Football 2013-2014

[eFestivals]

Bosingwa - who played for 'Arry at QPR - says that 'Arry thinks he's Fergie.

[eFestivals]

To be fair, Bosingwa thinks he's Cafu.

And 'Arry thinks he's not bent.

This could go on forever.

[pink_triangle]

Diego Costa has changed his allegiance from Brazil to Spain apparently. Its funny how just over 6 months ago he obviously felt Brazilian when he turned out for them in a couple of friendlies!

[thetime]

Question for you people..

I've just been on wiki and looking at the man utd season of 1969/70(bit obsessed) and they had a play off match for the losing semi finalists in the fa cup.

When did this stop? Was it a regular occurrence? I can't remember it happening since I started watching football(early 80s).

[eFestivals]

Question for you people..

I've just been on wiki and looking at the man utd season of 1969/70(bit obsessed) and they had a play off match for the losing semi finalists in the fa cup.

When did this stop? Was it a regular occurrence? I can't remember it happening since I started watching football(early 80s).

I can vaguely remember the '71 final (the first year that I do; as it happened, it was on the day of my birthday party), but don't remember anything about a semi-finalists play-off.

So perhaps '70 was the last year it happened?

Edited October 11, 2013 by eFestivals

[5co77ie]

1974

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FA_Cup_Third-fourth_place_matches

which makes me wonder what happened to the traditional pre-FA Cup final match between England and Young England.

Edited October 11, 2013 by 5co77ie

[Ed209]

Question for you people..

I've just been on wiki and looking at the man utd season of 1969/70(bit obsessed) and they had a play off match for the losing semi finalists in the fa cup.

When did this stop? Was it a regular occurrence? I can't remember it happening since I started watching football(early 80s).

[thetime]

Cheers for the answers folks.

[strummer77]

Diego Costa has changed his allegiance from Brazil to Spain apparently. Its funny how just over 6 months ago he obviously felt Brazilian when he turned out for them in a couple of friendlies!

[kaosmark2]

Match-fixing in La Liga.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24491682

[5co77ie]

Match-fixing in La Liga.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24491682

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

'Array either lied to the plod or he's lied to everyone else...

The Rambles of Neil Monnery

Another pointless voice in the vast ocean that is the interweb

Harry Redknapp. A liar or a man who has a very dodgy memory? Thoughts on his Pompey/Southampton move.

This evening I was sat in the radio box at Roots Hall commentating over one of the most bizarre 15 minutes of football that I have ever seen. Southend came out after Half-Time 1-0 down but were 2-1 up within eight minutes. They would be 5-2 down just seven minutes later. Truly absurd football. Whilst calling the game I was leaning over watching the laptop of our colleagues at BBC London and I saw Portsmouth were 1-0 up away at Oxford. Late in the game I glanced over and I saw the Oxford v Portsmouth game was flashing ‘Goal’ and I awaited to see who had scored it and it was Portsmouth. I gave a proper fist pump as my co-commentator knew exactly what had happened.

You see I may call Southend games but I don’t hide the fact that I am a Portsmouth fan first and foremost. My love of the club may have waned whilst the glut of shall we call them ‘interesting’ characters owned the club. However the good guys now own the good ship Pompey and I now keenly read and watch the news from the south coast with interest.

Back in Harry Redknapp’s day though I was a Season Ticket in the Fratton End. I still lived down south and was working as a writer covering the club. They were good times. Whatever Pompey fans think of Harry now they’ll certainly say that our run to winning the Championship was a glorious year and staying up in the Premier League in that first year was pretty sweet. In Harry’s third full season though he left the club and would turn up along the M27 as manager of our arch-rival. Lets put it this way…Pompey fans…not overly amused by this.

Why am I writing about this today? Well Harry is serialising his book in the Daily Mail. One of the pieces is about his departure from Pompey and how the Pompey fans reacted and a couple of things jumped out at me:

Everyone had a rattle and they just went to enjoy the game. If that sounds a rose-tinted or nostalgic memory, I’m sorry, but it’s true. It was especially brought home to me when I was shown the door by Portsmouth in 2004 and Southampton offered me the chance to go there.

Now the thing is…Harry was never shown the door by Portsmouth. He resigned. He quit. He walked out of Portsmouth because he didn’t want to work for Milan Mandaric anymore. He didn’t like a Director of Football coming in over his head. One thing that didn’t happen was him getting the sack. How do we know this? Well because Harry said so at the time – and reiterated it when he was questioned by police in relation to his court case.

At the time he told BBC Sport:

It is something (resigning) I have been thinking about for a while. I made it without any pressure from the chairman or the board.

He told police in 2009:

He (Mandaric) got the hump with him because he brought in a director of football when I didn’t want one.

And he got the needle because I became bigger than him at the football club. He didn’t like that really.

Then we played Villa and we were 2-0 down at half-time and Milan — I had two friends sitting behind him — tore up his ticket into 50 pieces, threw it up in the air and said, “Why am I paying all this money for this rubbish?

So the next morning I rang Peter Storrie (the then chief executive) and said, “I’ve had enough of him. I want out”.’

Look I’m all for rewriting history. When I write my memoirs you’ll read all about how handsome I was as a young man and how women were fawning over me and jostling for my attention. That doesn’t mean it is true of course but we all like to remember the past more fondly than we possibly should.

He goes on to speak about the personal bile that he suffered at the hands of Portsmouth fans. A lot of it was over the top. I can’t defend a significant amount of Pompey fans for some of the things they said or did. However I’m not sure how Harry can honestly say that he didn’t think it would be a problem

I had all these very reasonable thoughts in my head as I left my new chairman’s house and I thought enough people would see the logic with me. If I couldn’t work for Portsmouth, this really was the next best thing.

He could’ve still worked for Portsmouth. He chose not to. When your boyfriend/girlfriend ditches you and starts seeing your arch-nemesis then generally you aren’t too happy . Football fans are pretty tribal so if you ditch them and move to the hated rival then expect some ******. Whether this is right or wrong isn’t something I’m going to debate at 01:04 but you have to expect it.

Harry is either incredibly naive or just has very little contact with the realities of the world. I don’t know which. He wrote earlier this week that he didn’t hold grudges but I think the general consensus is (and one I subscribe to) that he took the Southampton job solely to get back at Portsmouth. He was hurting and smarting by what he perceived as unfair treatment at Portsmouth (having a Director of Football brought in above him) but when he first came to Portsmouth he was brought in as a Director of Football over the head of the incumbent manager Graeme Rix. So he was fine doing that to someone else but when it was done to him it was extremely unfair. Gotta love it haven’t you?

He goes on to say…

Looking back, I think that maybe they liked me so much when I was there, that we had such a good relationship, that my leaving hurt far more intensely than the departure of another manager would.

They treated me like God because we had gone from being nowhere to being a Premier League team that had survived.

We had the best year, winning the title to get promoted, and I don’t think any of us felt we could top that. So when I went to Southampton it was as if I had betrayed all that affection.

They were too upset to step back from the situation and think: ‘Harry got pushed out because they brought this other bloke in’.

He did have a terrific relationship with the Pompey fans – he is right. He was treated well – he is right but he needs to remember that the most beloved manager for Pompey fans of my generation is Alan Ball, a man who also managed Southampton. The fact he managed us and them and then ultimately us again (just as Harry would do) didn’t matter to the Pompey fans. They (me included) adored Alan Ball for what he did in both his stints at Fratton Park. He always put the club first. This is why he was so beloved despite his Southampton connections. Harry cannot say the same with a straight face.

There is no doubt that Pompey fans were hurt and felt betrayed by Harry. I think it is probably fair to say overly so. For football is just football. However Harry should never say that Pompey fans treated him like a God. He was liked, but was he was respected and beloved like Alan Ball? I don’t think so.

To sum up Harry had good times at Portsmouth. Things went bad and he walked because he didn’t have everything his own way. He was never pushed. Never forced nor cajoled out of the door. He walked. He took the Southampton job out of pure spite considering he said at the time he wanted to take some time out to recharge his batteries. Yeah batteries take more than a few weeks to recharge. He came back, did a great job but that great job came at an even greater price and when he saw the writing on the wall he walked out again for pastures new.

Love him or hate him (or being entirely indifferent to him). Harry is an interesting character who is far more savvy than he likes to let on. He knew Pompey fans would not wish him well on taking the Southampton job. He knew they would vilify him. Did Jim Smith get some ****** for taking the Southampton job? Sure he did but it was nothing like what Redknapp got because the fans had deep rooted respect for the Bald Eagle. That is something Pompey fans do not have for Harry and many sets of fans around the country seem to have a similar sense of indifference at best towards the current QPR manager and that isn’t just a coincidence…

[philipsteak]

I've discovered the way to enjoy watching England games. Subtitles. It all gets wonderfully surreal at times

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

I've discovered the way to enjoy watching England games. Subtitles. It all gets wonderfully surreal at times

[Bobs]

Match-fixing in La Liga.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24491682

[pink_triangle]

Interesting article from Carragher but I disagree with a lot of it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2454642/Jamie-Carragher-World-Cup-dying-isnt-patch-Champions-League--holding-winter-save-it.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

The world cup is footballs greatest prize, but the competition is dying

International football definitely isnt as popular as it once was, but I think that more the friendlies and qualification.

Come the world cup, the world goes football mad, something the champions league cannot achieve. I think international football has a problem in building up interest for qualifiers and to some extent the euros, but come the actual competition interest is huge, probably not as much as when England were considered genuine contenders y their media and fans, but that's not the competitions fault.

Summer tournaments have become tedious and rarely live up to expectations.

I think there is a danger of looking at the champions league through rose tinted glasses, the group stages are generally forgettable and an excuse to ensure the big teams get guaranteed income.

What would you be most excited about spain v france, or barcelona v psg

It would depend on the context of the game, so impossible to answer. If it was a choice between the international teams in a world cup final and the club sides in a champions league final, I would go for the former

World cups fail to generate the excitment they once did

Maybe true but they still generate more excitement than the champions league by their ability to pull in more casual fans

Lionel Messi hasnt dominated a tournament the way Maradona did.

While true he has only played one world cup in his 20s and that was with the tactical clueless Maradonna in charge.

A world cup in south america may be very different

By the time England played Portugal, I was out on my knees

That may be because Englands poor ball retention skills make them use up more energy than other sides. The Spanish players have played a lot of games leading up to tournaments and havent looked as tired.

The champions league is where the worlds best are judged now,while the quality particularly toward the latter stages, are on another level.

While its clear that top clubs are going to be stronger than top nations because of player familiarity and the fact they can plug their weaknesses by buying players. Theres no doubt germany and spain could compete against any of the top clubs. Despite the improved quality of the champions league only 5 million British people could be bothered watching the champions league final, you have to treble that for a world cup final.

WInning a world cup remains the most exclusive club a footballer can join because its only every 4 years, not because of the quality.

I think the world cup also has the mystique and tradition. It also unites nations behind their team, where as when a nation has a team in a champions league final, a large proportion fo the country support the opposition. The world cup can make players heroes in their country in the way the champions league cannot.

I have no doubt the champions league is better marketed, but I think this marketing can hide a lot of the compeitions flaws, in the same way the premiership does. To me both competitions are great and I dont see why they cant coexist.

Edited October 12, 2013 by pink_triangle

[thetime]

Yes but sky have the champions league and not the World Cup.

[kaosmark2]

Interesting article from Carragher but I disagree with a lot of it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2454642/Jamie-Carragher-World-Cup-dying-isnt-patch-Champions-League--holding-winter-save-it.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

The world cup is footballs greatest prize, but the competition is dying

International football definitely isnt as popular as it once was, but I think that more the friendlies and qualification.

Come the world cup, the world goes football mad, something the champions league cannot achieve. I think international football has a problem in building up interest for qualifiers and to some extent the euros, but come the actual competition interest is huge, probably not as much as when England were considered genuine contenders y their media and fans, but that's not the competitions fault.

Summer tournaments have become tedious and rarely live up to expectations.

I think there is a danger of looking at the champions league through rose tinted glasses, the group stages are generally forgettable and an excuse to ensure the big teams get guaranteed income.

What would you be most excited about spain v france, or barcelona v psg

It would depend on the context of the game, so impossible to answer. If it was a choice between the international teams in a world cup final and the club sides in a champions league final, I would go for the former

World cups fail to generate the excitment they once did

Maybe true but they still generate more excitement than the champions league by their ability to pull in more casual fans

Lionel Messi hasnt dominated a tournament the way Maradona did.

While true he has only played one world cup in his 20s and that was with the tactical clueless Maradonna in charge.

A world cup in south america may be very different

By the time England played Portugal, I was out on my knees

That may be because Englands poor ball retention skills make them use up more energy than other sides. The Spanish players have played a lot of games leading up to tournaments and havent looked as tired.

The champions league is where the worlds best are judged now,while the quality particularly toward the latter stages, are on another level.

While its clear that top clubs are going to be stronger than top nations because of player familiarity and the fact they can plug their weaknesses by buying players. Theres no doubt germany and spain could compete against any of the top clubs. Despite the improved quality of the champions league only 5 million British people could be bothered watching the champions league final, you have to treble that for a world cup final.

WInning a world cup remains the most exclusive club a footballer can join because its only every 4 years, not because of the quality.

I think the world cup also has the mystique and tradition. It also unites nations behind their team, where as when a nation has a team in a champions league final, a large proportion fo the country support the opposition. The world cup can make players heroes in their country in the way the champions league cannot.

I have no doubt the champions league is better marketed, but I think this marketing can hide a lot of the compeitions flaws, in the same way the premiership does. To me both competitions are great and I dont see why they cant coexist.

[thetime]

Re. Messi/Ronaldo not dominating an international tournament, that's also because the typical standard of players has increased. I'm not denying Maradona's greatness, but considering his fitness and health problems he couldn't have torn apart today's defenders with their regimented diets and training in the same way. The overall quality of football and footballers has improved a hell of a lot in the last 25 years, and regardless of how good an individual player is, I don't believe they will ever be able to stand out to the same degree.

[kaosmark2]

I don't really agree here, it's so much easier for attackers in modern day football where tackling is non existent.

The likes of pele, best, maradonna and cruyff for example would find it so much easier with virtually no tackling involved in the modern game. Where the like if ronaldo and messi would find it a lot harder being scythed down time and time again. Also pitches are like carpets now and not the pitches you got in the 60s/70s/80s where the ball would bobble everywhere.

also football have got more attacking and I personally think defending is awful nowadays.

[pink_triangle]

also football have got more attacking and I personally think defending is awful nowadays.

[Bobs]

Nice to see England win.

Everyone sitting there praising Roy Hodgson for making a risk in starting Townsend are just England apologists, Townsend is arguably one of the form players of the league, so what you problem is, is,,,, Starting a Form player, or Milner, Why would anyone be so daft to praise Hodgson for this?!

As a blue, i'm glad to see Barkley not play, i don't want him burning out, but everyone is banging on about bringing in a 'new generation', with Wilshere, Barkley, Sturridge and Townsend being in the core of it, yet the tried and tested (and failed) Lampard and Gerrard combination once again started yesterday.

For me i'd take Lampard out, Gerrard is a top professional when it comes to England, and he really does mentor the younger lads, he always comes across as giving 100%, even if i hate the bastard, that's nothing against Lampard either btw.

They need to start letting the younger lads get a feel for Internationals, and even if it is the deep end, I'd like to see Townsend again against Poland, and Barkley too, a player who will terrorise defenders, is EXACTLY what England need.

Incidentally, he recalled Sterling He's Shit.

[TheGayTent]

Townsend a form player?

He was shit in his last match against a poor side.

[pink_triangle]

Nice to see England win.

As a blue, i'm glad to see Barkley not play, i don't want him burning out, but everyone is banging on about bringing in a 'new generation', with Wilshere, Barkley, Sturridge and Townsend being in the core of it, yet the tried and tested (and failed) Lampard and Gerrard combination once again started yesterday.

For me i'd take Lampard out, Gerrard is a top professional when it comes to England, and he really does mentor the younger lads, he always comes across as giving 100%, even if i hate the bastard, that's nothing against Lampard either btw.

[kaosmark2]

Gerrard's not pulled out of quite as many friendlies as a number of others, which is probably where part of it comes from.