Yeah and an unlikely treble for Luis Enrique looks an increasing possibility, with a home cup final to come against Bilbao. I'd like to see Juve beat them but it seems unlikely.
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Yeah and an unlikely treble for Luis Enrique looks an increasing possibility, with a home cup final to come against Bilbao. I'd like to see Juve beat them but it seems unlikely.
Rafa B already working his magic at Real... a scoreless draw at Sporting Gigón.
Looks like David Moyes will be seeking a new job soon: http://www.the42.ie/deja-vu-david-mo...21357-Nov2015/
You don't get much of a chance at Real Madrid. Top of the league or the chop! Not too many great players have made great managers so best of luck to Zidane. He'll need it.
This was inevitable from day one really, the only question was whether he'd last until Christmas or not, so in that sense he was a success :)
The madness wasn't sacking him, it was appointing him in the first place. It compounded the absolute lunacy of sacking Ancelotti. Ancelotti was everything they should realistically desire... the most successful manager currently active in world football, joint record holder for most European Cups/Champions Leagues with Bob Paisley, plays an attractive brand of football, massages egos and doesn't fall out with players and represents the club in a dignified manner. He won the elusive 'La Decima' Champions League in his first season as well as Copa del Rey. He added the European Super Cup and World Club Cup in his second season, which also included a 22 game record winning streak.
His biggest crimes -finishing two points behind Barcelona in the league and losing by the odd goal in the Champions League semi final.
They are mortal sins :)Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
So it seems... although they gave Mourinho more leeway, sticking by him for a third season despite 'only' winning a La Liga and Copa del Rey in his first two years, in which they didn't make a CL final and even got tanked 5-0 by Barcelona at one point.
Good article about Atletico Madrid. Their consistency is incredible really.
Gary Neville: no win in 9 games. Will Sky be too embarrassed to take him back after that?
No, Neville will be back in a shot, punditry isn't about the real world. he would just seamlessly drift back into that fantasy world.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
The Neville experience just exemplifies the huge gulf that exists between a distant analysis (no matter how good or entertaining) and the reality of dealing with the same situation, when you can't freeze frame reality, have a look at what's what, observe who should be doing something else and wondering why the player isn't doing what you told him he should be doing, or wondering why you can't effect a change to the player's decision process.
So it turns out punditry and management are two totally different things, who'd have thought?! Just because Neville is an excellent analyst, which he clearly is, never meant he'd make a good manager. If understanding the game automatically made you a brilliant manager then why have do so few world class players make a good stab at it? This notion that his punditry won't be taken as seriously now, although possibly true, is ridiculous I think. If Neville had spent the last couple of years criticising managers for not being capable of organising their teams properly, then fair enough, but from what I saw he usually focussed on what the players themselves weren't doing right. I'm sure he's pointed out to his Valencia players what they're doing wrong also, it doesn't mean they'll do it right the next time. The profile of the club, language barrier and his own inexperience were always going to make this a tough one, although in his worst nightmares he could have hardly envisaged it going this badly. Maybe he should have started with Salford City!
I don't dissagree with much of that. I was replying to a question from Owls fan and I said his punditry was good and entertaining.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
you ask the rhetorical who'd have thought punditry and management are two totally different things?
Apparently many people thought he would make the transition to being an effective coach with a huge club.
Many bought into that separate world of knowledge that punditry exists in, not appreciating that it's totally removed from actual responsibility in the game.
Neville himself bought into it, a host of other fellow pundits bought into it and Valencia of course. Maybe he could have been the clipboard guy around the club. Carrying around the clipboard for years didn't do Chris Hughton any harm.
The last resort of the desperate manager: appealing to the fans and saying how wonderful they are http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/...valencia-fans/
But we all know football. A few wins in a row and he'll be God's gift to management and be touted for the Man U job :)
Neville is just too desperate to be the nice guy that everybody likes.
Fergie never gave a damn what others thought about him or his decisions, he just totally believed he was right.
With haughty Van Gaal, ' you're too stupid to understand what I am doing' 'how could an imbecile like you possibly have a clue about my expertise'.
Oh yeah, I was doing the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Fair point. I suppose Neville did have his England coaching on his CV also, being a part of a team with a 100% record in Euro qualifying isn't to be sniffed at either, so it wasn't just his reputation as an analyst. It was always a high-risk appointment though from both sides.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Who can tell, but it's not yet out of the question that one day the honour will be bestowed,
"Arise, Sir Gary".
Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and La Liga already over really and we haven't even hit March. Juve's slow start has kept things semi-interesting in Serie A for now. The Premier League is intriguing but for all the wrong reasons barring Leicester's rise.
Some other good fights across Europe though (e.g. The Netherlands)
http://www.espnfc.com/dutch-eredivisie/11/table
True, even if it's is more of a Celtic/Rangers type race to the finish line between the country's biggest two clubs. Jack Bryne's crowd are well adrift now unfortunately.
Athletico Madrid are great. Saw the last 20 minutes of the game against Real Madrid which they won 0-1. So well organised and very difficult to break down. Having gone yonks without beating their city rivals they now win these games regularly. Great for their fans too and that's why I don't begrudge whatever success which comes round the way of Manchester City, Everton, Sheffield United and Bohs, having had to endure the heartache for generations of their respective bigger city rivals getting all the attention.
Were Sheffield United really in the shadows to that kind of extent? I'm not being presumptuous, I'm just a bit ignorant of both clubs histories pre-1990s.
Totally agree regarding Atletico, their consistency under Simeone has been incredible.
Tongue in cheek 😀
Ha that occurred to me but it was nicely disguised with the other examples being legit :)
At least Real Madrid have recent and historical domination, whereas I can't remember when Shamrock Rovers had real top-dog-in-the-city form, could it be as long as 40 years ago?:D
I may have spoken a little too soon. Bayern had a shock defeat at home to Mainz last night with Dortmund winning again. Only five points between them now and they meet in Dortmund on Saturday.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Gary Neville had another very good win after the setback at the weekend, Valencia came from behind to win 2-1 at Malaga. They were helped by a comical own goal from the Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.
It's Juventus v AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final after Juve threw away a 3-0 first leg lead against Inter at the San Siro but squeezed through on penalties.
Valencia lost at home against Atletico Madrid, they were pistol whipped. No white hankies for Gary but there was the banner raised after the final whistle, "Gary go home".
There is a big gap separating the rest from Bilbao upwards.
I'd expect Bilbao to beat Valencia and go through to the last 8 of the EL.
Gary might survive, but I suspect there is not the will to give him the job long term unless he produces some sparks this season
Neville sacked http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35517545
Sky was the limit for Gary.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
:D Very good Fly.
i've heard it said that Hodgson's self confidence faltered somewhat in Brazil and he took on board too much of Gary's defensively suspect attacking formation theories. I don't know if that has any merit, probably Roy leaked that one.
Taking over the coaching role at a huge club like Valencia who were going through a dubious time of transition and with half the team out injured, was not just a mere difficult task for a kid like Gary, it was doomed to end like this.
You'd imagine Benitez as they'd love to have him back. I'm not sure Valencia would have enough potential for Mourinho to be tempted.Quote:
Originally Posted by RedBench
Ray Hudson is in fine form in beIN's coverage of El Clasico
He likened one player's role to that of the seeds inside a cucumber.
That could mean a lot of things, might mean nothing, might be a complement, might not be.
Such a difference not to have Mourinho involved in El Clasico.
Three years on I'm kind of used to him not being involved! I was delighted Real won. I actually can't stomach Barca at all regardless of aesthetics. I'd have preferred if Bale's perfectly good goal won it though. The referee made life tough for himself, booking Ramos after ten minutes for decent was a silly move as he ended up chickening out of giving him the second yellow about four or five times before he eventually did.
In that case probably Barca are best avoided, because witnessing another magical aesthetic goal from that twát Suarez, assisted by Messi (half decent) after the sleazy Neymar dribbled past 4 defenders, would be very bad for the health.:D
How did your stomach survive through most of the past 8 seasons?
5 LL 3 CL titles and likely to add to that lot this season.
Dissent I meant, not decent!
I haven't always disliked them, it's been a kind of gradual thing.
Why can't you stomach them?Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Good question, like I said, it wasn't always so. Any reasoning might be flawed and/or petty. Alves and Mascherano bother me just by looking at them. There are probably others I should be more repulsed by, Busquets and Suarez in particular, but for some reason they don't bother me as much. My dislike may have started/heightened when Ancelotti took over at Real Madrid and Gareth Bale followed, I like these two chaps so maybe Barcelona became the enemy a little bit. I would have been respectful of their period of dominance from Rijkaard through to Guardiola, but never really took to the latter. I find him smug and pretentious and these aren't exactly traits I'd disassociate with the club generally. I suppose I was happy enough to see their dominance seemingly come to an end when they lost 7-0 on aggregate to Bayern Munich, not that I've any great love for them either. It's a little frustrating that they become so strong again, so soon, without seeming to do an awful lot (other than bring in the likes of Rakitic, Neymar and Suarez that is!). I've just had my fill maybe.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fly
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Drugs perhaps? :eek:
I've never really liked them and their dominance hurts. Aesthetically eugh... Aesthetics don't always entertain me.
It says it all that I was over the moon when Bayern (the most evil of them all) beat them a few years back. And that I was up for Juve in the CL final last year, despite their even more disgraceful acts over the decades. But Pirlo...
I think there's just something really smug about the whole club and there's always been this "holier than thou" attitude that emanates from them. With Real you know they are pure evil so all is well with them being the villains and you just get on with it, but with Barca... "Mes que une club"... me boll...
I'm going to Villareal v Levante at El Madrigal next Friday. My son's U10 school team has an annual football trip to Spain and it's his (i.e., MY!) turn this year.
According to the itinerary he has two matches against local teams and no fewer than 5 90 minute sessions "with Villareal CF" (whatever "with" means) at the first team's training ground. We're only there for a few days, two days involve morning and afternoon training.
We also get a tour of El Madrigal and a tour of the Nou Camp before flying home from Barcelona. Can't wait.
Any good players at Villareal or Levante I should be aware of?
I really like Barcelona, although I am suspicious of their fitness levels in context of Spain's PED culture and reputation.Quote:
Originally Posted by BonnieShels
I do buy into the "more than a club" thing but I think it'd hard for all clubs with a rich tradition to stay true to their principles in the mega bucks age. I like that they are the anti-Franco institution, the nationalistic outliers, the anti-establishment establishment etc. I like how they play and (tax affairs aside) they have a brilliant role model in Messi.