do these fucks never learn

Blackburn have sacked manager Paul Ince after less than six months in charge with the club second-bottom of the Premier League.

Surprised to discover Mark Hughes (who Ince replaced) has the highest win % of any Blackburn manager since Dalglish.

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince says the club have no leaders and have not replaced ex-captain Roy Keane.
Full story: the Sun

yeah incey theyve been lacking leaders since that one guy left and its only lead to 5 titles and 1 cl. a team rudderless for the past 9 years.

Alan Hansen on Man City's CL campaign - "This year we all thought City would win it but they will have learned from their experience. "

Domínguez, 32, scored the first before Joel Campbell escaped from Carrick to curl in the second. Such was Wayne Rooney’s respect for Domínguez’s shift of work that he handed the Olympiakos No 35 his shirt after the final whistle.

Only Rooney, who ran more than anybody on the pitch (12.06 km), seemed aware of the need to show some urgency.

Only Rooney seemed to appreciate that United’s darkening season depended on a splash of colour here

twp getting fawned over by henry winter after another game where he was virtually useless

the shift which was put in

yeah but he ran around

RVP only gave him the ball once, may he was running too much to be picked out.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhWhCNxCEAAh2W-.jpg

Crocker explains that no stone has been left unturned. "The biggest thing we're looking at in addition to what other countries are doing is research innovation. How Apple or Nike take an idea or a concept, put it into some type of process and it comes out the other end as ingrained in their culture. So it's massively broader than football. This is where Dave Reddin coming in [as head of performance services] is brilliant. We've opened our minds to all kinds of things that football would have probably frowned upon a few years ago."

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/mar/03/fa-matt-rigg-matt-croker-english-football

the aidy boothroyds of the next gen

A while back, this column revealed that the FA, for all its talk of moving into a modern era, had employed John Beck to take the next generation of coaches through their Uefa B-level badges.

Beck has a devoted group of younger followers and many have pointed out it is a long time now since the days when he went by the nickname of Dracula (on the basis that so many people thought he was sucking the blood out of the sport) and awarded cash bonuses to the players at Cambridge who kicked the ball the furthest. However, he does apparently still reference his tactics at Cambridge – gems such as "zig-zag to the onion bag", meaning to knock it up to the far post – during those courses at St George's Park, the place the FA trumpets as the future of English football.

Equally, it is not entirely clear whether the FA is operating to a clear and concise plan, or if it even understands its own philosophy, when Aidy Boothroyd, another manager synonymous with long-ball football, is suddenly deemed the best qualified candidate to manage and improve England Under-20s.

At Watford, Boothroyd took the team into the Premier League, which was a wonderful achievement. But it was not exactly progressive football. One of the team's sayings used to be "put it in the cage". The centre-halves would roar it during matches. The cage was the penalty area. Stop messing around, and put it in the cage.

Boothroyd is not remembered with huge fondness at Colchester or Coventry either and his latest appointment, I am reliably informed, has bemused some of his colleagues in other departments of the FA. Within his own profession, the words "numbing shock" have been used. Boothroyd once worked with Dan Ashworth, the FA's director of elite development, at Peterborough. A few years later, he appointed Ashworth to help him run West Brom's academy. Now, it is Ashworth's turn to do the hiring.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/mar/08/football-association-fa-england-under-20s-steven-gerrard

is this the aidy boothroyd who was steering northampton town out of the league or are there two aidy boothroyds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgMfdabYkUU

this is hilarious, aidy boothroyd talks neurolinguistic programming

i know what organized, athletic, committed human beings can do

a lot of players say "what's a mortgage?"

the most important space on a football pitch, make no mistake, is between a player's ears

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii15pCuIWXY

when marlon king points to his own head in an effort to calm you down

Spanish football writer Andy West at the Camp Nou: "Two defensive errors - one from Martin Demichelis two weeks ago and one from Joleon Lescott tonight - were punished by two goals from Lionel Messi, and that was the essential difference between the sides. Forget refereeing controversies: the main lesson City should take from the tie is that they're not too far away from competing with the elite."

the only english midfielder that could work at barca is huddlestone

― beta the drivel you know (darraghmac), Thursday, 16 June 2011 11:46 (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Rooney has the talent to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on that elite platform close to football utopia. He just doesn’t show it consistently enough. He has the vision, the individual talent and creative football brain to try what he did at West Ham on Saturday. Hodgson needs to get that out of him this summer.

Don’t stick him in a 4-4-2 and ask him to run channels. Let him play, make him smile, and that way we’ll get the best out of Rooney. I want a smiling Rooney, not a snarling one.

Messi and Ronaldo are the very best, but neither has taken a World Cup by storm. If Rooney does it this summer, he can suddenly elevate himself to their level.

Rooney scored a cracker in the Maracana for England last June. There are many who still doubt his world-class quality. Only he can prove them wrong.

This is Rooney’s time to shine at a World Cup. Show us what you can do Wayne.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tog_GYFHbMA

Published on 9 May 2013

Sport football pundits Alan Hansen, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Mark Lawrenson give their thoughts on how David Moyes might get on at Manchester United.

By way of proving he could most definitely finish what he started, Barkley concluded matters by curling a left-foot shot beyond Krul's grasp and into the roof of the net. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say the goal contained shades of Maradona and his exploits in the 1986 World Cup.

if maradona shit where a lightsource could intercept the dropping droppings as they fell, those shades would still be demonstrative of more skill and guile than the very sub-bale rush-and-cunt effort from barkley tonight

lol i missed this, good response to dumb qn

Speaking to The Daily Mail ahead of Brazil's friendly with England, he said: "Messi for the last three or four years has been the best player in the world - he has been at a level of consistency I don't think the world has seen before.

The 32-year-old also denied that he regrets not choosing to play in England, but expressed sorrow having not played with former Barca team-mate Messi for longer.

He added: "Do I regret not playing in England? No, because I have played for some of the biggest teams in the world and won everything.

ronaldinho obv

Retired defender Jamie Carragher says he played in better Liverpool teams than the one currently challenging for the Premier League title.
Full story: Sunday Times

Carra OTM

PSG's second goal was just unfortunate from Chelsea's point of view, and I didn't think the French side were that good in any department.

In midfield they were average and the number of times they got caught with the ball showed that, in terms of quality, Ligue 1 and the Premier League are a million miles apart.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26810322

i'm into nakh's dn in the first post

yeah i did a thread about those

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WhiteAmericanFolks.jpg

BBC FOOTBALL EXPERT

Pandemic otm bout carra being otm but i think there's something to being a 75% functioning expansive swashbuckling side atm that is proving harder to crack than did being an 85% crablike defensive unit under benitez.

Not just ito 3pts per win vs 1 for draw, more the way the teams in the league set up now to greater combat the prevailing packed midfield or w/e that isnt worth rejigging for the sake of lfc coming to town with a genuine 433 and what that means for the fullbacks etc

the og carra quote was v innocuous and in the service of praising the current side by comparison - said the benitez 2009 team was "arguably slightly better" iirc and that's about it

they got 86 points, they'd need five wins and a draw to exceed that this season

that team was competing with the best team english football has produced in at least the last few decades though, as well as chelsea and arsenal squads far stronger than today's equivalents

they would have to win the league this season to be considered better than that side

maybe 'far' is overstating wrt arsenal but rvp, cesc, nasri and that half season when arshavin was immediately one of the best players in the league vs only really ramsey of their attacking players who has been at that level this season

Teams outside top four prob a lot stronger as a group now vs then

tend to disagree because the lower half this year is virtually useless, huge chasm beneath southampton and newcastle

the shit teams of five years ago were mostly more route-one than the current lot and this liverpool side would probably have a few difficult away games vs game raising clodhoppers if they were to face the teams from 12-16 here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008%E2%80%9309_Premier_League#League_table

consider this manchester city side in 10th which had about fifty times the talent of whichever team finishes 10th season, even if they did have mark hughes as manager

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008-09_Manchester_City_F.C._season

idk man 'even if'

the 10th placed team this season is also likely to have mark hughes as manager except their best player is charlie adam rather than kompany, robinho, elano, zabaleta etc

yeah it rly makes u re-evaluate adams alright

Bayern Munich: Neuer 6, Alaba 5.5, Mandzukic 6

Manchester United: Rooney 6

Ratings from ROB DRAPER at the Allianz

By Mark Ogden, Allianz Arena

Mario Mandzukic

Gave ample evidence as to why Bayern have signed Robert Lewandowski from Borussia Dortmund to lead the line from next season until he equalised. Didn’t threaten often enough and was bossed by Vidic. 6

Wayne Rooney

Booed and jeered throughout by the Bayern supporters, but every jeer appeared to lift the United forward. Missed a great chance to put United 2-1 ahead on the hour, though, following great work by Welbeck. 7

Woody • 5 hours ago
How did Rooney get an 8?
21 • Reply•Share ›

mr-ed Woody • 2 hours ago
Now a 7 strangely...
I'm sure it was an 8 earlier when I first read the article.
No better than 5 - especially as he missed 2 sitters.

lol

Ribery is most overrated player on the planet
There are those who suggest Franck Ribery is the best player in the world behind the 'big two’. Presumably that refers to 'the big two’ leagues as opposed to just a couple of players. The only way Ribery deserves mention in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo is in a discussion about swapping World Cup Panini stickers.

The Frenchman is a good player in a competition full of truly exceptional ones. Yes, he occasionally beats his man but an end product is a hope as much as expectation. He often drags shots harmlessly wide and carries the demeanour of a footballer who has attained seriously high levels of delusions of grandeur. In short, Phil Jones probably felt he was up against a slightly upgraded version of Ashley Young. Arjen Robben, on the other hand, is world class.

Chris Bascombe is a tool of the highest order.

Ian Herbert

This was the match in which his team was supposed to tank and his own weakness be laid bare, but instead they revealed that they belonged on the stage which they will now exit for the first time in 18 years.

The high mountains of Europe are history for United and there is a long road ahead now. But Moyes has won the right to have a shot at leading them back.

couldn't agree more. lots of shots.

Within another 12 months, he was lighting up the Premier League with Chelsea. Mourinho broke the mould, he was smart, suave, supercilious and ultimately successful.

Now it's time for cool and colourful Klopp to take the leap and come to England. The Premier League would be a far more interesting place with him. He would break the mould too.

The marketplace is bustling if Klopp should choose to have a stroll through. There might be changes afoot at Arsenal or Manchester United. He might fancy a challenge like Aston Villa, West Ham or West Bromwich.

He might fancy a challenge like Aston Villa, West Ham or West Bromwich.

Aye, right