Manager Draft - Group A

[Guest Alex_K]

1 vote, everyone knows the rules. The team with the most votes progresses to the final

 

Ardja

Stig

Dynamite

No2

[Bjornebye]

I've voted Ardja but I can't see how my side doesn't walk this group. 

[Guest Alex_K]

Another tough one. Really want to vote for Dynamite here: again first half of the draft smashed it with superb picks. Two bosses in midfield and at the back; another in Baggio although I was never really enamoured by George Weah. Weirdly for someone who memory serves was a very 'pure' striker, he wasn't ever a remarkable goal-scorer. Barely hit double digit season figures and maxed out at 13 goals in Serie A; for context Batistuta in the other group scored more than that in 8 out of his first 9 seasons there. That said those great positional players are truly great. Heighway & Robertson are probably comparatively weak for their position.

 

Really like Ardja's team, did a nice job of tying it all together in the final picks. Maybe would have swapped Maldini & Hughes: superb back 5 though. Rush is an all-time great, Gullit is an all-time great. Vidal & Pjanic were "good" Champions League level players but neither will live long in the memory. Viera was obviously very good.

 

Lot of great players in Stig's team - Cafu, Koeman and of course Dalglish all favourites. The one turn off here was Guti who may be the weakest midfielder in the game. Looked at him closely in another draft as a Turkish team pick; he's a bit of an odd one because he's a historic Real player but one who never cracked any of their various great teams there. Don't think he ever started a Champions League final for example in the 90s or 2000s. Bit of a water-carrier.

 

No 2's side is a bit reminiscent of John's in the other group; again lots of great players but at a bit of a cost. Perhaps would have swapped Aimar out for a fullback which would have allowed a more conventional 4-3-3 with Gasgoine in front of Gerrard/Makelele.

 

Gonna go with my original choice of Dynamite thanks to Redondo/Matthaus & Nesta/Cannavaro pairings; lots of good teams and fun ideas though across the board.

 

[No2]

Not much to separate the 3 other teams in this group. Voted for Stig to stop him crying.

 

Hate my team, hate everything about it even though I like all he players. The way the game has changed it feels like it must be 433 which means fast attacking full backs. Go beyond 2000 and there is fuck all of them.

[No2]

1 minute ago, Alex_K said:

Another tough one. Really want to vote for Dynamite here: again first half of the draft smashed it with superb picks. Two bosses in midfield and at the back; another in Baggio although I was never really enamoured by George Weah. Weirdly for someone who memory serves was a very 'pure' striker, he wasn't ever a remarkable goal-scorer. Barely hit double digit season figures and maxed out at 13 goals in Serie A; for context Batistuta in the other group scored more than that in 8 out of his first 9 seasons there. That said those great positional players are truly great. Heighway & Robertson are probably comparatively weak for their position.

 

Really like Ardja's team, did a nice job of tying it all together in the final picks. Maybe would have swapped Maldini & Hughes: superb back 5 though. Rush is an all-time great, Gullit is an all-time great. Vidal & Pjanic were "good" Champions League level players but neither will live long in the memory. Viera was obviously very good.

 

Lot of great players in Stig's team - Cafu, Koeman and of course Dalglish all favourites. The one turn off here was Guti who may be the weakest midfielder in the game. Looked at him closely in another draft as a Turkish team pick; he's a bit of an odd one because he's a historic Real player but one who never cracked any of their various great teams there. Don't think he ever started a Champions League final for example in the 90s or 2000s. Bit of a water-carrier.

 

No 2's side is a bit reminiscent of John's in the other group; again lots of great players but at a bit of a cost. Perhaps would have swapped Aimar out for a fullback which would have allowed a more conventional 4-3-3 with Gasgoine in front of Gerrard/Makelele.

 

Gonna go with my original choice of Dynamite thanks to Redondo/Matthaus & Nesta/Cannavaro pairings; lots of good teams and fun ideas though across the board.

 

I was going to go with Benjamin Mendy and Chris Lawler instead of Law and Aimar. Probably would have been a better side but still not good enough to win.

[Bjornebye]

2 hours ago, Alex_K said:

Another tough one. Really want to vote for Dynamite here: again first half of the draft smashed it with superb picks. Two bosses in midfield and at the back; another in Baggio although I was never really enamoured by George Weah. Weirdly for someone who memory serves was a very 'pure' striker, he wasn't ever a remarkable goal-scorer. Barely hit double digit season figures and maxed out at 13 goals in Serie A; for context Batistuta in the other group scored more than that in 8 out of his first 9 seasons there. That said those great positional players are truly great. Heighway & Robertson are probably comparatively weak for their position.

 

Really like Ardja's team, did a nice job of tying it all together in the final picks. Maybe would have swapped Maldini & Hughes: superb back 5 though. Rush is an all-time great, Gullit is an all-time great. Vidal & Pjanic were "good" Champions League level players but neither will live long in the memory. Viera was obviously very good.

 

Lot of great players in Stig's team - Cafu, Koeman and of course Dalglish all favourites. The one turn off here was Guti who may be the weakest midfielder in the game. Looked at him closely in another draft as a Turkish team pick; he's a bit of an odd one because he's a historic Real player but one who never cracked any of their various great teams there. Don't think he ever started a Champions League final for example in the 90s or 2000s. Bit of a water-carrier.

 

No 2's side is a bit reminiscent of John's in the other group; again lots of great players but at a bit of a cost. Perhaps would have swapped Aimar out for a fullback which would have allowed a more conventional 4-3-3 with Gasgoine in front of Gerrard/Makelele.

 

Gonna go with my original choice of Dynamite thanks to Redondo/Matthaus & Nesta/Cannavaro pairings; lots of good teams and fun ideas though across the board.

 

Sorry mate but thats bollocks about Guti. 

 

 

I'll do my write-ups later. 

[John102]

Stigs gone full bluenose fume.

[Guest Alex_K]

1 hour ago, Bjornebye said:

Sorry mate but thats bollocks about Guti.

Which part? Take a quick look:

• 13 international caps in 15 years - all of which were when Spain were also-rans in the late 90s/early 00s. Not even a look in when the world class batch were around. Made his debut at 23 so not really a 'wonder kid' ever either. Was even just a squad player for the Spain U21 European Championship aged 22. Behind Juan Valeron in the international pecking order, for example.
• Didn't start or even come off the bench in any of the 98/00/02 Champions League wins (those were also his only real Spanish capped years, so his relative 'peak;).
• Played 1 leg each of the 97 & 08 Coppa del Rey: did not start or come off the bench in either leg of the 03 or 01 Coppa del Rey wins and did not get on in the other legs for 97 or 08.

 

Am sure he was a decent player, but his absolute peak was as a utility player for club and country. Routinely wouldn't even make the pitch in the big games; missed way more Cup finals than he played. Very different types of players obviously but if you extrapolate he probably followed a similar trajectory as Nicky Butt at United.

 

Maybe he's better than Pjanic (maybe) but not sure who else he could reasonably be argued to be better than in this group.

 

[Sugar Ape]

On 04/07/2020 at 22:52, Bjornebye said:

Guti. Was torn between him and Vieira but wanted Guti. 

 

@Sugar Ape

The crazy thing is you seemed to want him over Vieira. Do you think he’s a better player or something?

[John102]

Ma and No2 ahead of the curve.