...::[The Footy Desk]::... (Part 1)

[SouthLand]

Sorry to intrude on Liverpool's celebrations but:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31XjJjdZb-w

 

Barcelona are back.

 

Give Osasuna half the budget FCB has and let's see if they score seven goals then.

[Hodgey.]

Barcelona are back.

 

7 - 0 is impressive but it was against Osasuna so it really isnt as impressive as it looks.

 

Are we talking about the same person that played 40 games last season and only managed 2 goals? He's an alright player with a bright future, and he's having a good season so far. I'd still say he's pretty inconsistent though.

 

I agree Stu. He had a few games where he scored and since then he's dropped off. If Welbeck is underrated then Jay Rodriguez is massivley underrated.

[Banks.]

 

Welbeck is on the same amount of goals as Negredo and he hasn't played that much this season. Like I said, shockingly underrated.

 

Are we talking about the same person that played 40 games last season and only managed 2 goals? He's an alright player with a bright future, and he's having a good season so far. I'd still say he's pretty inconsistent though.

 

Yeah that player who was shifted on the wing most of last season. Go back to the season before that where he was partnered with Rooney up front and only just came back on loan and he got nine goals. Decent for a youngster. He needs a good amount of games up front to see how good he really is plus he offers more than goals because let's be honest here, he isn't that much of a natural finisher so he relies on confidence a lot. He has a good work rate, can pull off some nice skills here and there, he's fast and can be used in the number 10 role like he was against Madrid.

[SouthLand]

I just like how Football works in Spain... *Irony*

 

Every time a small team buys an unknown player, and this player starts doing a good job, either Barça or Madrid buy him. making the Small teams have mediocre squads and having a team where only two teams can win (FCB or Real Madrid)

 

Examples:

 

 

- Illaramendi from being a very good player in Real Sociedad to staying on the bench with Real Madrid

 

- Jordi Alba, From Valencia to Barça

 

- David Vilal, from Valencia to Barça

 

- Callejon from RCDE to Real Madrid and the sold to Napoli.

 

-Adriano from being an awesome player in Sevilla FC to being on the bench most games.

 

- Isaac Cuenca, from being a very good player in CE Sabadell to end up in the bench in Barça

 

- Isco, from being very good with Malaga, to end up sitting on the bench...

 

This sucks balls.

[Hodgey.]

To be fair SouthLand that happens in every country and not just Spain.

[Nlwt]

 

Welbeck is on the same amount of goals as Negredo and he hasn't played that much this season. Like I said, shockingly underrated.

 

Are we talking about the same person that played 40 games last season and only managed 2 goals? He's an alright player with a bright future, and he's having a good season so far. I'd still say he's pretty inconsistent though.

 

Not making excuses, but he was shoved at left wing for like 36 of those games. His finishing was off that season and was a poor season overall for him but his finishing has improved a hell of a lot.

[SouthLand]

To be fair SouthLand that happens in every country and not just Spain.

 

I disagree.

 

In England any small team can beat a team with a big budget. Even Bradford City made it to the 2013 Football League Cup Final... In Spain it goes like this;

 

La Liga winner is either FCB or Real Madrid

 

Copa del Rey winner is either FCB or Real Madrid

 

Barça and Real Madrid Massacre small team like; Osasuna, Rayo Vallecano, Betis...

 

Valencia, Atletico, and Real Sociedad compete each other to try to be third in the qualifying results.

 

And then you look at Spanish Second division (Liga Adelante) and you see that in the qualifying results, the difference between the first team and the last team it's only 21pts

Edited March 17, 2014 by SouthLand

[Niko Valentine]

Who here reckons van Persie should be dropped by Moyesy?

[Banks.]

Who here reckons van Persie should be dropped by Moyesy?

Right here mate. Said before the Liverpool game that I would stick Welbeck up front instead of van Persie as his head seems to be else where while Welbeck is the type of player that gives a 110% every game and has been in good form.

[Crokey]

When are the postponed Man City matches taking place?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/fixtures

[theadmiral]

Who do United fans think is to blame for not knowing where to play Juan Mata?

[SweatyPa1ms]

Who do United fans think is to blame for not knowing where to play Juan Mata?

 

I'm no United fan but I think the blame should be placed on Mourinho or Malcolm Glazer.

 

#LongLiveMoyes

[Girish]

 

If Moyes doesn't address those issues in the summer, you're f*cked for the next season as well.

 

I dont see why United would want/should keep Moyes past this season. United might aswell keep him and see if he can get any kind of response from his team in the time left this season but if he doesn't I would want him gone if I was a United fan. It's all well and good saying it was going to be tough this season, fair enough, but to go from winning the league like they did last year to their current situation is embarrassing.

I cant think of anything Moyes has done at United that would make me think that he deserves a chance next season.

 

While I agree that Moyes has done nothing of note this entire season, I can't help but think that majority of Utd's struggles stem from the lack of confidence from the players. At Everton, Moyes had an average team that believed in him and wanted to play for him. At Utd., he has an average team that is still living in the past and is unable to shake off Fergie's influence. Unless the team believes that Moyes is the right man to take them forward, Utd. are going to struggle. I think he has to offload some of the under-performing players and bring in new players that would actually want to play for him. Even then, they should be capable of believing in their manager and his tactics. Otherwise, they'll just end up like Tottenham (who're still in a better position than Utd. so I guess they won't mind being them anyways ).

 

Edit: I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to Moyes here because he has ample experience managing a team in the premier league. So, unless he has decided to do a Fernando Torres on United, there has to be something else wrong here.

[SouthLand]

 

 

If Moyes doesn't address those issues in the summer, you're f*cked for the next season as well.

 

I dont see why United would want/should keep Moyes past this season. United might aswell keep him and see if he can get any kind of response from his team in the time left this season but if he doesn't I would want him gone if I was a United fan. It's all well and good saying it was going to be tough this season, fair enough, but to go from winning the league like they did last year to their current situation is embarrassing.

I cant think of anything Moyes has done at United that would make me think that he deserves a chance next season.

 

While I agree that Moyes has done nothing of note this entire season, I can't help but think that majority of Utd's struggles stem from the lack of confidence from the players. At Everton, Moyes had an average team that believed in him and wanted to play for him. At Utd., he has an average team that is still living in the past and is unable to shake off Fergie's influence. Unless the team believes that Moyes is the right man to take them forward, Utd. are going to struggle. I think he has to offload some of the under-performing players and bring in new players that would actually want to play for him. Even then, they should be capable of believing in their manager and his tactics. Otherwise, they'll just end up like Tottenham (who're still in a better position than Utd. so I guess they won't mind being them anyways ).

 

Edit: I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to Moyes here because he has ample experience managing a team in the premier league. So, unless he has decided to do a Fernando Torres on United, there has to be something else wrong here.

 

 

 

The English Premier League mentality and La Liga's mentality are totally different. In Spain Moyes would have been kicked out long ago from any team.

[Banks.]

 

 

 

If Moyes doesn't address those issues in the summer, you're f*cked for the next season as well.

 

I dont see why United would want/should keep Moyes past this season. United might aswell keep him and see if he can get any kind of response from his team in the time left this season but if he doesn't I would want him gone if I was a United fan. It's all well and good saying it was going to be tough this season, fair enough, but to go from winning the league like they did last year to their current situation is embarrassing.

I cant think of anything Moyes has done at United that would make me think that he deserves a chance next season.

 

While I agree that Moyes has done nothing of note this entire season, I can't help but think that majority of Utd's struggles stem from the lack of confidence from the players. At Everton, Moyes had an average team that believed in him and wanted to play for him. At Utd., he has an average team that is still living in the past and is unable to shake off Fergie's influence. Unless the team believes that Moyes is the right man to take them forward, Utd. are going to struggle. I think he has to offload some of the under-performing players and bring in new players that would actually want to play for him. Even then, they should be capable of believing in their manager and his tactics. Otherwise, they'll just end up like Tottenham (who're still in a better position than Utd. so I guess they won't mind being them anyways ).

 

Edit: I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to Moyes here because he has ample experience managing a team in the premier league. So, unless he has decided to do a Fernando Torres on United, there has to be something else wrong here.

 

 

 

The English Premier League mentality and La Liga's mentality are totally different. In Spain Moyes would have been kicked out long ago from any team.

 

He would of been sacked if he was managing any of the other top sides in the PL but United are a very traditional club and believe in sticking by the manager. With the way things have been going I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the boot at the end of the season though.

[Nlwt]

 

 

 

 

If Moyes doesn't address those issues in the summer, you're f*cked for the next season as well.

 

I dont see why United would want/should keep Moyes past this season. United might aswell keep him and see if he can get any kind of response from his team in the time left this season but if he doesn't I would want him gone if I was a United fan. It's all well and good saying it was going to be tough this season, fair enough, but to go from winning the league like they did last year to their current situation is embarrassing.

I cant think of anything Moyes has done at United that would make me think that he deserves a chance next season.

 

While I agree that Moyes has done nothing of note this entire season, I can't help but think that majority of Utd's struggles stem from the lack of confidence from the players. At Everton, Moyes had an average team that believed in him and wanted to play for him. At Utd., he has an average team that is still living in the past and is unable to shake off Fergie's influence. Unless the team believes that Moyes is the right man to take them forward, Utd. are going to struggle. I think he has to offload some of the under-performing players and bring in new players that would actually want to play for him. Even then, they should be capable of believing in their manager and his tactics. Otherwise, they'll just end up like Tottenham (who're still in a better position than Utd. so I guess they won't mind being them anyways ).

 

Edit: I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to Moyes here because he has ample experience managing a team in the premier league. So, unless he has decided to do a Fernando Torres on United, there has to be something else wrong here.

 

 

 

The English Premier League mentality and La Liga's mentality are totally different. In Spain Moyes would have been kicked out long ago from any team.

 

He would of been sacked if he was managing any of the other top sides in the PL but United are a very traditional club and believe in sticking by the manager. With the way things have been going I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the boot at the end of the season though.

 

He would have been given 35 minutes at Chelsea.

 

What was the score in the first leg of Chelsea v Gala?

 

EDIT: Nvm.

Edited March 18, 2014 by NathanT

[Banks.]

I hate how the media are trying to say that Liverpool are back on their perch. You may think I'm just being biased and hating on Liverpool but doesn't the meaning behind 'being on top' mean that the team are winning league titles, winning trophies and being a club that are feared across Europe. I'm not saying Liverpool won't be back on top as it's football and who knows what's going to happen in the future but it's the typical British media jumping on the Liverpool bandwagon because they're having a good season and done the double over United in the league. Liverpool have a bit to go before been considered a force again imo.

[Der_Don]

Liverpool already are a force imo. I'm not saying this because they beat United (it seems everyone is able to beat them these days) but because they're 2nd in one of the best leagues in the world. And I don't see them losing their best players this summer, so I'm sure they'll also challenge for the title in England next year. Plus with the squad they currently have they are more than capable to play a very good role in Europe next season.

[Banks.]

Liverpool already are a force imo. I'm not saying this because they beat United (it seems everyone is able to beat them these days) but because they're 2nd in one of the best leagues in the world. And I don't see them losing their best players this summer, so I'm sure they'll also challenge for the title in England next year. Plus with the squad they currently have they are more than capable to play a very good role in Europe next season.

They need to prove it first though. I agree they are a force in the sense they are 2nd in the league and they've beaten some good teams this season but they need to prove they are back on top by winning trophies.

[Vercetti42]

I, for one, am looking forward to see Liverpool back in the CL and challenging for the title.

Edited March 19, 2014 by AceKingston

[Hodgey.]

I hate how the media are trying to say that Liverpool are back on their perch. You may think I'm just being biased and hating on Liverpool but doesn't the meaning behind 'being on top' mean that the team are winning league titles, winning trophies and being a club that are feared across Europe. I'm not saying Liverpool won't be back on top as it's football and who knows what's going to happen in the future but it's the typical British media jumping on the Liverpool bandwagon because they're having a good season and done the double over United in the league. Liverpool have a bit to go before been considered a force again imo.

 

Of course the media is overhyping us at the moment, it's what they do. Look at before the two games we lost at Xmas against City and Chelsea. Before those two game the media where saying we could win the title, after those two games all of a sudden we weren't good enough, now we are back to having a chance of winning it again. The media is crap (for the most part) and yes they jump on and off the bandwagon. Not only does it happen to us but look at how they talked about Januzaj earlier in the season or how they talked about Arsenal winning the title or Spurs challenging at the beginning of the season.

 

Are we back on our perch? Depends what you mean by that. If it means are we back to the teams we used to have? Then no. If you are comparing us to United? Then yes. That being said we haven't won anything yet, but when I look at our squad I see no reason why in years to come we cant have some success in the league and Europe.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Hodgey.

[Banks.]

Are we back on our perch? No. We haven't won anything yet but when I look at our squad I see no reason why in years to come we cant have some success in the league and Europe.

Definitely, I see Liverpool having more success than they've had in recent years since you have a good and young manager with a clear cut plan, good young players that will be at the club for many years and a decent financial backing. Liverpool also have the name that is obviously known worldwide. All the tools to be successful again.

 

And about the media, that's exactly what I meant. Typical of them to jump on the bandwagon.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Tommy.

[SouthLand]

I think Liverpool should follow Atletico de Madrid steps.

 

First go to the Europa League and try to win the tittle. After that, go ahead and play the Champions league.

[Der_Don]

I think Liverpool should follow Atletico de Madrid steps.

 

First go to the Europa League and try to win the tittle. After that, go ahead and play the Champions league.

So according to you they should deliberately lose some games to drop down to the Europa League spots? Yeah that makes sense...

[Vercetti42]

I think Liverpool should follow Atletico de Madrid steps.

 

First go to the Europa League and try to win the tittle. After that, go ahead and play the Champions league.

 

Didn't you just mention how boring football is in Spain because it's only Real and Barca at the top and that the EPL is more competitive and now you are saying that Liverpool should stop competing for a CL spot in the EPL? Ironic.

[Max]

The guff about 'Liverpool's Perch' only annoys me as it suggests that the last 24 years have been some sort of blip and that Liverpool have some sort of God given right to the top of the table. They don't, they've not had a perch for 24 years. Over that time United more than anyone, but Arsenal, Chelsea and now City too have all been better teams and they've been on the perch, not on Liverpool's perch keeping it warm.

 

The talk should be of a resurgent Liverpool, well managed, with a clear vision and young team doing a great job and working it's way towards the very top of world Football, not some spurious chat about a team 'regaining former glory' or 'following in historic footsteps'. That sort of romanticised bullsh*t is rampant in British media and amongst the more wanky fans and it does no one any favours.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Max

[SouthLand]

 

I think Liverpool should follow Atletico de Madrid steps.

 

First go to the Europa League and try to win the tittle. After that, go ahead and play the Champions league.

So according to you they should deliberately lose some games to drop down to the Europa League spots? Yeah that makes sense...

 

 

 

 

I think Liverpool should follow Atletico de Madrid steps.

 

First go to the Europa League and try to win the tittle. After that, go ahead and play the Champions league.

 

Didn't you just mention how boring football is in Spain because it's only Real and Barca at the top and that the EPL is more competitive and now you are saying that Liverpool should stop competing for a CL spot in the EPL? Ironic.

 

 

 

No.

 

I said that if they qualify for the Champions League is great but, if they qualify for the Europa League thats even better because they have more chances of winning it. And Atletico has NO chance of winning the Champions League either, just imagine Atletico against Bayern...

[Vercetti42]

Anyone who follows football/soccer knows that the Europa League is sh*t because of the qualification rules. As for your point about Atletico it's still better playing against a top team and losing instead of competing in the Europa League with sides like Real Betis or Wigan.

Edited March 19, 2014 by AceKingston

[SouthLand]

Anyone who follows football/soccer knows that the Europa League is sh*t because of the qualification rules. As for your point about Atletico it's still better playing against a top team and losing instead of competing in the Europa League with sides like Real Betis or Wigan.

 

Well i prefer winning a trophy than winning none.

[Hodgey.]

I think Liverpool should follow Atletico de Madrid steps.

 

First go to the Europa League and try to win the tittle. After that, go ahead and play the Champions league.

 

That's nonsense.

 

Everyone who plays in the EL would rather be in the CL. Would we have more of a chance at winning the EL, probably but that doesn't gurantee us the trophy. If you want to build a good team these days you have to play in the CL to attract the best players in the world as they want to play in the CL and not the EL.