The BIG Football Thread

[Satangel]

So Guardiola's leaving Barca. Can't say I'm particularly surprised when you take into account he only committed himself to rolling contracts.

QFT, it was to be expected that he would drop Barca when the tide turned. A bit sad actually to see that happen, if you really love your club and want to prove yourself, you should just stay and bite the bullet.

To be fair, it was always well known he didn't enjoy management and the pressure.that came with it. This feels really inevitable, Sid Lowe's has said this would eventually happen around two years ago. It seems to me Pep has reached a point where he doesn;t want to do the job and this has transmitted to the players. If he feels he can't do the job, than he's doing the club a favor.

i wonder who Barca is going to get as they next manager?

A Dutchman? Recently-became-65-year-old-legend?

More chance of me getting the job...

Bielsa would be a natural choice, he's a good manager who follows the total football ethic.

Wouldn't be surprised to see a Dutchman taking the wheel now, really. Bielsa would be a good coach indeed, also likely to get the job.

Also the Cruyf insinuation was just me trolling, I wasn't serious, he's just raking the money atm, doubt he'll ever become a real manager in Europe again.

 

[emigre]

There's De Boar would be an outside choice.


Or Brendan Rodgers for a really fucking outside choice.

 

[emigre]

Fuck it, they've just given it to Tito Vilanova.

 

[Satangel]

Vilanova (now coach assistant) will be next Barca manager (not as a stand-in, but a real successor)

 

[emigre]

Well it was fun speculating who the next Barca manager would be.

 

[Flame]

 

[Flame]

 

[Shinigami357]

Sorry, just have more respect to the German Giants.

Me too actually, but if Chelsea win it, and they keep fucking up in their own competition (likely), our biggest rivals RSC Anderlecht won't play CL! That would be an excellent scenario for Club Brugge (the team I support the most). So yeah, Chelsea FTW!

Well, I really rather like the idea of Newcastle getting that outside chance at the UCL dream. I guess it shows how relatively detached I am, coz I only ever think of these competitions as a showcase of the best and most interesting teams in the continent.

My only real concern is United getting in, which they will, come hell or high water, so I hope you excuse my "I support who I think will win, regardless of the aftermath" attitude.

PS

So... Maybe next season we'll see just how much of Barcelona was Guardiola and how much of the club is based on other factors. I for one, think that if they cannot maintain a semblance to their play style [and swagger] now, they'll drop. Fast. Of course, some people are saying Mourinho might leave Real as well [wild speculation???], so it could get interesting.

 

[emigre]

So... Maybe next season we'll see just how much of Barcelona was Guardiola and how much of the club is based on other factors. I for one, think that if they cannot maintain a semblance to their play style [and swagger] now, they'll drop. Fast. Of course, some people are saying Mourinho might leave Real as well [wild speculation???], so it could get interesting.

Cruyff laid the foundations for total football at Barcelona which has become Barcelona's philosophy. However Guardiola has fulfilled Cruyff's ethos and has taken Barcelona to a new level. Pep has been fortunate to have some excellent players at his disposal but he also leaves behind a strong first eleven with some talented players coming through. He's leaving a good legacy. The promotion of Tito, clearly illustrates continuation and the need for stability which should logically help Barcelona to success. Personally I still believe Barcelona still will be a dominant force at least in the short to medium term, they have cracking players and they don't need to rebuild but rather they need to refresh.

And lastly,

 

[Shinigami357]

[
Cruyff laid the foundations for total football at Barcelona which has become Barcelona's philosophy. However Guardiola has fulfilled Cruyff's ethos and has taken Barcelona to a new level.

Well, actually, that's part of it. I don't really think that they can change the Philosopher and keep the Philosophy the same, so to speak. How the team ticks is determined by the guy who decides who, what, when, where, how and why.

To be honest, they won't be the same Barcelona, that's for sure. Not better or worse [time will tell on that], just different. It's inevitable, IMHO.

I guess, it's like a microcosm of our ever-present "What if SAF retires" subplot every few seasons now. Of course, we do have over a quarter of a Century now, so I guess my point here is, "Has this era had enough time for Barcelona to imbibe the things they were doing right?"

 

[emigre]

New 3-4-3 formation for Swansea today. 2-0 up after five minutes.

 

[emigre]

Why do you hate me Swansea City?

 

[Satangel]

4-4, lol. Gotta love PL football.

 

[emigre]

The real depressing thing is, this is not surprising me. This is so typical of Swansea.

EDIT: At least it beats being a Newcastle fan today.

 

[Satangel]

The real depressing thing is, this is not surprising me. This is so typical of Swansea.

EDIT: At least it beats being a Newcastle fan today.

To somewhat comfort you, it's the same with my favourite team. Especially in the beginning of the season, there were at least 5-10 games where we went ahead, 1 or 2 goals, and then always they could equalize or even win in the second half. ALWAYS. The management staff got so sick off it they decided to sack the manager when we went 4-2 ahead, and lost 4-5.

 

[emigre]

I'm just going to laugh. It's not like we need the points.

 

[Flame]

Newcastle in the UCL my ass.

 

[Shinigami357]

Newcastle in the UCL my ass.

Hey, I'm cheering for them Magpies! Getting into the UCL is the only realistic way for them to keep their players from being bought off, methinks.

Go Magpies!

 

[Satangel]

Suarez hattrick was class. Wow. Just wow. Excellent pass + pressing by Gerrard one the first goal too btw.

Also; Torres scored a hattrick for Chelsea. The fun is over now

 

[kakashi919]

The commentator's reaction to Suarez's last goal was awesome lol. That third goal was simply awesome!
Title decider tomorrow~ Anyone thinks Tevez is gonna be the deciding factor?