Soccer thread 07/08

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:53 pm

Anyone see Pato's debut yesterday?

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 8:19 pm

pk500 wrote:Liverpool should sack Rafa now so he can come to Newcastle. At least he'll be accustomed to the level of chaos. But he won't be accustomed to the lack of talent.

Andrei Voronin. Dirk Kuyt. Harry bloody Kewell. Djimi 'how come he's got a Champions League medal and I can't get a game in my Sunday league?' Traore.

He'd be alright, would Rafa. The speculation round these parts at the minute is all about Keegan and Shearer, which would be the popular appointment but also utterly batsh*t insane. Shearer hasn't managed or, to any great degree that I can think of, even coached, and when the pressure is on will he be able to turn to Kevin in time to stop him running away?

Still, it'd definitely cheer the Geordies up - I was in Newcastle on Sunday, purely to feel better about myself as a Hartlepool United fan, and their chins are on the floor.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:27 am

Rafa is considering legal action against T. Hicks after the owner admitted to talking with J. Klinsmann. Let's get this soap opera over with.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:18 am

It looks like the African Cup of Nations games are available for free online.

http://www.telesud.us/

10spro wrote:

Rafa is considering legal action against T. Hicks after the owner admitted to talking with J. Klinsmann. Let's get this soap opera over with.

Where'd you see that? I'm very skeptical, and I don't see it reported on any of the primary news sites.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:35 am

That thing about Benitez taking legal action is in this morning's Daily Telegraph over here.

I wonder what for his action will take ? Might need to be a bit careful because he might be setting himself up for a dismissal under gross misconduct, which would mean waving bye-bye to getting his contract paid up in full (unlike Fat Sam, who apparently trousered anywhere between £3m and £5m for his removal).

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:27 am

davet010 wrote:That thing about Benitez taking legal action is in this morning's Daily Telegraph over here.

I wonder what for his action will take ? Might need to be a bit careful because he might be setting himself up for a dismissal under gross misconduct, which would mean waving bye-bye to getting his contract paid up in full (unlike Fat Sam, who apparently trousered anywhere between £3m and £5m for his removal).

Maybe he wants out. He might be fed up and knows this would be one way without outright quiting.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:52 am

Apparently Rafa is going to go for 'constructive dismissal'. I can't remember how the burden of proof is on that one, as to whether he would have to prove that Klinsmann was offered a job at the meeting or not. If it appears that K was being lined up as a successor if Rafa left of his own volition, then that might not be enough.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:53 am

Steel City Derby is on Setanta Sports this Saturday at 7:30am if you want to see hate, but some bad football.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:41 am

Judging by the weather over here in the last few days, and the fact that the Owls game against Derby has already been called off, then that derby on Saturday had better be water polo.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 11:32 am

Drainage system is still not 100% from the summer flood according to some SWFC supporters. I hope they play simply because it is being shown on the tele over here.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:43 pm

new newcastle manager = Kevin Keegan.

Talk about a disaster waiting to happen

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:10 pm

davet010 wrote:new newcastle manager = Kevin Keegan.

Talk about a disaster waiting to happen

Another example of the inmates, er, supporters, running the asylum. But considering owner Ashley is one of those inmates, not surprising.

So, with Keegan in charge, we'll see Newcastle lose 9-4 to ManU instead of 6-0. The supporters will be thrilled because at least the Magpies will be playing "exciting football."

Losing football, but exciting. I'm thrilled to bits, if you couldn't tell.

Take care,
PK

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:04 pm

Quick recap of KK's transfer activity while at City

Bought

Ronald Waterreus £0
Danny Mills £0
Ben Thatcher £100,000
David James £2,000,000
Steve McManaman £0
Claudio Reyna £2,500,000
Antoine Sibierski £700,000
Paul Bosvelt £500,000
Trevor Sinclair £2,500,000
David Seaman £0
Michael Tarnat £0
Robbie Fowler £6,000,000
David Sommeil £3,500,000
Nicolas Anelka £9,500,000
Vicente Matias Vuoso £3,500,000
Sylvain Distin £3,500,000
Mikkel Bischoff £750,000
Peter Schmeichel £0
Jonathan Macken £5,000,000
Jihai Sun £2,000,000
Niclas Jensen £700,000
Christian Negouai £1,500,000
Lucien Mettomo £1,500,000
Ali Benarbia £0
Eyal Berkovic £1,500,000
Stuart Pearce £0

£47,250,000

Sold

Vicente Matias Vuoso £1,000,000
Darren Huckerby £1,000,000
Niclas Jensen £1,000,000
Lucien Mettomo £500,000
Shaun Goater £500,000
Paulo Wanchop £500,000
Carlo Nash £100,000
Kevin Horlock £300,000
Stephen Elliot £125,000
Tyrone Mears £200,000
Mark Kennedy £2,000,000
Danny Granville £500,000
Dixon Etuhu £300,000
Chris Killen £200,000
Nicolas Anelka £7,000,000

£15,225,000

Net total spend £32,025,000

Number of good signings - 6

James, Bosvelt, Tarnat, Distin, Schmiechel, Benarbia - the rest range from so-so to bleeding hopeless.

Fowler - 6m, McManaman - free but 2 years of astronomical wages for bog all, Reyna for 2.5m, Vuoso for 3.5m and no 1st team games. I think City are also the only team ever to make a loss selling Anelka.

Number of players bought by KK sold at a profit - NIL.

If Ashley has got KK in because he's got cash to splash, he's mad.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:54 pm

But who else is available to Newcastle? That's the problem it's not like they picked Keegan in a time where the was an abundance of great managers waiting for jobs.

Honestly it looks like they should have given Allerdyce until the summer not to give him more time but to wait until they could spend serious time on a new manager.

Newcastle are 6 points away from the relegation zone, so would have Big Sam fallen that much in the final half of the season. I don't know.

The problem here was Big Sam was Freddy Shepard's boy. I'm not going to condemn Mike Ashley this early on. I think most of the blame for Newcastle's woes are Freddy Shepards fault.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 4:00 pm

JRod wrote:The problem here was Big Sam was Freddy Shepard's boy. I'm not going to condemn Mike Ashley this early on. I think most of the blame for Newcastle's woes are Freddy Shepards fault.

No question. But Ashley is compounding them with hires like Keegan.

The more I look at Ashley, the more he reminds me of Phil Wallis, the plumber who became chairman and owner of Harchester United in Sky's "Dream Team" after winning the lottery. An ardent supporter who knows nothing about running a football club.

But I wonder if Ashley's wife is as hot as Jackie Wallis ...

Take care,
PK

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 4:39 pm

Let me use my crystal ball for the KK timeline

First 10 games - pick up points, as Toon fans actually make noise and injured players return.

Jan signings - some duffers, one good one.

Rest of this season - consolidates into mid-table (10th-13th)

Summer - more odd signings, KK hasn't got the sort of Euro contacts Sven has, so there are some stinkers. His best signings for City were usually low price (Schmiechel, Bosvelt, Tarnat, Ali Benarbia).

08/09 - Rollercoaster continues, KK gets bored or stressed, quits leaving club with lots of players on long term high value contracts as they wouldn't have come otherwise.

Distance travelled - nil.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:28 pm

I'm not arguing about Keegan but WHO else was out there.

Let's do down through a list.

Shearer - Fans choice no experience.

Mourihno - No way he's going to Newcastle

Lippi - See Mourihno

Mark Hughes - Seems fine at Blackburn until Man U opens up.

Klinesman - gone to Bayern

Moyes - Why would he go down when he's so close to breaking Everton through

Redknapp - He said no, but I thought that was always a move sideways not up from Allerdyce.

Where is Newcastle going to find a Ramos or Sven. And are any continental managers with that stature going to come to Newcastle.

Blame Ashley all you want Dave but what is this team going to do. Maybe he should have given it until the summer when more managers would be available.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:45 pm

pk500 wrote:So, with Keegan in charge, we'll see Newcastle lose 9-4 to ManU instead of 6-0. The supporters will be thrilled because at least the Magpies will be playing "exciting football."

PK, barely an hour after the news broke this afternoon I was gamely attempting to sell some needlessly expensive cell phone contracts to a Newcastle United fan who said he had reservations about Keegan's appointment (it seems, looking at the pictures from St James' tonight, that he's about the only fella in Tyneside who feels that way) but fervently hoped that it would bring a return to the exciting, entertaining matches of the mid 1990's. You know which matches he chose to illustrate his point? The two 4-3 defeats against Liverpool.

Proof, if proof were needed, that your assessment of the fan mindset in that part of the world is pretty much on the money.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 6:28 pm

Adam:

And don't forget the famed "I will love it if we beat them" meltdown against Sir ExLax, which The Times posted as a featured clip on its Sport Web cover page tonight.

Take care,
PK

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 6:44 pm

I know the FA Cup isn't what it used to be but how can you not feel good about Havant and Waterlooville beating Swansea and having to take on Liverpool at Anfield.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:16 pm

I think KK will do fine in his return. Like JRod posted, Sam should have never left in the first place, so for Magpies fans I hope it's not a knee-jerk reaction of what has gone lately in the club. He's a good motivator and players will like playing for him, he likes attacking football but the question now is: Does he have the players to do so?

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:27 am

JRod wrote:I'm not arguing about Keegan but WHO else was out there.

Let's do down through a list.

Shearer - Fans choice no experience.

Mourihno - No way he's going to Newcastle

Lippi - See Mourihno

Mark Hughes - Seems fine at Blackburn until Man U opens up.

Klinesman - gone to Bayern

Moyes - Why would he go down when he's so close to breaking Everton through

Redknapp - He said no, but I thought that was always a move sideways not up from Allerdyce.

Where is Newcastle going to find a Ramos or Sven. And are any continental managers with that stature going to come to Newcastle.

Blame Ashley all you want Dave but what is this team going to do. Maybe he should have given it until the summer when more managers would be available.

I agree with most of your analyses, and there is definitely a dearth of good English managers at the lower levels who could step up (although I would have liked to have seen Ian Holloway get the job, as he is completely mental).

The only others I could have thought of were people like Deschamps (Houillier is on too much of a cushy number at the French national set up), or someone like the ex-Valencia manager Quique Sanchez Flores, who did a sterling job despite constant interference from the chairman/owner over the last couple of years.

But to me (having followed a club managed by him), KK now seems like a relic of the 1990s - tactically naive, over-emotional and prone to poor judgement in the transfer market. Chris Coleman's suspiciously timed resignation from Real Sociedad yesterday now seems like it means he's coming as no 2, so I wonder how much real day-to-day control KK will exercise.

As for Mike Ashley, all of this 'standing on the terraces in me Alan Smith shirt' makes him look like a nob. Maybe bringing back KK was a result of spending too much time surrounded by other drunken Geordie idiots rather than looking at the situation dispassionately.

Much as I can't stand Fat Sam, and don't really have a lot of respect for the Toon, they'd have been better off sticking with him for at least another season, as there was no way they were going down with the likes of Derby to prop them up.

Someone said on Sky Sports last night that it would be like a rollercoaster. Fair enough, but all that means is that you've plonked down some money for a quick thrill, now you feel ill and you are no further forward than before.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:16 am

JRod wrote:I know the FA Cup isn't what it used to be but how can you not feel good about Havant and Waterlooville beating Swansea and having to take on Liverpool at Anfield.

Their striker is studying to be a cabbie in London, how can you not like that?

rubba19 · Post by **rubba19** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:43 pm

No idea if this has been mentioned yet (if so, my bad) but I notice that the ESPN soccer announcing crew is no longer.

Wynalda, a color commentator for ESPN, was fired by the network yesterday and will be replaced by former D.C. United captain John Harkes.

Dave O'Brien also will no longer be working on soccer games for ESPN.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbc ... e=nextpage

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:37 pm

John Harkes.....a Wednesday LEGEND