(UEFA) Football Thread - Football not Soccer

[Jax]

Starkers wrote:

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Not if you keep Camp in goal. That og was hilarious!

His kicking wasn't much good either, he got alot of aggro from the fans.

[Angel4576]

Camp's kicking has always been wank.

Forest have a fantastic midfield and frontline now, but if anything's going to stop you mounting a challenge it'll be that defense. The only two serious tests so far have been Bolton, who scored twice, and Wigan, who scored four.

Good times for the East Midlands at the moment - our passing at the moment, I can't remember seeing us play the ball around so easily since the days of Eranio and Asanovic. Beautiful to watch, and Watford yesterday were just utterly destroyed.

In recent years our problem's usually been to do with supply to our strikers - now, we create chances for fun. Should make for a very entertaining game at the CG. probably 5-5 on current form!

[HappyDayRiot]

Forest, Derby and the Other One all won on the same day. When did that last happen!? Are Watford/Udinese reserves are a total shambles at the moment? Not very Watford-like to lose 5-1.

A fine win for Cardiff today and what sounds like a fantastic hat-trick for Peter Whittingham. He's deserved one of those for three years, I'm delighted he got it. Just sorry I wasn't there to see it!

Southampton are learning the hard way about the nature of the Premier League, aren't they? Gutted for them, especially Rickie Lambert. He scores against anyone!

[Angel4576]

Watford were terrible.

Those that weren't loanees already looked completely disinterested - they probably know that they'll be shipped out at some point.

Zola admitted after the game that he didn't do his homework properly and was completely surprised that we were good from set-pieces. what an absolute imbecile. I loved Zola as a player, but as a Manager, he comes across as being completely clueless. Disaster waiting to happen at Watford, think they'll go down personally.....

[Starkers]

^I agree, or at least flirt with relegation.

[HappyDayRiot]

I think they'll be all right. They'll have to go some to be worse than the likes of Barnsley, Peterborough and Palace. Just about safe I reckon.

[Angel4576]

Dunno - they seem to be taking a massive gamble with the Udinese experiment. Reminds me of Doncaster last season. Potentially a disaster in waiting. Of those three, Palace will probably escape. Peterboro' and Barnsley I can easily see struggling.

[Starkers]

Yeah it has Donny written all over it, but even without the Udinese players I did say I felt Zola/Watford was going to be a lousy mix.

[HappyDayRiot]

The whole thing doesn't benefit Watford in the slightest - if those loanees are good, they'll go back to their parent club and be good there. If they're rubbish, well Watford will suffer. I'd not thought of the Doncaster comparison. They were slightly different as their players were a bunch of mercenaries coming from all over the place on short term contracts. Same short-term thinking though. And what about the players already at Watford - will they put in the same kind of effort if they know they could be sold on sooner rather than later?

Long hard season to come, that's for sure.

[{ Emilia }]

HappyDayRiot wrote:

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The whole thing doesn't benefit Watford in the slightest - if those loanees are good, they'll go back to their parent club and be good there. If they're rubbish, well Watford will suffer.

I don't agree with that at all. That's not how the Pozzo family does business. They haven't done it with their Spanish side (Granada) either.

This is a very good read from one of the best blogs out there: Watford and Udinese.

It explains Pozzo's idea of leading a club and what they have achieved in the past. Udinese's scouting network is nothing short of amazing.

Adam Digby wrote:

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In 2009 the family purchased Granada – then almost on the brink of bankruptcy and languishing in Spanish football’s third tier – to act as another proving ground for the masses of youngsters the Pozzo’s bring in and in doing so they have risen to the top flight La Liga for the first time since the mid-1970’s. The Italian club have seemingly, by using Grenada to screen prospective players, been able to further minimise the risk of fielding unknown talent which in the past – when certain prospects failed – often left them battling relegation rather than challenging at the top end of the table.

It is into this network of contacts, that English Championship club Watford now find themselves drawn, purchased by the Pozzo’s this summer.

Give it some time.

[HappyDayRiot]

That is very interesting, thanks. I had no idea, as an aside, that Udinese were so 'small' a club in comparison to other Serie A sides.

By the way, how do you feel about Bendtner joining your team on loan? He's not exactly been endearing himself to the fans has he?

[Starkers]

I'd still debate whether a process that has worked in the Spanish leagues will neccesarily work in the championship, and there's still something to be said for building a team ethos rather than just throwing a bunch of players together (exhibit A see Paul Jewell's Ipswich) and additionally breaking into a first team as a youngster can be daunting enough without going to another country to do it, especially one where the style of play is so different, I imagine the Spanish league is far more similar to the Italian therefore the change of location will be less jarring.

Open to being proved wrong, but I think Watford will finish the season closer to the bottom of the league than the top.

By the way, anyone see this?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19487663

I realise Blackburn are second at the moment, but again I have a hunch the wheels will come off eventually, and this article sums Kean, the Venkys, the entire ethos of the club perfectly.

[HappyDayRiot]

Starkers wrote:

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I'd still debate whether a process that has worked in the Spanish leagues will neccesarily work in the championship, and there's still something to be said for building a team ethos rather than just throwing a bunch of players together (exhibit A see Paul Jewell's Ipswich)

I am astonished he is still in the job. Seriously astonished. He must be favourite for the sack by now.

By the way, anyone see this?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19487663

I realise Blackburn are second at the moment, but again I have a hunch the wheels will come off eventually, and this article sums Kean, the Venkys, the entire ethos of the club perfectly.

The table is meaningless for the first 10-12 games. But this just cements my promotion-or-bust comment of last week. The man is a complete charlatan, a PR man taking a big cut out of their finances along with the owners. He is unsackable. And I think it will tell around Christmas, and they will cease to be an automatic promotion candidate. They may also cease to be in business.

[Starkers]

I think Kean knows he will never get another job in football if (when) he's sacked, so he will cling on to the bitter end. I also suspect he isn't self aware enough to realise any of his faults. It is definitely promotion or bust.

I think the Ipswich chairman is just too loyal. He gave Keane too long as well.

[HappyDayRiot]

^ A week and a half on, Steve Kean is top of the league. God help us all.

Some very tasty fixtures in the Champions League this week - an imploding Real against Man City, who've yet to really get going, and Chelsea at home to Juventus. Let's hope Chelsea play some actual football this year to defend their trophy, and that could be a very good game to watch.

I just learnt, too, that Galatasaray have a number of ex-Premier League players in their ranks - Milan Baros, Albert Rieira, Johan Elmander and Emmanuel Eboue all play there now. I think we can all agree that that one isn't going to be a goalfest when Man United play tomorrow