Other football

[kalasoma]

Micah Richards saying the team not comfortable with Mancini's decision to mess around with the defensive formation. Interesting insight.

[aRdja]

So good to watch these Germans.. None of the Dortmund players would make Real's first XI, but they truly made them look second best all game. Schalke from the little I saw played some decent football too.

 

Let us get one German this Jan.. Götze would be ideal.

[Gym Beglin]

There's some great managers out there like Rafa, Bielsa, and Klopp, but you can't just get them in and expect miracles. Look at AVB at Chelsea, where Terry and his goons undermined him and didn't buy into his ideas.

 

You look at the provincial nature of fierce and passionate clubs like Valencia, Bilbao, and Dortmund, it's not easy to translate that to cash-loving wankers and their ego's like at Chelsea, City and Madrid.

 

From that, you can draw your own conclusions as to the spectacular success and rapid decline of Bentez with us.

[FanchesterCity]

Better team won, you can't say fairer than that.

 

City play with too much fear in Europe, and the experienced teams do what they do best... take control.

 

Well played Ajax, alas it's too late for them. The best two teams will go through, rightly so.

[Delmar]

Poulsen is playing CL football. Hodgson is the manager of England. Wrong, just wrong...

[DooooodekNo5]

If they want the CL, there's a manager who knows how to take teams to finals. Doesn't have a job.

 

This is what ive been thinking.

 

As usual Mancini getting shown up on the biggest stage , inexcusible with that squad.

 

I'ld love to know his CL record , its gotta be grim viewing , pretty sure the last 16 is as far as hes taken a team ( when we beat Inter 3-0 agg ) and has bombed out in the groups often.

[FanchesterCity]

There's some great managers out there like Rafa, Bielsa, and Klopp, but you can't just get them in and expect miracles. Look at AVB at Chelsea, where Terry and his goons undermined him and didn't buy into his ideas.

 

You look at the provincial nature of fierce and passionate clubs like Valencia, Bilbao, and Dortmund, it's not easy to translate that to cash-loving wankers and their ego's like at Chelsea, City and Madrid.

 

From that, you can draw your own conclusions as to the spectacular success and rapid decline of Bentez with us.

 

At Champions League level, or even Premier League level, the money the players earn doesn't even come into it. They are ALL on fortunes we can only dream of.

Sometimes you just come across better teams and you're beaten, or a team with a bit more spirit about them. That's not because the players are 'only' on 50K a week instead of 100K !!! that's down to themselves and the manager's ability to develop such a spirit.

 

For as long as the game's been going - you need a good supply of money AND spirit, and a little bit of luck on top. It's just that the financial gulf between the 'haves' and 'have nots' is wider than ever - but there's always been a gap.

[kalasoma]

The gap between Ajax and City is about 100M I believe with most of the Ajax players coming from their academy. Didn't Ajax beat Utd last season in the CL? Or was it the Europa?

[brucespanner]

The gap between Ajax and City is about 100M I believe with most of the Ajax players coming from their academy. Didn't Ajax beat Utd last season in the CL? Or was it the Europa?

 

Er, yeah.

 

Vermeer - youth product

Van Rhijn - youth product

Alderweireld - youth product

Moisander - 2.5m

Blind - youth product

Eriksen - youth product

Poulsen - free

Schone - free

Sana - 250k

De Jong - youth product

Babel - free (originally a youth product)

 

Total cost: 2.75m

[George Costanza]

City were battered at home by Dortmund. They are hopeless in the CL. Given the amount of investment & their squad quality it is down to one thing. The manager. & Rafa would not be the solution. he needs to prove himself again before getting a high profile job

[Unrighteous]

City were battered at home by Dortmund. They are hopeless in the CL. Given the amount of investment & their squad quality it is down to one thing. The manager. & Rafa would not be the solution. he needs to prove himself again before getting a high profile job

 

I am a certain that only the biggest names in football will please the money behind City. I can't see anyone going there besides people that have a ridiculously good pedigree. Mourinho, and Guardiola are both likely to come to the Premier League. Mourinho to City, or Guardiola to City/Chelsea.

 

I think Van Gaal could do very well with City, as there isn't really anyone to fight with... He'd have final say in, pretty much, all football matters.

[John McClane]

What is it with Sky Sports interviewers, the whole lot of them almost having a go at Mancini and Bould of Arsenal. Arrogant bastards.

They would never speak to Ferguson that way.

[Unrighteous]

What is it with Sky Sports interviewers' date=' the whole lot of them almost having a go at Mancini and Bould of Arsenal. Arrogant bastards.

They would never speak to Ferguson that way.[/quote']

 

It's hard to speak that way to someone when you've got your tongue jammed right inside their asshole.

[John McClane]

True.

Reckon Chelsea might get a few past united at the weekend, we'll see what is said then. I guess ferguson will just say they will be taken care of, dont you worry bout that. the prick.

[Unrighteous]

True.

Reckon Chelsea might get a few past united at the weekend, we'll see what is said then. I guess ferguson will just say they will be taken care of, dont you worry bout that. the prick.

 

Chelsea are going to be stinging from the Shakhtar lesson, and I reckon they're going to get on United early and really go after them.

[Code]

Cant believe we did not just get knocked out of those domestic cups last season so we could get into the CL groups and lose instead, thats what football is about.

 

Arghhhh.

[Code]

If they want the CL, there's a manager who knows how to take teams to finals. Doesn't have a job.

 

Guardiola?

[Il Fenomeno]

Guardiola?

 

No.

 

 

Avram Grant.

[Duff Man]

Yeah fuck the Champions League, all I want is the League Cup!

[RobbieOR]

City were battered at home by Dortmund. They are hopeless in the CL. Given the amount of investment & their squad quality it is down to one thing. The manager. & Rafa would not be the solution. he needs to prove himself again before getting a high profile job

 

Why would Benitez not be the solution? The European Cup is Rafa's fortè. Even his most ardent critics could not disagree with that.

[RobbieOR]

I am a certain that only the biggest names in football will please the money behind City. I can't see anyone going there besides people that have a ridiculously good pedigree. Mourinho, and Guardiola are both likely to come to the Premier League. Mourinho to City, or Guardiola to City/Chelsea.

 

I think Van Gaal could do very well with City, as there isn't really anyone to fight with... He'd have final say in, pretty much, all football matters.

 

Van Gaal has just taken the Holland job, so that wont happen.

[kalasoma]

Rafa was seen at the Arsenal v Schalke match tonight. I think he's just had talks in London and I reckon he's going to take over from Mark Hughes. Or, he's doing his Christmas shopping early.

[Code]

Why would Benitez not be the solution? The European Cup is Rafa's fortè. Even his most ardent critics could not disagree with that.

 

Maybe City wants more league titles?

 

For your last point, really?

 

I could make an effort though.

 

Before Rafa took charge of Valencia they came from back to back finals.

 

02/03: Knocked out of first knock out round.

03/04: Did not qualify

04/05: Winners

05/06: Knocked out of first knock out round, English team in final

06/07: Final

07/08: Semi final, two English teams in the final.

08/09: Quarter final, three English teams in semi final.

09/10: Knocked out of group stage.

10/11: Came 2nd behind Spurs in group as defending Champions, sacked.

 

So it would be possible to argue that just as much and maybe more it was not really Rafa's magic tactical skills that made us having considerable success in Europe under him, he just rode that wave the English teams had made their own for a while.

 

Last time Rafa won anything of note was more than 6 seasons ago, last time he won a league title was more than 8 seasons ago, he is getting more and more outdated as we speak, the funny thing is neither him or his shep understands it.

[Faustus]

Rafa was seen at the Arsenal v Schalke match tonight. I think he's just had talks in London and I reckon he's going to take over from Mark Hughes. Or, he's doing his Christmas shopping early.

 

There's a vacancy at Crystal Palace...

 

Only taking this piss, folks, put those negs away. I like Rafa. Gave me the best day of my life.

[RobbieOR]

He won a European cup, got to a final 2 years later and won the Uefa cup 12 months before Istanbul. Thats not forgetting a semi final in 2008 and Quarter final in 2009. No amount of twisting stats with shite logic from a guy who pisses on every single thing the guy has won in his career is going to change that fact.