General Football Discussion

[SE6Ajacied]

btw, I often play with exeter in Football Manager!

So I hope they won the league!

Nice little ground Exeter. I've been there to watch my English team Blackpool play. It always felt a bit strange though as even by English 2nd/3rd level standards, the ground is really small and basic. Neat and tidy and not falling down or anything though - would be nice to see them back in the league. (they're 8th in the Nationwide Conference - level 5 at the moment!)

[SE6Ajacied]

Well, even though Ajax are trying to ruin my New Year, Blackpool are coming through with the goods!

The 'Pool are now in their highest league position for 10 years (!), 5th in League One.

Changing back to Ajax, I saw a guy in Dublin last week wearing a "Feyenoord Montenegro" top. T-shirt type thing, with Montenegro in place of Rotterdam. I was curious about that but didn't manage to ask him - I'm still curious - anyone heard of this lot??

[Over Pasanens Head]

Well today was the day of one of the great world derbies - called the A120 Derby after the road that links the very proud and volatile football communities of Braintree and Bishop's Stortford.
I could really feel the tension in the air as I neared the ground about 2 minutes before kick-off and was confronted with a long queue to get in (well not really - there wasn't one but I thought it sounded better).
And it certainly lived up to its hype with Braintree running out 3-1 winners after going 1-0 down. The first half goals were absolute beauties and would have graced lesser matches han this.

After this result, which I believe pushes Braintree up into the play-off positions, the push for Europe is still on for the 2013/14 season. Be there or be square.

:headbang:


BTW SPL, in the programme it mentioned that the name of the ground that LEWES plays at in the Conference South is ...... Dripping Pan. Is this right or is someone taking the p? If correct how did the ground get its name?

[Manneken Pis]

This report was recently released measuring which clubs in England are the most stressful to support.

The report studies all 92 football league clubs. Fans were asked to identify
the factors that caused them the most anxiety when following their
favourite's fortunes.

A number of 'stress factors' are identified, including sacking managers,
missing out on promotion, going into administration, losing in the
play-offs, the 'yo-yo' effect of promotion and relegation, regular defeats
at home, losing games from being in a winning position and losing in cup
finals.

http://www.footballpools.com/thepools/n ... /index.jsp



Oh by the way, in England I support a little team called Notts County.....
:frusty:

[SE6Ajacied]

http://www.footballpools.com/thepools/n ... /index.jsp



Oh by the way, in England I support a little team called Notts County.....
:frusty:

Notts County top of the league eh!.

This survey seems fun but a little flawed maybe. What about the "stress" for example of being a Forest fan and suddenly realising you're in the third division. I can't quite believe that there are 66 more stressful tems to support than Blackpool either - all I can say is that the rest must have it really bad.

[AsgAarD_xxx]

Tomasz Lipiec, the Minister of Sport, has just suspended Polish Football Association.

- It's not the end of PZPN (Polish FA), it's not the end of polish football, but it's definitely the day of new beginning. I expect that there will be new board of Polish FA before the end of february. It's the highest time for reforms in our football. - he said.

Untill the new board will be chosen, the man who will be the main person in Polish FA will be Andrzej Rusko, the chief of Ekstraklasa SA (the name of polish league). Lipiec said that this decission was the toughest in his life. He knows what FIFA or UEFA can do in that situation and promises that he will do everything to avoid excluding Poland from the structures of FIFA.

Lipiec said that the main problem he wants to solve by this step is a final fight with corruption in polish football (yesterday police arrested Wit Zelazko, one of the most known polish referees from the past. Before him there were several arrested for that - players, referees, people from clubs' board etc.).

I hope it all will end good for our football. Maybe it will be better to be excluded from UEFA and FIFA for a few months, and return clean...

[SE6Ajacied]

http://www.nytimes.com:80/packages/html ... ?th&emc=th

Really interesting article this - doesn't need too much comment from me.

(Thanks to whoever posted the NY Times site about a year or so back - free to subscribe and some good articles :xyxthumbs: )

[The Purple Cow]

I read this morning that John Terry's new contract puts him in a basic salary of €11.8 million a year in real money - sweet jesus has the world gone mad? He's not even all that good.

If he's worth 11.8 million euros a year, how much would they pay Cristian Chivu??

It fair boggles the mind, it does.

[FlaFlu]

Not that good? John Terry is quite possibly the best central defender in Europe at the moment. Especially now that Cannavaro is having a rather dreadful season.

Chivu is a great footballing defender, but his pure defensive skills aren't top notch.

[Van basten]

I read this morning that John Terry's new contract puts him in a basic salary of €11.8 million a year in real money - sweet jesus has the world gone mad? He's not even all that good.

If he's worth 11.8 million euros a year, how much would they pay Cristian Chivu??

It fair boggles the mind, it does.

Well, beckham is a couple times worse player than terry and he will earn the next 5 years more than 25milions pounds in a season, that is 3 times biger salary than terry, so looking from this position, terry salary isn't so big :hypocrite:

[AjaxPDX]

Well, beckham is a couple times worse player than terry and he will earn the next 5 years more than 25milions pounds in a season, that is 3 times biger salary than terry, so looking from this position, terry salary isn't so big :hypocrite:

Not from direct salary from the club, he certainly won't. Terry's contract is almost 4 million per year higher, as Beckham will be making 8 million/year in salary. Still an outrageous amount, of course.

(The other 17 million/year for Beckham is speculative figures on endorsements, advertising, image rights, etc.)

[Philippe]

Uefa has confirmed Tottenham's free pass into the last 16 - but Feyenoord are considering appealing their expulsion from the competition.

Feyenr@@@d eliminated from the UEFA cup as a punishment for the riots in Nancy. That's fair. But then why didn't the UEFA punish AC Milan for cheating in their home league ? :hypocrite:

Annus horribilis for feynrdone. :biggthumpup:

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Uefa has confirmed Tottenham's free pass into the last 16 - but Feyenoord are considering appealing their expulsion from the competition.

Feyenr@@@d eliminated from the UEFA cup as a punishment for the riots in Nancy. That's fair. But then why didn't the UEFA punish AC Milan for cheating in their home league ? :hypocrite:
Annus horribilis for feynrdone. :biggthumpup:

One word BERLUSCONI :pukey:

[Kowalczyk]

Feyenr@@@d eliminated from the UEFA cup as a punishment for the riots in Nancy. That's fair. But then why didn't the UEFA punish AC Milan for cheating in their home league ? :hypocrite:

Good question...

De Volkskrant published a simple list of all the teams (including Ajax in 1989) that were ever banned from UEFA competition (or faced a ban after serious irregularities): a simple description of what happened - and the ban that was handed to them.

Conclusion: the UEFA really don't have a clue what they're doing. There is no consistency whatsoever when it comes to this type of thing. Yeah, except that the richest and biggest clubs always get away with just a little bit more than others.

K.

[Amol]

Michel Platini has won the UEFA elections. After the win he said that the limit which he wants to impose on the top leagues will start in 2009.

That's excellent news for everyone except Italy, Spain & England I guess.

[carcajou]

Michel Platini has won the UEFA elections. After the win he said that the limit which he wants to impose on the top leagues will start in 2009.

That's excellent news for everyone except Italy, Spain & England I guess.

Yep, he clearly stated that three clubs per country would be the limit. And I think it'll be a great thing for countries like Portugal, Holland or France.

[DanK]

Michel Platini has won the UEFA elections. After the win he said that the limit which he wants to impose on the top leagues will start in 2009.

That's excellent news for everyone except Italy, Spain & England I guess.

Yep, he clearly stated that three clubs per country would be the limit. And I think it'll be a great thing for countries like Portugal, Holland or France.

And about bloody time too. Although it maybe too late. It will be interesting to see how the larger nations support this. Personally I would like to have seen it cut to max of 2.

Lets see if this will create the start of the G14 supposed break away league.

[SE6Ajacied]

It will be interesting to see how the larger nations support this.

Yes, it will be interesting - Support something like this I suspect (from BBC Sport website)

"Ferguson warns new chief Platini

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned newly elected Uefa president Michel Platini not to revamp the Champions League format.
Platini wants to cut each country's maximum number of Champions League places from four to three.

But Ferguson said: "The tournament really starts in February, but I think it is OK the way it is at the moment.

"The appeal of the Champions League is when the giants of Spain or Italy or England come up against each other."

Platini won an election in Dusseldorf to replace 77-year-old Swede Lennart Johansson as European football's most powerful figure.

One of Platini's main proposals was the change to Champions League qualification.

Ferguson said: "The Champions League has been good. If you go back a few years, there were maybe too many games with two qualifying groups because you had to play about 17 games to win it.

"If you take away the fourth-place teams, the only way to address that is by reducing the competition or by giving other countries two places."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger welcomed Platini's appointment, but was not sure about his plans for the Champions League.

"It is the first time that a player is in charge," he said.

"We in football complain always that the players have no say, so at least we cannot complain anymore.

"What is happening today is that two go directly in and two have to qualify against the teams in the smaller countries.

"What will happen when the smaller teams go one round further and go out early in a group stage? The competition will lose interest, that is all that will happen.

"I believe that the competition should be organised with the best teams playing each other.

"What people want to see is the best teams on television, to see Real Madrid against Arsenal, or Milan against Bayern Munich, that will not change."

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce said he felt his team could be one of the victims of Platini's proposals.

"In one way it is nice to see a football man in charge," he said.

"But on the other hand if he wants to take a Champions League place away from us that is to the detriment of the Premiership.

"If he can get away with that it is going to bring a lot of heartache to our league. It would be a big blow.

"It gives us virtually no chance whatsoever of qualifying for the Champions League."

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate, meanwhile, claims Platini's hope of establishing a salary cap in football is desirable but unworkable.

He said: "A salary cap generally or teams having a salary cap would, there is no question, make it a better and tighter league.

"But we have to be realistic and in the modern world, people would always find a way around it.

"Unfortunately, I suspect that would be a bit of a non-starter."

Something less than wholehearted support from the Premier league managers there.......

[Philippe]

Platini remains a juventus man, needless to say I have little faith in this guy. We'll see.

[carcajou]

"The appeal of the Champions League is when the giants of Spain or Italy or England come up against each other."

What's funny is that in the end, Lyon is the future winner of the Champions League (they kicked big names' ass several times in the past few years and they have a very good team). So Ferguson should really put a pinch of salt on his "England/Italy/Spain" comments.

[The Purple Cow]

Well I've discovered that Chivu currently earns €1.8 million per year, which means the useless carthorse John Terrry will be earning 655% more!

John Terry is quite possibly the best central defender in Europe at the moment.

Very funny Thomas, you had me going there for a moment

[Kowalczyk]

"The appeal of the Champions League is when the giants of Spain or Italy or England come up against each other."

That is, indeed, the appeal of the Champions League... to fans of those particular clubs.

For fans of other clubs... ummmm, no, not really.

How arrogant is that c**t.

K.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Clubs from San Marino can now "be in the champions league"

Really is priceless. :cheer:

[Frans]

Clubs from San Marino can now "be in the champions league"

Really is priceless. :cheer:

Well, we've had a new zealand club at the world club champs, so this isn't too bad in comparison.

[SPL]

The only team in England who should be worried is Liverpool , who usually finish 4th.

There should never be 4 teams from a country and I hope Platini can change this.