fantasy Football League for all readers to join. If you mind me doing this please let me know and I’ll cancel it but I thought it might be an additional topic that could be covered each week! Like I say though let me know if there are any problems with using the PESGaming name for it.
For people that are interested in playing, or for readers that already have a team in the Budweiser legaues, here is the necessary information: Its FREE to join and play and is a good laugh.
http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
Once you have registered and set up your team use the code below to join the PESGaming Readers league
541309-172604
Sorry for another post but a message for Dan and/or Peter. If you would like to be the league administrator then let me know and I can pass the league on to your Budweiser league profile. Again, I hope this is ok to set up!
Cheers
Hey, again a nice post, and I’m quite impressed with how you always manage to keep it interesting even if there’s no new news about PES.
I’m a little annoyed, however, because I had written a nice long reply only for the internet to cut out once I pressed the Submit button :(
The general jist [gist?...] of it was that I am a lifelong Liverpool fan who would love to see us pressing for top honours this season, but I’m pretty sure that this season will be the same as the rest. By that I refer to dropping points against small sides, and only really gearing ourselves up for the big games. But I am looking forward to the Torres/Keane strikeforce!!
With regard to the online play, I think it’s a little sad how PES has become so commercialised so as it has to be released yearly, and in time for the Christmas market. Had it not needed to be released for the Christmas market, maybe the online play would have worked, as well as Konami being able to get some feedback on it!
-Francis
man u will win the league again
I am deffinately what you might call a silent reader but this weeks iwp has given me the drive to start posting.
Premiership – Top Four
1. Man Utd
2. Arsenal
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
Premiership – Bottom Three
18. Bolton
19. Wigan
20. West Brom
Champions League -
Liverpool/Man Utd
Carling Cup -
Newcastle/Liverpool
FA Cup -
Arsenal/Spurs
And last one a full prem table of predicted postions for this season. i would also like to see what other people would put for this……
1. Manchester Utd
2. Arsenal
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
5. Tottenham
6. Newcastle Utd
7. Portsmouth
8. Aston Villa
9. Everton
10. Manchester City
11. West Ham United
12. Middlesbrough
13. Sunderland
14. Blackburn
15. Fulham
16. Stoke City
17. Hull City
18. Bolton
19. Wigan
20. West Brom
No offence to Dan Bolas, but this article’s nonsense… talking at length about the carling cup (like it matters!?), speculating that Liverpool will win it due to the “power of their squad”…eh?? the only two reserves of note at anfield are Xavi Alonso and Kuyt (who’ll both possibly move on before the transfer window shuts), the rest are just unknown foreigners or kids. If you think the team with the strongest squad will prevail, then surely Chelsea will clean up this season, as clearly they and Man Utd have the most depth. The reason Liverpool never get anywhere near championships is because they don’t have a powerful enough squad! Anyone who follows football knows the domestic cups are a lottery, its the champions league and premiership that matter. Don’t look beyond Man U and Chelsea again this season (and by the way, it was Ronaldo who provided most united’s goals last term, not Rooney and Tevez).
anyone who thinks liverpool wont get in the top four havent got a clue its arsenal if anyone who will be replaced theyve lost 2 of their best players in hleb an flamini,an gilbertos experienced will be missed massively,
the top four will be chelsea first but only if they sign robinho an if not theyll finish second to manure who dont need to improve their squad,then liverpool who will get beat by man u in the fa cup final and then arsenal or spurs
my other predictions are
cl-man united
carling cup-chelsea or liverpool
fa cup-man united beatin liverpool
there is a massive chance man united can win the treble ten years on from the last time they did it..
top scorer will be torres or adebayor or ronaldo again
by the way trystan davies how was xabi alonso an dirk kuyt reserves xabi started most game when he was fit an dirk was in the startin line up all the time when the sytem changed to 4-2-3-1,he was very important in the cl run to the semis.liverpools reserves are the best reserves in the country an they proved it by doin a treble last year,therell b a few of them breakin through this year,if any of the 1st team will be in the carling cup teams itll be finnan, pennant, aurelio, hyypia, carragher an benayoun,gerrard an torres could get thrown in again like at reading last year
Top 4 (Head)
Chelsea
Man Utd
Liverpool
Arsenal
Top 4 (Heart)
Man Utd
Chelsea
Liverpool
Spurs
Bottom 3 (Head)
Hull
Stoke
Fulham
Bottom 3 (Heart)
Wigan (10′000 gate in the Premier League.. Get out)
Hull (Why)
Newcastle (How could they ’stand by’ Barton)
League Cup (Head)
Chelsea
League Cup (Heart)
Aston Villa
FA Cup (Head)
Chelsea
FA Cup (Heart)
Spurs
CL (Head)
Chelsea
CL (Heart)
Real Madrid
UEFA Cup (Head)
Spurs
UEFA Cup (Heart)
Spurs
I’m not a Chelsea fan, but, their midfield looks awesome! I cannot see Liverpool improving much this season, Robbie Keane is not the answer. I would love to see Spurs get into the top 4, but, I just can’t see it and I expect once Berbatov has gone to Man Utd, Modric will be the next player wanting to leave for CL football at the end of yet another season where Spurs just miss out (11th is hardly just missing out I know).
On the Berbatov to Man Utd transfer, where the hell are they going to play him. Berbatov seems to like dropping deep, as does , Rooney & Tevez. I expect Ronaldo to have a bit of a mare this season and possibly be sold in January.
Arsenal will win nothing, Arsene Wenger will leave, Fabregas will move to Real Madrid in January and the Emirates will burn down! Oh well, who said I can’t dream!
Interesting predictions Assache. I agree with your Berbatov comment. I think Man U will be buying dead wood. I’d much rather see them buying someone like Santa Cruz or someone in the mould of Viduka.
Mind you what do I know – I do support Gillingham for my sins. However, as soon as I’ve won the lottery they’ll be a force not to be reckoned with! Again, who says I can’t dream!
Or do I mean one to be reckoned with??? I always get confused with that saying!!
Out of interest, I wonder who Trystan supports??
fuk u all on this site u can all suck my ****!!!!!!!!!!
First off, a very Happy Birthday, secondly a thank you Dan, i thoroughly enjoy reading your column every week, and genuinely look forward to it come monday evening.
As a Man Utd fan I predict them to take the title again. However saying that, I think that could almost be sacrified for a CL defense.
Roll on PES 2009 my fingers are crossed so hard for a good game I’m getting cramp!
regarding that last comment, do u people on this forum think KONAMI looks into this kind of sites and forums, to see what the real fan think of the game? do u think KONAMI takes into consideration our opinions regarding PES?….I certainly hope so, I would like to make my online debut on ps3 with a great game
My first post been reading this article for about 5 months. Happy Bday!
top 4 predictions: 1. Manchester United, 2. Chelsea, 3. Arsenal, 4. Liverpool / spurs / Villa
Manchester are a double winning team with youngsters such as Nani Anderson Rooney Ronaldo gaining an extra year expriance will be even better players. Solid defence, great midfield, strong attack could do with another striker but Tevez as been excellent in pre season and rooney is rooney just need more goals to his game but amount of assist he creates makes up for it hes a team player and of course Ronaldo.
cl winner: Manchester United / Inter
relegation: stoke, fulham, Hull
promotion: birmingham, watford, Sheffield Wednesday lol i can dream
Ok. So far a few people have joined the Fantasy football league which is great to see but I would have hoped that the site’s readers (being avid football fans!) a few more would have joined. Dan, Peter, Dougiedonut, Assache, Steve from Stoke where are you??
mn9ajas
I’ll sort today!
I shall hope to become a more frequent commenter on here =D happy birthday!!
Also mn9ajas, I’ll hopefully get a team sorted before the weekend, the only thing holding me back at the minute is a team name!
mn9ajas
Sorted.
SUK MY DICK EVERY 1
That’s the spirit although Franny I’m not sure they’ll let you use that as your team name!
SHALL SUCK UR DICK!!!!!!!! GIVE ME UR NUMBA AND HOUSE ADDRESS
Congratulations!! :)
“…I have played PES online, via PC, since its inception in PES 4, and never had a lag spoiled game until PES 6 on PC, which ruined the whole online experience for me. …”
When I played NHL98 (EA) on Modem it had better flow then PES2008 online, this is 10 years ago, what is the problem KONAMI!?
“…but realise that lag makes the game exceptionally hard to read, and as many will claim, luck plays as much of a role as skill does. So with PES 2009 just around the corner, are we expecting the online problem to just disappear, and the game to run smoothly. Metal Gear Online proves that Konami can produce a working online Multiplayer title that requires quick thinking, real time decisions and online technology has progressed quickly and efficiently over the past 12 months, with pretty much every game featuring some kind of online modes, be the multiplayer or simple leader boards. So on paper this should translate into a better online gaming experience for all PES gamers? Well, I definitely hope so. With Fifa constantly providing enjoyable and variable online games, coupled with a user interface that is easy to use, and makes playing online as simple as playing offline, Konami can not afford to miss out on this aspect of the market, doing so will be a blow they may never recover from. And this goes for more than just the actual in game experience. I am of course referring to the ability to create online tournaments, send messages, create large game rooms, access downloadable content, or simply see other gamers information without having to trawl through pages and pages of menus. These are features that have been going on in other games for the last two years, and the patient PES gamers are starting to get bored of the same old excuses.”
I agree with every single word and I could not have said it any better myself.
Thanks!
My prediction for the coming season would be
1.Man Utd
2.Chelsea
3.Liverpool
4.Arsenal
5.Tottenham
6.Aston Villa
7.Everton
8.Manchester City
9.Portsmouth
10.Sunderland
11.Newcastle
12.Blackburn
13.M’boro
14.Fulham
15.West Ham
16.Wigan
17.Stoke
18.Bolton
19.WBA
20.Hull
Champions League:Chelsea
UEFA Cup:AC Milan
FA Cup:Man Utd
Carling Cup:Tottenham or Villa or Chelsea
Its gonna be an interesting year though