The (Un) Official Football thread

Put the world to rights here (off-topic discussion)
User avatar
houston4044
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2532
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:58 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby houston4044 » Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:05 am

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40800757

I know the link between talent and value are two completely separate things but wow :o I could kind of understand if it was Messi but Neymar? He's the worst one of the big Barca 3

User avatar
Gandalf the Red
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2829
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:38 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Gandalf the Red » Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:40 pm

Getting a bit pissed off with shit ex footballers telling a club to sell a player. Coutinho signed a five year contract six months ago FFS. These arseholes are getting worse than the agents.

First Ian Wright, then Shearer, now some total non entity. Who the fuck is Jermaine Jenas anyway? Bit part player at two mid table teams. Seriously. What has it got to do with him?

Concern yourselves with your own teams.
“He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. But I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.” - Jürgen Klopp

User avatar
Tet
Denim Demon
Posts: 7941
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2004 8:09 pm
Location: Bucks
Contact:

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Tet » Fri Aug 18, 2017 10:50 pm

Gandalf the Red wrote:First Ian Wright, then Shearer, now some total non entity. Who the fuck is Jermaine Jenas anyway? Bit part player at two mid table teams.

To be fair, he may not have been in the same class as Wright or Shearer, but he was more than a bit part player and his England caps aren't to be sniffed at. As for Coutinho, there's no doubting that Barcelona are a step up for him, and it would be a great move for the player. Are Liverpool better off keeping him, though? I'd say yes, they probably are. You don't need the money right now, you'd struggle to replace him before the transfer window closes, and you'd struggle without him. Short of ludicrous money, I can't see why Liverpool would allow him to go.
CH3NO2 -- It's the only way to be sure
You laugh at me because I'm different. I pity you, you're all the same...

User avatar
Gandalf the Red
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2829
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:38 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Gandalf the Red » Fri Aug 18, 2017 11:56 pm

It's more the fact that they feel the need to stick their oar in. I don't see them telling Tottenham to sell Kane or anyone else to join other clubs. They should keep their noses out of transfer dealings and just talk about tactics, the match itself and results.

It's also that it's the BBC that is coming out with all this rubbish. It should just report the news and not try to make it.
“He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. But I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.” - Jürgen Klopp

User avatar
houston4044
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2532
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:58 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby houston4044 » Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:28 am

Just read the articles about Countiho, so when Barca and La Liga throw their toys out the pram when someone dares lure one of their players it's "undermining the game" yet when Barca do it to Liverpool suddenly L'pool are holding a player back?

I'm not a L'pool fan but more for them by sticking to their guns. If clubs constantly cave when they don't want/need to then football's going to get real boring real quick. One of the highlights of the Prem the last few seasons has been the likes of Spurs and L'pool starting to break the top 4 which for like a decade had been predictable as hell because teams sold their best players.

User avatar
Gandalf the Red
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2829
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:38 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Gandalf the Red » Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:44 am

I also don't understand why pundits who are paid to comment on the Premier League want the top players to go abroad. Isn't it better for the competition to have them here?
“He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. But I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.” - Jürgen Klopp

User avatar
houston4044
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2532
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:58 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby houston4044 » Sat Aug 19, 2017 9:38 pm

Gandalf the Red wrote:I also don't understand why pundits who are paid to comment on the Premier League want the top players to go abroad. Isn't it better for the competition to have them here?


They aren't the most consistent bunch, I remember reading an article by McNulty on the BBC saying Kane and Alli should go to (forget the clubs who were rumored to be in for them) the standard big names in the CL to improve. Next day he put out an article saying the Prem should try and keep hold of it's English stars :lol:

Personally I don't have much time for pundits, when they come on between matches on MOTD I tend to use it as a tea break or something :lol:

User avatar
Skippy
Paster of Muppets
Posts: 1549
Joined: Wed May 19, 2010 7:12 pm
Location: Somewhere crap

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Skippy » Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:13 am

I agree that teams need to try to keep hold of their best players, but when that player actively wants to go, then get rid of them as soon as possible and try to get a decent replacement. The disruption they cause is stupid. As much as I like the idea of someone like Arsenal trying to keep Sanchez, I can't help but feel its ruined their start to the season - they should have just sold him at the start of the window, brought in someone like Mahrez quickly and tried to make the best of it. Same with Liverpool - if there wasn't so much uncertainty, the team wouldn't have struggled last week. There are differences though - for one, its hard to think of anyone they could sign close to the same level.

The question the pundits should be asking is why the hell this player, who just signed a 5 year contract, wants to leave. Barca are a big club, sure, but not the force they were a few years ago, and its not like Liverpool are not in the Champion's League. "It'll improve his game" - what a load of codswallop. There was something like a 20 point difference between Madrid, Barca and the rest of La Liga last year, the league is nowhere near as competitive as the Premier League, and surely a nitty gritty game against Stoke alongside decent-to-good-but-not-world-class players is going to test you more than a game of "pass the ball to Messi, hope he does something special".
BANDS I LIKE FOR BLOODSTOCK!!!

User avatar
houston4044
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2532
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:58 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby houston4044 » Sun Aug 20, 2017 12:48 pm

How much of it is Countiho wanting to leave and how much of it is Barca trying to unsettle the player though? By handing in a request he forefits any pay off from L'Pool but I doubt that A) he'd notice financially and B) Barca won't compensate him for it.

As for selling someone because they want to leave? I wouldn't cave that easily, they could sell him for bonkers money but replacing him will be hard. Other clubs with players of near equal stature is going to up their price or you buy players of lesser quality. If it's a choice between that and a little dissent/ "holding a player back" ala Jenas then so be it, why do something disadvantageous to yourself?

User avatar
Skippy
Paster of Muppets
Posts: 1549
Joined: Wed May 19, 2010 7:12 pm
Location: Somewhere crap

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Skippy » Sun Aug 20, 2017 2:23 pm

houston4044 wrote:
As for selling someone because they want to leave? I wouldn't cave that easily, they could sell him for bonkers money but replacing him will be hard. Other clubs with players of near equal stature is going to up their price or you buy players of lesser quality. If it's a choice between that and a little dissent/ "holding a player back" ala Jenas then so be it, why do something disadvantageous to yourself?

It depends on the player - so many seem to underperform when they want to leave, to the extent its not worth playing them. Sometimes they can just be toxic in the dressing room. Sometimes it is just better to sell them - look at Berahino; wanted to leave, would't play for ages, finally gets sold about 2 years or so later, is now terrible. 2 years of pissing about, refusing to sell him and in the end he's just ruined his career.
BANDS I LIKE FOR BLOODSTOCK!!!

User avatar
houston4044
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2532
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:58 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby houston4044 » Sun Aug 20, 2017 4:07 pm

Skippy wrote:It depends on the player - so many seem to underperform when they want to leave, to the extent its not worth playing them. Sometimes they can just be toxic in the dressing room. Sometimes it is just better to sell them - look at Berahino; wanted to leave, would't play for ages, finally gets sold about 2 years or so later, is now terrible. 2 years of pissing about, refusing to sell him and in the end he's just ruined his career.


I agree with you it's a case by case situation but at the same time if a club is just going to bend to the whim of every player who says they want to leave then they'll find themselves trying to herd cats. I don't think clubs are completely blame free in all of this, but players like Berahino or Odemwinge do themselves no favors. Though in all this I think agents seem to escape blame in these situations, often times they manipulate things behind the scene for their own benefit and can turn a player or a club's head a certain way; Benteke comes to mind in this case.

User avatar
Gandalf the Red
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2829
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:38 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Gandalf the Red » Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:30 pm

Birmingham have got the Commonwealth Games which means the Bitters aren't getting a free stadium. :lol:
“He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. But I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.” - Jürgen Klopp

User avatar
Black Wizard
Knight of the Eemerald Svord
Posts: 749
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:47 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Black Wizard » Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:38 pm

Birmingham hasn't got the Commonwealth Games, they've been chosen as the English option to bid for it.

User avatar
Gandalf the Red
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2829
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:38 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Gandalf the Red » Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:50 pm

Yeah. But it's virtually a forgone conclusion that they've got it. The only rival is Kuala Lumpur who haven't got the infrastructure in place at such short notice. But I'm not particularly bothered about athletics.

I'm just glad that Everton aren't getting a free stadium. :D
“He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. But I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.” - Jürgen Klopp

User avatar
Black Wizard
Knight of the Eemerald Svord
Posts: 749
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:47 pm

Re: The (Un) Official Football thread

Postby Black Wizard » Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:04 pm

KL hosted it in 1998 I think. It was Chris Hoy's first big international event.

I lived in Birmingham a few years ago and like the idea of the cycling road race going through the crappy student area near the university.