Post: #276

(05-13-2013 05:16 PM)La Familia Wrote:  Mancini fired!

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/144672...ni?cc=5901

I always thought that the typical American football coach had the worst job security of anyone in sport, but I am starting to think that European football managers have it worse. The McDermott and Mancini firings confirm this in my mind.

Only in England would I expect to see a guy win a title one year and get the boot after the next season, despite finishing second in his league that season.

Yeah, the Champion's League performances were poor and he lost the FA Cup Final, but in the grand scheme of things I'd really expect to see more job security than that given his proven record (not everyone has an EPL winning pedigree). I think this kind of fickle hiring and firing is bad for the game.

Post: #277

(05-13-2013 07:01 PM)Athlone McGinnis Wrote:  

(05-13-2013 05:16 PM)La Familia Wrote:  Mancini fired!

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/144672...ni?cc=5901

I always thought that the typical American football coach had the worst job security of anyone in sport, but I am starting to think that European football managers have it worse. The McDermott and Mancini firings confirm this in my mind.

Only in England would I expect to see a guy win a title one year and get the boot after the next season, despite finishing second in his league that season.

Yeah, the Champion's League performances were poor and he lost the FA Cup Final, but in the grand scheme of things I'd really expect to see more job security than that given his proven record (not everyone has an EPL winning pedigree). I think this kind of fickle hiring and firing is bad for the game.

It's killing the game. Mancini had City really under performing, even for most of last season, and I've been criticising him for a long time now. However, one bad season (even though it was pretty good with a second place finish and FA Cup final) shouldn't be enough to fire a manager.

Present day Man City wasn't built as a project, it just had money thrown at it. Their philosophy is to get the best players possible, not build a style, identity and ethos. So with a club just throwing money at the squad, it's not exactly surprising that they would fire a manager in search for a new one as soon as they demand better. It's what their owners know.

There's a lot of managers changing clubs this summer, it'll be interesting to see how things go next season.

Post: #278

It is getting to the stage where each season will end with 3 of the top 4 clubs firing their manager for not winning the league.

Post: #279

I don't understand why these things happen. Who is City going to replace him with? Only possible candidates are Mourinho, Benitez, and Pelligrini. Maybe Klopp. But who would want to go to a club who's clearly going to fire you if you don't win at least a double?

Post: #280

If you guys think Man City is bad, check out Chelsea's track record.Roman Abramovich is as quick on the trigger as any owner in football. The list of fired managers includes: Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Di Matteo, and André Villas-Boas. Rafa Benitez will do extremely well to still be on the hook at seasons end.

In other news, a Serie A match was stopped in Italy due to inappropriate fan chants directed at Balotelli. Italian fans are vicious, and they made Kevin Prince Boateng actually walk off the pitch earlier in the season.

Quote:Milan striker Mario Balotelli was targeted by visiting fans throughout the match, and referee Gianluca Rocchi called the game to a halt in the second half to warn the crowd via the public address system.
After several minutes' delay, the match continued and ended in a 0-0 draw.
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri later said the official's decision was not strong enough.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/12/sport/foot...?hpt=hp_c4

Post: #281

(05-13-2013 07:52 PM)Frontenac Wrote:  I don't understand why these things happen. Who is City going to replace him with? Only possible candidates are Mourinho, Benitez, and Pelligrini. Maybe Klopp. But who would want to go to a club who's clearly going to fire you if you don't win at least a double?

You're not thinking the same way as these managers do. It doesn't hurt their reputation/bank balance to have a short stint under an extremely rich, if a little impatient, owner.

The bonuses alone could feed Africa.

Post: #282

Athlone, where's the love for Junior Hoilett? Very skilled player despite always playing on relegation teams. I gave up on him joining the Canadian squad long ago and it sounds like he's going to finally decide to represent Jamaica.

I played on a Jamaican mens league team the last two years and they were unbelievable. Hands down some of the most talented footballers I've ever known. I was the token white guy on the team because I worked with half of them. Pretty cool guys but damn that accent is hard to understand sometimes haha

Post: #283

(05-13-2013 11:53 PM)Khaleth Wrote:  Athlone, where's the love for Junior Hoilett? Very skilled player despite always playing on relegation teams. I gave up on him joining the Canadian squad long ago and it sounds like he's going to finally decide to represent Jamaica.

Oh we've given Junior plenty of love. He's been approached more than once, actually. The last time we tried to recruit him back in November he asked for more time.

A lot of the other fans on the forums were mad at his lack of commitment (as was our Federation President), but I understood. He was playing on what was then (and is surely now) a bottom of the table side and wasn't getting a ton of first team minutes. He struggled a lot this season, so you could understand his not wanting to cross timezones just yet.

He has many fewer excuses this time around, though. The season is over, and his only other choice (Canada) is well out of the running. His father favors his playing for us, and we're heading into the most crucial stage of qualifiers. If he's ever going to commit, now is the time.

The same goes for Nathan Dyer and Danny Simpson, as well as any other potential English-Jamaicans (ex: Wayne Routledge, Kyle Bartley, Kelvin Wilson, etc) interested in international football.

Quote:I played on a Jamaican mens league team the last two years and they were unbelievable. Hands down some of the most talented footballers I've ever known. I was the token white guy on the team because I worked with half of them. Pretty cool guys but damn that accent is hard to understand sometimes haha

Jamaica already has a reputation in footballing circles for producing great natural athletes, players who seem to just take innately to football. Our youth teams display a lot of natural talent and have actually been fairly successful in recent years (U-17 World Cup Appearance in 2011).

The problem is that our footballing infrastructure is poor. Aside from the lack of money, the way the system is organized on the island doesn't maximize youth development. The youth game in Jamaica centers around the high school system, which keeps players up until they turn 19. Most of our best players end up in the elite high school teams and tournaments. The problem is that the high school season is short, the coaching not great, and the competition not particularly elite.

Our youth still have all their natural skill, but they're allowed to lean on it entirely too much while competing for the high schools against what is often much younger and less skilled competition during a very short, not particularly rigorous season. This stunts their tactical and technical development. They grow and end up lacking the specific nuances (ex: movement off the ball) that you need to handle professional football in England and elsewhere.

While our top U-20 players are still schoolboys playing short high school seasons, other nations are putting their top youth into fully professional settings, which we can't compete with. This stunts the technical development of our players badly. Many fall through the cracks, and others squeak through but never reach their potential. Only occasionally do we get the big breakthrough stars (ex: Ricardo Fuller, Ricardo Garner, Rodolph Austin).

Only recently are some of our top U-20 players signing on with our local Premier League clubs. This is an improvement, even though our local league is semi-pro at best. Our growing entry into Scandinavia, NCAA soccer, and MLS is helping our player development a lot, which is what I think got us back into the Hex this time around.

Raheem Sterling is a great case because he's an example of what Jamaica can actually produce on a pretty regular basis if given the resources. There are many youths running around inner city Kingston and elsewhere on the island with the potential to be a Raheem Sterling-fast, clever, extremely skilled and agile athletes are abundant in places like Maverley where Sterling was born.

They'll most likely never reach that potential because, unlike Sterling, they won't get off the island and receive the kind of development you can get in England. This is why utilizing our diaspora (especially the English-Jamaican branch) is so important.

Post: #284

(05-13-2013 08:26 PM)iWin Wrote:  If you guys think Man City is bad, check out Chelsea's track record.Roman Abramovich is as quick on the trigger as any owner in football. The list of fired managers includes: Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Di Matteo, and André Villas-Boas. Rafa Benitez will do extremely well to still be on the hook at seasons end.

Hiddink was not fired. In fact the board wanted him to stay but he had a contract with Russia he refused to break.

Grant had to go, never a top class manager as he proved since. Scolari was all over the place and going nowhere fast, we were so naive under him it was untrue. Ancelotti can feel hard done by but he failed miserably twice in the Champions League which Roman won't stand for. Would have liked him to have had longer. He deserved longer to turn things around. Di Matteo was very harshly treated. He deserved at least a full season with us. He was doing ok this season but we hit some bad form in November as usual and the board got jittery. Harsh as he was trying to integrate new players like Hazard and Oscar and changing our playing style. AVB needed time to radicalise the club but went about it wrong and the senior players/ egos were not having it. Player power cost him his job more than the board who did not want to get rid of him so soon.

Say what you want about Roman being trigger happy but we have won as much or more than any other team in the Premiership since Roman took over so he has made some good decisions ( money helps too of course).

I have mixed feelings about Jose coming back, can it ever be the same second time round? Also will he stunt Oscar and Hazard's development with a more direct style of game? Interesting times ahead.

Post: #285

I sort of agree and disagree with the decision to fire Mancini. City do actually have a plan in motion, they've stolen the top execs from Barcelona to implement this. I don't agree with it purely because of the time he was allowed but from a board point and the direction they want to head in, I do.

Post: #286

Goal of the season, surely?

Post: #287

Rafael v QPR, maybe? First-time hit, top corner. Cesar didn't even move.

Post: #288

Or Luiz vs Fulham. Damn.

Post: #289

(05-13-2013 05:16 PM)La Familia Wrote:  Mancini fired!

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/144672...ni?cc=5901

Rightly so,
City looked Dire against an £11m wigan athletic team and have been completely slacking in terms of their potential e.g Tottenham banging in 3 goals in 5 minutes against them.

An excuse like he didn't get the players he wanted is laughable really , your playing with £500m worth of talent, it should reflect in overall team performances and not just solo glimpses of spectacular skill from extraordinary players.

It may seem harsh considering he won the premier league last year. However, not being able to pull the FA CUP having reached the final and knowing how important the game is for the club this year, clearly showed that there is a lack of managerial spark that needs to be reignited.

Watch their games and you can tell their under performing and lackadaisical, there is no rhythm in their style of play. And as manager you are responsible for that regardless of whose fault it is.

Post: #290

No way, Frontenac. No chance. It's definitely Suarez. A 70 yard pass from behind him, perfectly controlled with his chest whilst facing away from the direction of the pass, with a defender on him and the keeper raining in on him, with the perfect execution to dummy the keeper and round him to slot in. It's absolute genius.

Post: #291

Post: #292

Zlatan is now the only current player to have won a league title in 4 countries. In his last 9 season he has held a title with his team 7 times. Many people call him an egomaniac but it's obvious that he makes his entire team better.

Post: #293

(05-14-2013 09:20 AM)MattC Wrote:  No way, Frontenac. No chance. It's definitely Suarez. A 70 yard pass from behind him, perfectly controlled with his chest whilst facing away from the direction of the pass, with a defender on him and the keeper raining in on him, with the perfect execution to dummy the keeper and round him to slot in. It's absolute genius.

If you watch it in real time, you may not think it's much, but you're right, his touches to get the ball, and dummy the keeper, while under pressure, are second to none. He took the ball down like a wide receiver catching a slant and taking it to the house.

Here's some others off the top of my head that I think should be up there for goal of the season.

Luiz v. Fulham




Rafael v. QPR




Bale v. West Ham




VP v. Villa




Ben Arfa v. Fulham (might be a deflection, but still awesome)




I know I'm missing some so keep 'em coming.

Post: #294

Liverpool have scored some great team goals this season. I'd be surprised not to see a few of ours in the top 10. Sturridge against Chelsea and Enrique against Swansea are two good examples. I'd fetch them and post then but I'm on my phone.

Post: #295

Spanish and Arabic commentators: probably the most annoying in the world

Post: #296

That Suarez goal is the best not because of how he controlled it with his chest, he actually controlled that 70 yard pass with his shoulder. Fucking hell, the fucking shoulder.

Post: #297

Good riddance, Wigan.

Post: #298

(05-14-2013 04:28 PM)La Familia Wrote:  Good riddance, Wigan.

I've never used to have anything for or against Wigan, but after McNanaman nearly broke that Newcastle kid in half and went unpunished, I felt like they had it coming.
Still, I'd be happy with an FA Cup medal, even if I did get relegated.

Post: #299

(05-14-2013 05:19 PM)Frontenac Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 04:28 PM)La Familia Wrote:  Good riddance, Wigan.

I've never used to have anything for or against Wigan, but after McNanaman nearly broke that Newcastle kid in half and went unpunished, I felt like they had it coming.
Still, I'd be happy with an FA Cup medal, even if I did get relegated.

It's amazing how Haidara only suffered a bruise from that gruesome tackle. That, and the fact that it was a clear handball when Kone scored in the final minutes of that game against Newcastle is what made me switch from wanting to see Villa relegated to the Lactics. Martinez then went on air to say, in regards to the handball, that "luck rarely goes our way, and we're glad it did today" He's proven to everyone that he can get the job done, but I lost respect for him as a person. Even Mourinho had the decency to say that the better team lost in the second leg against Man U.

So yeah, I'm happy they won the FA Cup too. They needed something to collect their tears of relegation.

Post: #300

ROONEY TO NEWCASTLE!!!???

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/...rts-direct