The Football Thread

[george anson]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

The question is will Slavisa Jokanovic survive the International Brake?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29518405

Hehe. It's been quite hectic here at the Vic.

It's rather unfortunate given what happened to Oscar Garcia and his health issues with McKinlay brought in as his assistant. What happened to McKinlay does leave a bad taste in the mouth. He resigned his assistant coach position with NI in good faith to take over and you know the rest.

As for Jokanovic ? A bit of an unknown quantity. Titles are relatively easy to win in Serbia with a two horse race between Partizan and Red Star with Vojvodina doing their best to keep up. And as for winning the Thai league ?

We'll just have to wait and see. Despite all the upheavals we still sit third and have played well below our potential given the squad we have. The Pozzo's certainly showed their intent once more by getting in Bassong on loan from Norwich. If he replicates his form of 2012/3 he will be a big asset with Tamas out for the season.

[Greenman]

Whoo hoo retained the title-well done Liverpool Ladies, great scrap for the top.

Estonia v England. Dull, no-one really grabbed the limelight and please god will someone tell Roy Hodgson to tell his men to stop ginger passing - another mistake by Wilshire nearly let Estonia in-give it some welly up/down field and get rid of it. The passing back was frustrating and against better opposition(as with Uruguay earlier this year)we would be crucified. Good that Rooney scored but he still has a long way to beat Charlton & Lineker. Can someone please tell me why ITV1 still use Tony Cascarino as summariser? Surely they can find others??

[pierrelm]

I do wish the media would shut tfu about the England goalscoring record. Perhaps it's because there's nothing else to get excited about apart from Raheem wanting some time to get his head down and Keano having a shave to promote his new Bileography?

With England caps and games coming along in coachloads in the modern game, it's ridiculous to make meaningful comparisons between genuine goalscorers like Greaves and 'strikers' like Rooney, who, as someone more akin to an attacking midfielder-cum-striker has more in common with Bobby Charlton than Greaves and Lineker. What is certain is that our Wayne is not the dernier mot in taking chances. If Rooney was anything like a decent finisher, he could have polished off the gs record he so obviously craves in the last two games alone. Makes Peter Crouch look like Inzaghi.

Two wins better than the WC but very ordinary displays indeed. No-hum, could be worse.

[Meini Hirion]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

Apparently Wenger wants to sign him

Last season when Joe Kinnear was doing his thing at the toon, he was scouting a match at St Andrews, and made enquiries afterwards about the availability / purchase of Shane Ferguson who played pretty ok that night for Blues.

It was explained ~ tactfully, I hope, that Ferguson was on a season long from Newcastle.

How much was JK earning in his last spell at the toon ?

[buttsie]

Still better to win 0-1 away , squandering chance after chance
than losing like Germany, Spain & Switzerland did.

Expecting players to be at their best at international level when all their energy and mind set has been for their club and the new season is quite ridiculous imho.

Playing well in qualification counts for nothing except a great ranking
which gets exposed at the Euro & World Cup tournaments.

If they were asked would they like a break away from the game
or play 2 international games in a week the latter would win with ease.

[Meini Hirion]

Things are relative aren't they?

I remember {I think } Arsene Wenger once complaining about a team finishing 3rd in the Prem being allowed to enter the Champions League.
That was either 2001 or 2003, when the gunners finished Top and Man Utd finished 3rd

Since then they've finished 3rd or 4th themselves each year.

Now, it's OK, it's relative. UEFA intend to re-adjust the 'weighting and co-efficient' rules in the future so that a team that Wins a League is Top Seeded when groups are picked next year.
No more winners like Man City being lower seeded and Arsenal 4th avoiding the big boys by being Top Seeded.

And, briefly on a "Closed Shop" Euro League ?

A league of 20 teams, giving 38 games a season....well take the Top 4 teams from Germany, France, Italy, Spain and England.
That's 20. No room for any other country's clubs.
All founder members of a closed-shop, without any relegation ~ EVER.

I can't see that being sustainable, interest or finance wise.

And as UEFA said at the time of the G18 ~ if they breakaway and leave there is no way back, into their domestic leagues and even players may be embargoed ...Internationally.

Without disrespect, such a league in a few years could correspond to the Harlem Globetrotters ~ imo

[buttsie]

The big name teams playing each other every game would soon become OLD
given the merry go round with the players.

Looking at how far big brand name teams like A C Milan have fallen
the whole concept isnt exactly fool proof.

I personally think the threat of a break away is being used as little more than leverage by certain big clubs looking to get the same type of TV rights deals as currently exists in
Germany & Spain.

Better to see existing competitions divided into conferences along the lines of finances
than the all in 1 which sees the richest dominate

[victor meldrew]

Originally Posted by Meini Hirion

Things are relative aren't they?

And, briefly on a "Closed Shop" Euro League ?

A league of 20 teams, giving 38 games a season....well take the Top 4 teams from Germany, France, Italy, Spain and England.
That's 20. No room for any other country's clubs.
All founder members of a closed-shop, without any relegation ~ EVER.

I can't see that being sustainable, interest or finance wise.

And as UEFA said at the time of the G18 ~ if they breakaway and leave there is no way back, into their domestic leagues and even players may be embargoed ...Internationally.

Without disrespect, such a league in a few years could correspond to the Harlem Globetrotters ~ imo

The original G14 was made up of clubs from Italy 3, two each from, Spain, England, France, Germany, Holland and one from Portugal. four more teams came on board two years after formation, Arsenal, Leverkusen, Lyon and Valencia and became G18. In 2008 it was agreed between G18, UEFA and FIFA that the said clubs would be given a lump sum and future financial compensation for players injured in official competitions run by both bodies and thus ended G18, although it is rumoured they still have regular meetings.

Original 14 teams, Inter, Juventus, Milan, Barca, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Man Utd, Marseille, PSG, Dortmund, Munich, Ajax, PSV and Porto.

The Atlantic League was another group of clubs, not sure how many, but the countries involved were Scotland, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. They were advised any formation of a break away league would see them expelled from European competition and players would not be allowed to represent there country at international level.

The final horror story was teams looking to negotiate there own TV rights, which would have been some what complicated as I am sure the bigger stadium clubs would be looking for a larger slice of the cake.

At the moment any breakaway is on the back burner, but with all the money men taking control of top flight football clubs and with the money players are currently demanding/getting, I can see no reason why it might not happen in the future.

The death of football as we know it, is possibly just around the corner.

[victor meldrew]

Originally Posted by Meini Hirion

Last season when Joe Kinnear was doing his thing at the toon, he was scouting a match at St Andrews, and made enquiries afterwards about the availability / purchase of Shane Ferguson who played pretty ok that night for Blues.

It was explained ~ tactfully, I hope, that Ferguson was on a season long from Newcastle.

How much was JK earning in his last spell at the toon ?

No idea, but probably far too much.

It would appear we might be looking to off load Andy "The Snorter" Carroll in January. The mirror suggest that we will offer him to Newcastle, while DS has stated in interviews with Club and Fan sites that we will not let AC leave on the cheap, which leads me to believe his days might be numbered.

Now where's my prayer mat.

[Meini Hirion]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

The original G14 was made up of clubs from Italy 3, two each from, Spain, England, France, Germany, Holland and one from Portugal. four more teams came on board two years after formation, Arsenal, Leverkusen, Lyon and Valencia and became G18. In 2008 it was agreed between G18, UEFA and FIFA that the said clubs would be given a lump sum and future financial compensation for players injured in official competitions run by both bodies and thus ended G18, although it is rumoured they still have regular meetings.

Original 14 teams, Inter, Juventus, Milan, Barca, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Man Utd, Marseille, PSG, Dortmund, Munich, Ajax, PSV and Porto.

The Atlantic League was another group of clubs, not sure how many, but the countries involved were Scotland, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. They were advised any formation of a break away league would see them expelled from European competition and players would not be allowed to represent there country at international level.

Victor, I take my hat off to you

You are a bigger 'anorak' than me



But I've got altzheimers, I think....