What leagues do you follow then, Lathrim? The thread here has been quiet of late as those of us who are regulars have other commitments limiting our time here; and we tend to be more English Premier League focused due to the teams we support. It's always nice to see football from other parts of the world and engage with other fans.
I've been blocked off from paying attention to most european leagues for the last six months, mostly because of lack of time. Assuming that doesn't happen again, I'll be taking a look at the spanish, british and french. Latter just because the best player of the team I support here in Brazil (São Paulo) left for PSG. Name's Lucas.
Kimosabe0 wrote... The Champions League has some interesting matches coming up: Arsenal - Bayern München, AC Milan - Barcelona & Real Madrid - Manchester United. I haven't really followed the Premier League so far so do you guys think the English clubs have a chance?
Arsenal has been irregular at best, while Bayern has performed well with no oscilation. Unless something changes for the english club, and fast, I don't see them going past the germans. Milan, I honestly don't know. I admit I do not pay attention to the italian league. I'd place my money on United... Madrid, just like Arsenal, has been oscilating terribly.
DragonRageGT wrote...
Corinthians... champions of the world! Woohoo!
(if European teams did not care, why would their players cry like they do when they lose? hehehe I'm just glad, it wasn't Barcelona! =)
Hurray for the Corinthians!
My favorite team of whole AMERICA!
Just like Lathrim I've been away from matches. Hearing the news sometimes, so I'm informed that Arsenal and Real Madrid are ruining their chances in their country leagues badly.
Also Nice Job German teams in European championship.
Congrats to Corinthians. I have not gotten a chance to see this new Chelsea, but I remember Brazilian football as very offensive oriented, always attacking. For those who follow the Brazilian league, how does it compare to the European leagues?
This PSG team with all their signings, I have to say I am just as curious about them as when Man City made all their big purchases a couple years ago. Are they playing like a team or is there success dependent on individual brilliance? Is there a leader in midfield? Is Thiago the rock in defense that he was becoming in Milan? So many questions, and only watching one of their matches will answer them...
How are bayern doing? Have Borussia Dortmund fallen of a lot? I remember hearing that Dortmund were doing well in the Champions League, so that is good. Last year Chelsea were not contenders for the league title but kept on playing well in the Champions League....and look how that turned out.
You're right Obaka. I have seen some of those old matches for Man U and there is no doubt, Man U has always been a well rounded team, but with a strong focus on attacking. Why, nowadays don't they practically employ 4 forwards? Btw, does anybody know Liverpool are doing? I played a match with them on Pes the other day, and I had no clue how they play now. Arsenal being spotty...hmm, doesn't sound like a surprise, but they need to get some leaders on there that can kind of be the strong voices for the team on the pitch. Wilshere seems strong, but they need someone else to help him out as well, preferably on defense. Somebody like a Puyol. Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea.... a club in transition and now with a new manager at the helm. Seems like must watch tv hehe.
Ahhh.... journalism, football, and world events. Its true, its true, the media has a lot of control in the world, and as more newspapers and independent companies get bought up or shut down, the flow of information gets more homogenized with the passing of time. Without wanting to stray too much out of the subject of football...as people get lazier though and read less, and/or become more concerned with just themselves instead of others, what happens to other people on earth becomes less important, as a result sells less, and then perhaps that starts the cycle of news agencies not devoting as many resources to other news stories. The fault though I feel lies with us though. Cheslea fans didn't want Benitez, but they sure liked it when Abrahmovich brought in all those new players. I have only known Chelsea to be the big team they are now...but is it true that Chelsea used to be a mid table team, not the big club it is today? Difficult to believe hehe. In regards to hypocrisy in football....hmm, that is a difficult subject. I think like we mentioned before, the problems in football is not so much the cause, or the actuall illness, but rather a symptom of the real problem which lies in society. Until we can all get along in life and society whats the purpose of trying to get rid of it in football? In that regard, what are the fans motives' when they go to attend a football match? Are they there to support their team or to put down the other team, or in some cases, even their own team. For example, how did booing Benitez help Chelsea FC? He is still going to be the manager, and I don't think Abrahmovich (sp?) is really taking the supporters opinions too seriously. If this is really true that an assistant referee lost his life...I think people are forgetting what football is about. Its just a game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. When it gets convulted with people who use football to make money or to get certain results, they are sight of what football is all about. Messi scoring a beautiful goal....thats football. Qatar buying the WC in 2022, that is not. (There are countless examples that can be used, and nothing against Qatar, but FIFA...its all about money for them)
Congrats to Corinthians. I have not gotten a chance to see this new Chelsea, but I remember Brazilian football as very offensive oriented, always attacking. For those who follow the Brazilian league, how does it compare to the European leagues?
That is very true. 'Tis no wonder most of the brazilian stars we have seen rise and fall are forwards or offensive midfielders. Today's Corinthians, however, is different. They play in a more defensive, european style. And believe me, it has served them well. They are currently the best team in America IMO.
The Brazilian league is an odd one. In a way, it is the exact opposite of La Liga. In the latter, you simply don't see anyone but Barca and Madrid win, while on Brazil there are over 8 'great champions'. The team who won the most is São Paulo (if you do not know, Kaka came from there), which is the only six-time winner of the league. That variety, competition, is a good thing IMO.
But then there are the problems... for one, there is a lack of investment in youth players. Brazilian teams would rather invest in formed players than take the risk to go after youth and form them themselves. Quite the contrast when compared to, say, Barcelona. And that was portrayed quite well by Guardiola when Barca won the championship of the world over Santos last year. Once the match was over a brazilian journalist asked him if Barca won because the spanish club is far, far more wealthy than Santos and is thus able to buy a higher number of players and more expensive ones. His answer? Nine out of the starting eleven in that match were raised on soccer by the spanish team. Does that happen here? Rarely. And when it does, that doesn't last. Which brings me to the second problem of brazilian clubs. They do not have the means (or maybe lack the motivation to do so, but I doubt that) to hold players when Europe starts probing. I can even give you a recent example... Lucas, from São Paulo. A few months ago the president of the club said that three players in the team were considered 'unsellable'. Lucas, Luís Fabiano (played for Sevilla for a few years) and Rogério Ceni (goalkeeper, even made part of the national team in 2002, has been on São Paulo his whole career despite strong probing by european times, this man is a jewel). Not even if over a hundred million euros were offered for one of them. Two weeks later PSG offers 43 million euros for Lucas, and off he goes.
modjospinster wrote...
This PSG team with all their signings, I have to say I am just as curious about them as when Man City made all their big purchases a couple years ago. Are they playing like a team or is there success dependent on individual brilliance? Is there a leader in midfield? Is Thiago the rock in defense that he was becoming in Milan? So many questions, and only watching one of their matches will answer them...
We shall see after christmas. I suspect it will be a mix of individual brilliance and teamwork... I hope it is. That is always nice to watch.
Meh to Celtic - Juve. I've no interest in either team.
Not sure why people are making us such favourites against Real, with a fully fit team I think we can win, but a few injuries and I'd be alot less confident. Just glad we managed to avoid Barca and Bayern Munich really.
Some classic Iron Gerbil. Lost your first game? Why not blame overpaid players, the previous manager and naive owners all in one swoop to absolve yourself of all blame? http://www1.skysport...on-wages-at-QPR Anyone spot the usual hypocrisies?
How are bayern doing? Have Borussia Dortmund fallen of a lot? I remember hearing that Dortmund were doing well in the Champions League, so that is good. Last year Chelsea were not contenders for the league title but kept on playing well in the Champions League....and look how that turned out.
Dortmund did not that bad in the league, but their good performances were almost all in either the DFB cup or the Champions League (though their CL performance is somewhat overrated. Sure, they finished 1st against Real, Man City and Ajax in their group, and played some good matches. Even beating Man City with their second lineup in the last game. But City and Real are not really playing a good season.) Bayern, on the other hand, played a stellar first half in the league, as was expected, since loosing the Bundesliga title two times in a row to Dortmund is quite some motivation for them to get "their" title back. In terms of tactics and quality of players those two are miles above anything else Germany has to offer right now, though.
Meh to Celtic - Juve. I've no interest in either team.
Not sure why people are making us such favourites against Real, with a fully fit team I think we can win, but a few injuries and I'd be alot less confident. Just glad we managed to avoid Barca and Bayern Munich really.
British, english. Premier league.
As it was said, Madrid is oscilating a bit too much. Sure, they can win, but they might as well take a 4x0 to the face without giving too much trouble themselves.
Going back a bit.... I recall the fluidity of Man Utd's attacking line-up in that match against Roma. Even with the current talent I don't really see that fluidity. Helps if I actually watch them play though....
Brazilian football: didn't know that was how clubs operated with respect to transfers. I can see why they would want to do that as it does make sense, but....financially it seems best to train up your own players. At least to me that seems to be the way to go. What does seem to be the case is the better players then end up in Europe, typically Italy or Spain I think.
The Iron Gerbil: getting the excuses in now. To be expected. Then we have those in the media who are already backing him up on that. It really is quite amazing when you think about it.
Norwich: D'oh. Lost to West Brom. I suppose that was coming considering the form we have been in. Also....it seems a bit clearer now on the whole legal situation with Lambert and Aston Villa. Norwich were withholding bonuses due to him which meant Lambert suing for breach of contract. All those kerfuffles, and all Villa had to do was compensate Norwich in the first place it would seem.
On Villa....boy they took a thrashing from Chelsea. It's actually quite frightening that so many of their players scored. Probably more so than the actual scoreline in a way.
Brazilian football: didn't know that was how clubs operated with respect to transfers. I can see why they would want to do that as it does make sense, but....financially it seems best to train up your own players. At least to me that seems to be the way to go. What does seem to be the case is the better players then end up in Europe, typically Italy or Spain I think.
What brazilian clubs are doing is focusing on the short-term and easy gain. As an example, back in 2009 Corinthians brought Ronaldo (brazilian one) back to his country. He played very well that season, but from 2010 onwards he suffered from continuous back-to-back injuries, not to mention old and constant pains from previous times he got hurt and lack of long-term stamina. His retirement was official in February 14th, 2011. Corinthians knew the chances of something like that happening were high, the manager even said so himself. They still went after it, spending a fortune (on brazilian terms, it isn't so much of a fortune on Europe) on him instead of attempting to form a base of young players to play with in the future. São Paulo did basically the same thing with Rivaldo. Only difference is that while Ronaldo did play very well for a year, Rivaldo had one or two good matches at most.
And on the topic of brazilian players being brought back to Brazil, Corinthians is probing around Milan for Pato. Curious to see how that'll turn out.
Depends on what you mean by fluidity, OBaka. In some ways we are more fluid than we have been in years, the only two forwards we play that really have static positions are Hernandez and Valencia, the rest all tend to move around and can play in several positions. In other ways we are less fluid when Anderson and/or Cleverly aren't playing. I think Kagawa is meant to alleviate alot of those problems but taking time to settle and being injured has limited his impact. I don't think we've had all our midfielders or forwards available at any point this season so its hard to tell how its meant to work.
Speaking of which, everyone seems to be pointing out how Rooney was shockingly bad yesterday. Are they blind? Did they not see him at the start of this season or second half of last season? It was the exact same, he was shocking but covered it with goals. In fairness to Rooney though yesterday was his first really bad game in a while, he's been playing well recently. Hopefully its not the start of another long run of sh*te from him.
Last week was the first time we really played well in a long time, I hoped it was the start of us kicking on but then yesterday happened. Given we are top without ever really playing well and tend to get better after Christmas I'm optimistic about winning the league. Which is also why I'm not overly confident about beating Real Madrid, just because we are top of the league doesn't mean we are on form. We have looked a bit ropey and could get punished severely by stronger teams if things don't change.
So Villa are paying Norwich and Norwich are using that to pay Lamberts bonus?
I like how The Iron Gerbil has glossed over what he paid players at Portsmouth that landed them in administration, now he's careful with money? Also revealing Spurs wage ceiling to rivals and he was revealing Ba's get out clause again, briliant.
Isn't Robinho going back to Brazil aswell? They seem to be importing Europeans now too with Seedorf and I think Malouda heading over there. Players leaving there still seems to be the main story with the Neymar stories starting to kick up again.
Yeah. Two or three clubs are after Robinho. I dunno about Malouda, haven't heard anything about him. As for Neymar... Santos will, at the very least, hold onto him until 2014's World Cup is over, unless a club decides he is worth the huge value they're demanding for the man.
That said, I don't think it goes beyond 2014. If Neymar manages to shine in the WC, it won't even matter if Brazil wins or not as long as he plays 4~6 matches. That'll be enough for the big european teams really delve into him, and when they do that, no brazilian club has the the financial means to keep the player. It really depends on the man when it gets to that stage.
The Brazilian league is an odd one. In a way, it is the exact opposite of La Liga. In the latter, you simply don't see anyone but Barca and Madrid win, while on Brazil there are over 8 'great champions'. The team who won the most is São Paulo (if you do not know, Kaka came from there), which is the only six-time winner of the league. That variety, competition, is a good thing IMO.
But then there are the problems... for one, there is a lack of investment in youth players. Brazilian teams would rather invest in formed players than take the risk to go after youth and form them themselves. Quite the contrast when compared to, say, Barcelona. And that was portrayed quite well by Guardiola when Barca won the championship of the world over Santos last year. Once the match was over a brazilian journalist asked him if Barca won because the spanish club is far, far more wealthy than Santos and is thus able to buy a higher number of players and more expensive ones. His answer? Nine out of the starting eleven in that match were raised on soccer by the spanish team. Does that happen here? Rarely. And when it does, that doesn't last. Which brings me to the second problem of brazilian clubs. They do not have the means (or maybe lack the motivation to do so, but I doubt that) to hold players when Europe starts probing. I can even give you a recent example... Lucas, from São Paulo. A few months ago the president of the club said that three players in the team were considered 'unsellable'. Lucas, Luís Fabiano (played for Sevilla for a few years) and Rogério Ceni (goalkeeper, even made part of the national team in 2002, has been on São Paulo his whole career despite strong probing by european times, this man is a jewel). Not even if over a hundred million euros were offered for one of them. Two weeks later PSG offers 43 million euros for Lucas, and off he goes.
There are 6 Great Champions?? I think that is incredible. Brazil has one of the richest football histories in the world, and it is good to hear that the success has been spread throughout. I read on a wiki for Brazilian football once that in the 50s, the league in Brazil was much stronger then any of the leagues in Europe.
It is a difficult situation Lathrim. Developing young talent is a strong hallmark of a nation's footballing prowess. Investing in youth development seems like a more expensive investment, what with buiding the facilities and hiring the staff, but its an investment they cannot afford not to make. if the philosophies brought in are as good as the total football ones brought into Barca by Cruyff, then why can't Brazilian clubs mimic that success?. In this new era of people wanting to see results immediately (i.e. the firing of managers the day after given the job) it seems like a backwards idea to suggest....hey, how about a good academy for local youth development. The rewards could be magnificent. Brazil, which is already a strong footballing nation, could produce even more players, and on the global stage....lets just say they might be the first to wear six stars. ^.^ Also, it might even help Brazil improve mentally. Brazil have been disappointing on the international stage recently, and I don't think it is because they don't have the talent, but because as a team they do not play well togethor.
Hmmm.... Lathrim, is Lucas very good? I agree, Europe comes to America and takes the best players, but alas, money talks. However, I think it is not so bad because then they play against some of the best teams in the world. However, the Brazilian league is on the up, and even Pato is returning to the brasilerao. Do you think it is possible for Brazil to change and start to invest in its own players? It would be nice to see Brazil win the WC in 2014
Soooo....Man U and R. Madrid Druss. Seems like a pretty even matchup actually. Who will be the victor, that is to be found out on 12 Feb and 05 Mar lol
I agree Merci, City and Real are not playing at the level they were playing at last year. Real Madrid are 16 points behind Barca (!) and City are really not looking as good as they were last year. It seems like Bayern hae a pretty strong lead in the table...how is Super Mario Gomez doing? Any players doing really well?
Obaka, do you know/remember what years those were with Man U and Roma. I have actually seen quite a few of the classic/famous matches (especially the Milan channel classics hehe) ...and its true, a great side's/player's brilliance does not dull with time. I wouldn't mind searching out those matches and watching them.
Villa took a thrashing by Chelsea??? lol jp. I will look up the highlights. I did just see Man U at Wigan, and that was pretty hard to watch. Poor Wigan
You said it Lathrim...Brazil needs to not look at 6 months from now, but 6 years from now...heck 16 years from now. lets focus on developing young players at the level of Barca, Germany, the Netherlands and then about signing big contracts.
So the Wayne Rooney issue rises once again. Well, I have not seen him play recently, and tbh, I did like Rooney up until he had that whole money issue and ambition. No comment
Neymar....I just hope he gets better and better. It often gets overlooked, but putting through a beautiful is sometimes much harder then a goal. If he learned that...watch out!
aaannd....I was playing a little pes the other day w/ random exhibition matches, and got one as Japan v Australia. It was a 2-1 thriller with a goal from Nakamura. Today I wanted to look up some of his goals and found two nice vids I hope you might like ^.^ and this article on the German FA actually taking the fans into consideration http://yhoo.it/WeUZyn
edit: Autolycus......where are uuuuuuuuuuuuuu????????
Modifié par modjospinster, 02 janvier 2013 - 09:40 .
Just read about what happened in Italy http://bit.ly/WgTsaM and the accompanying video
One of my favorite quotes I think applies to this event, "Evil prevails when good men do nothing" Good on Boateng. It was the right course of action to abandon the game. Whatever the punishment, I hope it follows the example set in Turkey of having matches with the only spectators allowed are women and children. As someone now who cannot watch football regularly, not being able to watch a match is harsher punishment then it would seem, and I think it is great for the club as well. It is a gesture that shows that it is not all about the money.
Modifié par modjospinster, 03 janvier 2013 - 10:28 .
Most leagues in Europe this season don't seem very interesting indeed. In Spain: Barca 9 points ahead of Atlethico and 16 on Real In Italy: Juventus 8 points ahead of Lazio In England: Man U 7 points ahead of CIty and 13 on Tottenham In Germany: Bayern 9 ahead of Leverkussen and 12 on Dortmund In Belgium: Anderlecht 8 points ahead of Zulte Waregem
The only interesting leagues are France with PSG, Lyon and Marseille all tied at 38 and Russia with 2 points seperating CSKA and Anzji, however both not really leagues I follow. Luckily here in The Netherlands with PSV and Twente at 40 points and Ajax and Feyenoord at 37 the race is still wide open.
That's one thing this whole crisis and the tighter financial rules are good for (at least here in The Netherlands), it forces clubs into utilizing their own youth. Because buying players is to expensive for many clubs here, they chose to expand there training programs and invest in the youth.
Not that it's working for everyone, we are second to last at the moment, lost 1-6 the last match before the winter break but atleast the atmosphere was amazing. Behind 1-5 and we started the wave to last 5 minutes .
I saw that bit about Milan, he has all rights to walk away like that but he only did it because it was in a practise match against a third liga club, if it had been in the regular competition he would never have done it. I really like the solution Turkey has as well, normally they just ban all the fans but only allowing children and woman is a great idea. This way you still sell your tickets (the stadiums in Turkey during those matches are just about sold out) and you eleminate the risk.
So... Chelsea had a great start of the New Year, losing to QPR.. Appearently QPR did Sneijder a bid.. And did John Terry really said goodbye to Lampard in the media while it isn't sure yet that he will leave?
Balotelli is in trouble. lol Some of the AC Milan fans wanted him to go over there, but even Mourinho has said that Balotelli is unmanagable, and Mourinho is one of the best at handling big egos. He is very talented, but perhaps his full potential will never be realized. This feels like its going to be pretty damaging towards his career....we will see. To play devil's advocate...does this mean that perhaps Mancini does not/ can not keep things under control?? After all, Tevez also erupted in 2011.
It really does seem that way Kimo. The french league is close, but, and I hate to say it, the level of play is lower then some of the other leagues in the world. For instance, I saw a couple of highlight for PSG, and the defenders really should have closed in on them much much sooner then wha they did. Of course, I am sure the other team felt like it had to play deep in order to defend PSG's various offensive threats, but it was too lackadaisical.
I think you should be very proud of your country Kimo ^.^ Even though the Netherlands only has a population of 16 million, it consistenly has one of the best national teams in the world. This is testament to good training....and not to mention I think they have one of the nicest kits as well hehe. I have seen it on travel shows, and I think I will be nice to visit it one day. lol...the wave is great!!!! It is nice to see it go around and then waiting for your turn ^.^
Good point about Boateng. He might not have done it if it was a Serie A match, but I think it was still a very courageous act.
Great news for QPR! *Looks at premiership table* Oorrrr....maybe just consolation for when they go down. hahaha But seriously, if they want to stay up, they are going to have to string along some wins. Chelsea, Chelsea. Still a team that I want to see how they play. They were a club in transition, and then transitioned to a new manager. Well.....maybe Queens Park WILL stay up if this is what common sense is begginning to look like. Abrahmovic has gone through some pretty good managers...and he still has his sights set on Guardiola. I don't think Guardiola is going to go to Chelsea, as Abramovich seems to think that managers are disposable. Too bad he can't buy points lol. Honestly though, somebody needs to tell him that he needs to start rebuilding. Hmmm...so Lampard really is leaving then? I know he is pretty good and a Chelsea legend. Wonder how the Chelsea fans are feeling about this.
Sneijder to QPR? QPR landing a world class footballer when he is in good form?? Blimey!
Pictures to go with the Balotelli video. Mancini looks really angry O.o ....
Modifié par modjospinster, 04 janvier 2013 - 10:23 .
That story isn't over yet, some quality Italian newspaper appearently reported that AC Milan is preparing for a bid for him. Why any club would want Balotelli still remains a mystery to me though... Sure he can play good but if it were up to me he would never play again if he keeps up like this.
The French league never really interested me that much for some reason. They have some great clubs who have, or had, Europa Cup and Champions League potential but it's just something about the French that doesn't attract my attention..
Yea, we really tend to forget that often. The Netherlands is only a really small country compared to.. basicly everyone, yet we always score high in many things, not just football.
You should definitely come here some day, and than don't just visit Amsterdam and Rotterdam. If you really want to see The Netherlands and have a good time come south, come to Breda
Indeed, the wave never gets old, especially if you see that all those business guys in their boxes also participate. It was the worst match of the season so far but by far the best atmosphere.
I've read a nice article about the philosophy of the different types of clubowners in England. It came down to the point that there were two kinds: the American owners and the rest (Russian, Asian & Middle Eastern). The American owners know what it's like to own a professional sportsclub and they invest in the long term with focussing on the youth and giving coaches long term contracts whereas the other group just focusses on short term gain. Chelsea fits nicely in this picture, the approach worked for a short time and now you are starting to see the wear off.
I wouldn't that the news about Sneijder to seriously. He is looking for a new club since he is in an ongoing fight with Inter about his contract and became a bit of a persona non grata there, but for some reason I don't think QPR would be his first choice.
I actually think moving back to Italy will be good for Balotelli. I mean, he really does have tons of potential, but it has been a while now, and he still does not seem to want to take football seriously. I hate to say it, but Milan may be wasting their money on this one. The coin is still up in the air for him, but he goes to Milan, it will be one of the best fresh starts that he might get. That...or getting transferred to a small club where he will have to earn his keep. Who knows.... :/ Also, in an interview Mancini said that the incident with Balotelli was not that serious, so that is good to hear.
hehe I know what you mean Kimo. I have always thought that the badges and shields for the French clubs were really nice though. Speaking of French players....whatever happened to Nasri? He was really good...are they not going to play him at Man City?
I will visit The Netherlands then Kimo! hehe...the first thing I will do is take some pictures with the windmills Visit Breda...when I go, I will remember this. Is it very different then the north? I once had a class with a girl who was half dutch and she was always riding her bike everywhere lol
That is good to hear about the match ^.^ Not every season is going to be a trophy winning season, but that does not mean it is the end of the world. There is still plenty of football to be played though...maybe your club can get some good results. For instance, Everton from the Premier League for a couple of years always started poor, but soon as the new year came around, they could not stop getting wins. Win, lose, or draw...the wave is always good hehe ^.^
That is very interesting Kimo. Do you remember the title of the article or have a link? Not only Chelsea...Man City as well. They don't seem to have the same fire in the belly to get the results they did a year ago, but Man U are Man U, of course. As you say, short term gain often comes with a hefty price many times. The owners of PSG spent a lot of money over the summer and are not running away with the competition. However, people with bags of gold go into football thinking that buying the biggest names out there will bring the trophies...but its good managing and good teamwork that makes up the quality sides.
lol yeah, I wouldn't expect Sneijder to go to QPR either. I am sure he would still like to be at a club that has a chance at major competitions, not one fighting to stay up.
Of all the people in Italy, Berlusconi (as president of AC Milan) has said that he won't allow a rotten apple like Balotelli into Milan.. Maybe he should start with himself if he wants to keep the club clean..
So far it looks like Balotelli isn't going anywhere.
Didn't he headbutt someone lately? I recall something of him being suspended for a couple of matches.
The landscape isn't much different but the cities all have something different. Amsterdam is classic Holland with old houses and big VOC buildings, Rotterdam is new since they had to rebuild after it was bombed by Germany. Breda was never part of Holland (the south was part of Spain) so it has a really different architecture. We always like to believe that The Netherlands is divided into two (three when you count Friesland as a different country) areas divided by the major rivers (Maas, Rijn etc). Below the rivers, where I'm from, people are much friendlier and relaxed than in the 'north'.
It's always funny when foreigners come here. They are usually not used to bikes and then they are in a country with 16 million inhabitants and 18 million bikes. Especially in city centers where it is faster to get around on bike than by car, provided that you can reach it by car because there are often not allowed in city centers.
We shall see.
Doesn't Fellaini play for Everton? I wonder how long they can keep him there before one of the bigger clubs snatches him away.
The article was in a Dutch newspaper so it probably won't do you any good
The article also mentioned that half of the clubs from the Premier League and Premiership are in foreign hands.
I understand why so many clubs want to take advantage of some rich guy to pump money in the club and try to play on a higher level but they really should set more criteria to chose.
It is starting to happen here as well. Vitesse is in the hands of some rich Sjeik who's friends with Abramovic but the very first season, after many idiotic purchases, they had to fight against delegation. The learned a bit from their mistakes and now they play with some homegrown youth and they had a good start but they won't end with the top 4.
Galatasaray showed some conrete interest in Sneijder and I think that he will take the first offer from a good team to get away from Inter so those negotiations probally won't last long.
There are 6 Great Champions?? I think that is incredible. Brazil has one of the richest football histories in the world, and it is good to hear that the success has been spread throughout. I read on a wiki for Brazilian football once that in the 50s, the league in Brazil was much stronger then any of the leagues in Europe.
It is a difficult situation Lathrim. Developing young talent is a strong hallmark of a nation's footballing prowess. Investing in youth development seems like a more expensive investment, what with buiding the facilities and hiring the staff, but its an investment they cannot afford not to make. if the philosophies brought in are as good as the total football ones brought into Barca by Cruyff, then why can't Brazilian clubs mimic that success?. In this new era of people wanting to see results immediately (i.e. the firing of managers the day after given the job) it seems like a backwards idea to suggest....hey, how about a good academy for local youth development. The rewards could be magnificent. Brazil, which is already a strong footballing nation, could produce even more players, and on the global stage....lets just say they might be the first to wear six stars. ^.^ Also, it might even help Brazil improve mentally. Brazil have been disappointing on the international stage recently, and I don't think it is because they don't have the talent, but because as a team they do not play well togethor.
Hmmm.... Lathrim, is Lucas very good? I agree, Europe comes to America and takes the best players, but alas, money talks. However, I think it is not so bad because then they play against some of the best teams in the world. However, the Brazilian league is on the up, and even Pato is returning to the brasilerao. Do you think it is possible for Brazil to change and start to invest in its own players? It would be nice to see Brazil win the WC in 2014
You said it Lathrim...Brazil needs to not look at 6 months from now, but 6 years from now...heck 16 years from now. lets focus on developing young players at the level of Barca, Germany, the Netherlands and then about signing big contracts.
Neymar....I just hope he gets better and better. It often gets overlooked, but putting through a beautiful is sometimes much harder then a goal. If he learned that...watch out!
Oh no, there are eight of them. What I said is that the one who won the most, São Paulo, did so six times.
Yep, I agree completely.
Lucas reminds me of Messi. In terms of playstyle, that is. He's not that good quite yet, haha. As for his quality... see for yourself.
Yep. We can only hope they see that for themselves soon.
Cool to see the thread going. Only make a quick comment or two due to time constraints.
Man Utd against Roma. See if that works; only the highlights though. Match was back in 2007.
I think quite a few fans of Liverpool and Aston Villa at the moment will likely contest the notion that American owners see the long run clearly as it were (or the apparent inference that they know how to run a professional sports club); especially with Liverpool's previous American regime. If Druss were about I'm sure he'd put up a link for a certain video on YouTube.... I would also suspect that there are still Man Utd supporters who are suspicious of the Glazers still given their track record in the States.
Teams don't really seem to train the youngsters any more, and I don't think it's limited to Brazil. As far as my dodgy mind goes it seems to me that the only teams who bother are the teams who can't afford to buy 'star' players; and that's only because they don't really have the choice. Not sure where Arsenal will fit into that; as they get those promising players in young and train them.
I remember watching that Man Utd versus Roma match, and it was a sight to behold. Given how thrashed Roma were it was surprising that Roma even scored the goal they had.
Loving all the transfer stuff at the moment.
Remy moving to QPR because of the right motivations, and a game of FIFA? Hm.....OK.......
Guardiola will manage Bayern Munich. That will be interesting. Also will show how good he does outside of Barcelona which I have questioned. Given the media it was made to sound over here that he was going to manage in England before the announcement came out. Never thought he would go to Chelsea after the comments he made previously, and his agent's comments seem to only confirm that thinking.
Suarez has apparently admitted to diving. I've seen that some claim he said he has 'fallen' for penalties. Is there a distinction to be made there?
Darren Fletcher is out again. At this rate it is a wonder if he'll ever really play for Man Utd again.
the team I support here in Brazil (São Paulo) Só porque o Drogba não está mais lá!
You live in São Pau? Tudo bem? I'm going there later this year for charity work hopefully, though probably not favela work, they're way too dangerous for foreigners, or so I hear.
Haha about Berlusconi. That guy is sooooo corrupt…I don’t know how the Italians put up with it. Is he still president/pm of the country? Yes indeed. Balotelli better start liking the idea of staying at Manchester….at least until summer.
Ohh, you’re right…he headbutted someone on me own team…Bassong! I just looked up the incident, the tackle was clean. Nasri has to keep his cool, what with limited playing time. Even so, I would like to see him go to another club where he can play more. He is an immense talent to just go to waste.
Do a lot of tourists go to the south? I suspect if I went…I would stand out a lot lol. They would be all like….what planet is this guy from haha. So there were parts of the South that used to be controlled by Spain? That is really cool. Do people there speak Spanish? Does that area feel like Spain?
Yup…Fellaini’s stock seems to be on the up. It will be interesting to see who makes bids for him this summer.
Wow….what a talent Lucas is, thank you for sharing that video Lathrim. I am almost getting angry that PSG is taking such good footballers. PSG has a lot of money, but are they at the level of play as the other top clubs of the world? I just don’t feel that the young players going to PSG will develop as well as those going to other clubs. hope I am wrong though. Lucas though…what a talent!!! Bayern should have signed him hehe
Ahhh…don’t get me started on Ronaldinho! Hehe, just playing. He was so talented for… how long was it, 3,4 years??? He was really good, but something happened. Was it the partying?? Such pace, so well rounded…and what tremendous creativity. There are very few who played like him, with such inventiveness. Ibra comes to mind, and then of course, the legendary Maradona. Ronaldo though continues to be my favorite footballer of all time. He just never forgave a defensive error ^.^ He was great even in spite of those bad knee injuries. O Ronaldo!!!!!
A little more about the Man U Roma match. You can really tell that the Premier League is really fast in this match. Granted, it IS Man U, but Roma are just not used to the counter attacks going so fast. Man U would just leap out of the gate with 3 forwards and that was pretty much it. Serie A is more methodical, but even so, Roma had a bad night, and Man U a good one. Thanks for posting Obaka. Now that Man U-R Madrid is coming up, I have a little video to share also http://dai.ly/rMK7tK hint…lots of goals hehe
There is a lot of transfer talk right now?? Time to look up the sites for the papers.
That’s right, Guardiola is going to Bayern! It seems like it made even more news then when the special one went to Inter. I don’t expect Guardiola to win everything the first year like he did at Barca. It will probably take a little longer for his style to sink in, but I would not mind watching Bayern do well right away Some of the papers were mentioning how this was great for German football, and I can’t help but agree. Scooping up Guardiola is a huge feat. I wonder how this will change the dynamics of football in Europe. Probably even more interesting, is wondering if there will be more of a Spanish flare in the national team. How can having Guardiola in the Bundesliga not impact/influence German football??!! Can’t help but say it again, this is great news ^.^ I am now eager to see how Bayern play now and then comparing to see how they play when Guardiola takes over. Maaannn….its like being in the candy store guys.
You are going to Brazil ME Fan? Dang…luuuucky lol. I want to go for 2014 xD
Time to see how Norwich are doing now….hopefully winning.
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