Roberto Baggio a man after my own heart

[silverlining]

So you're saying tennis and rugby players aren't bigger,faster and more powerful and that both sports aren't more based on power than they were 20 years ago?

 

Brian Moore was qualified as a solicitor but if you think he actually practised as one during most of his rugby career you're mistaken.

 

The advances in tennis equipment technology has had a gigantic effect on how hard and fast the sport is, though. Possibly more so than any other sport, apart from maybe golf.

 

As for Brian, yeah, I'm sure inbetween matches they were training hard. It wasn't even a professional sport!

[aws]

The advances in tennis equipment technology has had a gigantic effect on how hard and fast the sport is, though. Possibly more so than any other sport, apart from maybe golf.

 

As for Brian, yeah, I'm sure inbetween matches they were training hard. It wasn't even a professional sport!

 

Agree with you about the equipment but the players are also far more powerful.

 

 

Top class rugby has been a professional sport for thirty years even if the players didn't get wage packets.

[G Richards]

Is the ball from that penalty Baggio struck in 1994 still orbiting the earth? His skill let him down at perhaps the most pivotal moment in his career. Great player mind.

 

This debate can happen every generation. How would the likes of Baggio fare now? What about Stanley Matthews in George Best's era? Would he have coped?

[Stouffer]

Chuck Norris has counted to infinity, twice.

[05 Milan]

Baggio putting the finishing touches on his next column

[Red '84]

completely agree with baggio.

 

dont get me wrong, the modern game when its applied to perfection with pace and skill is fabulous to watch but people who really love the game in its purity love to watch players who arent blessed with the natural athleticism but who have a lovely touch and have a bit of vision and class.

 

when i was growing up there were numerous examples of these type of footballers, such as stoichkov or closer to home matt le tissier.

 

one of my favourite players in the irish team used to be john sheridan, wasnt blessed with lightning pace but had silky feet.

 

even these days i love to see players like andy reid play in the premiership, now im not comparing him to any of the top class names mentioned in this thread but i take pleasure in the fact that even in todays football with all the emphasis on pace and power, a player like that who has a physique more suited to the couch than to the football pitch can get by in the premiership with a nice touch and an eye for a pass.

 

it is at its core an argument between style and substance,

 

and id rather see style, it lasts longer in the memory.

[Rashid]

Think of what made you fall in love with football.. think back what you remember from your childhood.. mine is Maradona's 2nd goal against England. That epitomised everything that is beautiful about this sport... a 5ft 6 midget tearing through a bunch of yard dogs over 60 yards and then rounding the "best keeper in the world"...

[Hermes]

Some of the comments in this thread are amazing. I can just imagine people typing as they sit in their library full of Wimbledon v Watford DVD's.

[Cardie]

Think of what made you fall in love with football.. think back what you remember from your childhood.. mine is Maradona's 2nd goal against England. That epitomised everything that is beautiful about this sport... a 5ft 6 midget tearing through a bunch of yard dogs over 60 yards and then rounding the "best keeper in the world"...

 

....showing both pace and power at the same time.

 

Like Messi Maradonna wasn't a slow meandering player, he had enough pace and power to help out. Does he (and Messi) fall into the Ronaldo/Henry bracket?

 

Oh and Barcelona spent alot of time working on Messi (including growth hormones) to build him into the player he is today.

[silverlining]

Think of what made you fall in love with football.. think back what you remember from your childhood.. mine is Maradona's 2nd goal against England. That epitomised everything that is beautiful about this sport... a 5ft 6 midget tearing through a bunch of yard dogs over 60 yards and then rounding the "best keeper in the world"...

 

Does the example of Maradona address the issue? He would be a footballing superstar if he was 25 again, in the "modern game".

[Cardie]

Is it fuck.

 

Hleb and Rosicky look like they were brought up eating stewed cardboard.

 

Technique is what he looks at first and foremost.

 

Did you not understand 'ONE' of the main factors?

[Rashid]

Did you not understand 'ONE' of the main factors?

 

He did say that Wenger looked at Technique before he even looked at pace and power. That's the FIRST and most important screener...

[Cardie]

He did say that Wenger looked at Technique before he even looked at pace and power. That's the FIRST and most important screener...

 

That doesn't explain Eboue.

 

There are a few books that discuss Wengers philosophy and a few that level the accusation that he favoured black players over white players due to their natural athleticism, especially in more defensive positions.

[silverlining]

That doesn't explain Eboue.

 

There are a few books that discuss Wengers philosophy and a few that level the accusation that he favoured black players over white players due to their natural athleticism, especially in more defensive positions.

 

And the fact that they're better dancers.

[The Acolyte]

Apologies if this has been said already but doesn't Fowler say more or less the same thing in his autobiography?

[RedinSweden]

You can add Fabregas to that list, superb player.

 

whoa there cowboy. None of that this week.

[DomL]

He picked out Ronaldo as a player that couldnt survive in his generation.

 

Excuse me his guy has braught life back into football and showed skill technique that s truly extrordinary, now he isnt the most liked including by me but the guy is a phenom just like ribery etc.

 

The gist of his atricle has points but to say that football isnt about technqiue nor in a way about pure football is silly.

 

I would not say at all that europe is following the english trend in that its all about power and pace.

 

I would say football is really getting back to its roots its becoming more about passing as a collective and getting the football on the ground.

 

Tatic's have just become more prominant in the game because financially its alot more imperitive to win rather than to play football first.

 

Which is something Liverpool as a team need to realise, playing football will win you games consistantly more often than not.

 

From a player i hugely admired growing up as i was a big AC milan fan im dissapointed to see him say this.

[Hermes]

A lot of people on here would prefer Shylock to get there first.

[DooooodekNo5]

whoever said italia90 was one of the most boring world cups musnt of watched it, for me it was the best world cup in recent memory(was my first world cup i can remember) apart from the winners and england getting shafted on pens it was everything u could want from a world cup, some classic matches starting with the first one when cameroon kicked the shit out of the argies , higuitas madness v milla and cameroon, platts volley, englands pulsating quaters and semis, nessen dorma and plenty more, the last world cup has 2 go down as the worst ever by far.

[Sugar Ape]

Baggio documentary out on Netflix in May. 
 

 

[KMD7]

2 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

Baggio documentary out on Netflix in May. 
 

 

Some player in his day. 

[cloggypop]

Shite hair though

[Lee909]

Not sure about that to be honest

 

But fuck me if one man did not deserve to miss a pen in a shootout it was him. He dragged them to the final that year

[Lee909]

Superb player

 

Great clips in this, though i feat the man that made it seems a bit stalkerish

[Lee909]

The commentary always sticks in my mind from Italia 90

 

But still......Baggio. Oh yes, oh yes…oh yes! What a goal by Baggio!