QuotePaddy Power have adopted a formula similar to yours, added my desperation theory, and come up with this for Newcastle's latest signing...Originally Posted by geysir
Maybe he meant 'absurd' in the sense that it was a totally fabricated story conjured out of thin air, and not necessarily that Mourinho isn't capable of such an action. That Arbeloa interview is very interesting, I had never seen that.
Last edited by DeLorean; 27/01/2016 at 8:34 AM.
Paddy Power have adopted a formula similar to yours, added my desperation theory, and come up with this for Newcastle's latest signing...
So Leicester having beaten Liverpool 2-0 earlier have Man City away followed by Arsenal away up next, if they navigate those with a point or three or at least without taking a good hiding then who knows, as they then face Norwich, WBA, Watford, Newcastle & Palace.
Gripping story with each hurdle closer ratcheting up the entertainment value. Shame there are no Irish lads part of it.
I think everyone would want them to win it, would make such a refreshing change but should we be surprised that they are doing well. I say that because with the amount of money available to most if not all EPL teams, you would think that most should challenge for the title but its just that most of the clubs are happy to be mid table sides. Look at Stoke, spending €25m on a player and their target is a top half finish despite the quality they have, they should be challenging for the league if you look at some of the players they have but the mentality of club is not directed towards that.
The Champions' League and the uneven distribution of TV revenue surely gives the incumbent big 4 a huge advantage though.
Man City earned €45m in prize money alone last season. Liverpool earned €34m. That's money Leicester don't have. CL gate receipts and other matchday income would add to that gap.
In terms of league prize money, Leicester earned €20/25m less than the top few last season.
And then Leicester just don't have the same global reach as the other clubs - no club was shown on TV less often than them last year - and there's more money that the big teams have. That'll reduce sponsorship deals and all sorts of other income.
So yes, it's a huge surprise that they're three points clear with just 14 games to go.
Even more amazing that they're producing football like this...
Those top teams as you say are earning vast amounts but how are they spending that money should be the question asked. They are bringing in slightly above average players for huge money, where as teams like Leicester now can afford to get good players despite the huge difference between them and the high earners. Not too long ago a team like Leicester could only spend like €2-3m per player, now they can spend up to €10m+, which gives them a huge pool of players to choose from that the top teams always ignore for some reason, only then to buy these players off clubs like Leicester.
That's true in a lot of cases but there's still a massive difference between Manchester City being able to spend £100m on De Bruyne and Sterling alone, two players that are almost guaranteed to aid a title challenge regardless of whether they fully live up to their billing. They can afford to spend £8m on Fabian Delph and if he's a flop it's no big issue, it's much more damaging to be an £8m flop at Leicester. Even Arsenal, who aren't usually flamboyant when it comes to transfer fees, could fork out £70m+ (and attract) high performers at Real Madrid and Barcelona in Ozil and Sanchez. These aren't slightly above average, they're practically the elite.
Last edited by DeLorean; 04/02/2016 at 2:12 PM.
Yep.
Even being in the Champions' League makes it easier to sign players - and Leicester aren't. Players would surely go with the top 4 in England, Germany, Italy and Spain ahead of Leicester. And probably other CL regulars like Porto, Kiev, PSG, Zenit, etc, etc.
And I don't think they've any real big-name players in their squad. Mark Schwarzer is their most experienced international - he's 43 (and has played twice this season). Vardy is the only player with England caps - 4 of them, and no goals, even against San Marino. Huth has 19 caps for Germany - the only player capped with a big country in the squad; they've an uncapped Argentine and Frenchman. Schmeichel and Morgan are internationals for Denmark and Jamaica, but have 40 caps between them at the age of 29 and 32 - so hardly key national team players. There's lots of players like that - and it just all seems to be coming together.
I'd believe that the extra money coming into the English game means Leicester would be better than most of the mid-table teams in Germany, Spain and Italy. And it helps that Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea in particular are imploding of late. But still, breaking into the top four in England - for a side that was newly-promoted relegation-fodder this time last year - is still a huge surprise in my view. Let alone being three points clear at the top. And having dropped four points in the past few weeks through missed penalties.
Nice
Tee hee! Unintentional; I meant "only other player"
But maybe deep down, I meant what I said.
Shaping up to be a very good finish to the season. I think Spurs might win it now myself.
Lets talk about six baby
That's the first time I've seen that. Wow.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Well after Leicester were a little deflated by the WBA equalizer and point at home last night, which could have seen them overhauled, Spurs, Arsenal & Man City all go and manage to lose 24 hours later. Ten games to go now .....
Who knows? Even Man U could get in the mix the way things are going. Some very average sides there. Would be great to see Leicester do it but 10 matches are a lot. Good thing is that Spurs and Arsenal play each other so points dropped there for one or both.
Have to laugh whenever Alan McInally is presenting a report. Whenever he is giving an update and referring to a header, he can't resist making a movement with his head mimicking a header. Every time, without fail.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
I think Leicester will do it, Ranieri's playing a blinder.
They could do a Blackburn, have a topple and wobble before totally bottling it in the last game but still fall over the line in first place.
Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is their last game actually. I wonder how motivated Chelsea would be if they've nothing to play for and winning means assisting Arsenal or Tottenham in winning the league. It could be very similar to the situation at Anfield in 95! Fair play to that Liverpool side for their professionalism.
This is an angle which requires careful watching, definitely
I see that there is talk of a Super League again in Europe. Personally, I think that would be great so that the big clubs who dominate the the domestic games in various league could p'off and play each other and make even more money and let the also rans have a chance of winning their domestic leagues and other cups. I am not sure that the fans of those big clubs (Man U, Bayern, Barca, Real Madrid etc) would particularly want it as they would miss their local rivalries but when do owners ever particularly worry about fans, especially since many of them are not nationals of the countries, when there's money at stake. This would be what my super league (20) should look like - I think the two Scottish clubs should be included as they have the potential to compete with the best:
Arsenal Chelsea Man U Liverpool Celtic Rangers PSG Marseilles (?) Real M Barca Juve, AC Milan Inter Milan Bayern M Dortmund Ajax Porto Liege (two others: Basel, Russian Club, Turkish club, Polish, Serbian etc?) or would they just keep it as 4 each from among the big 5 leagues (UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain) ?
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
From Real Madrid to relegation threatened Newcastle United....strange one for Benitez.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks