(UEFA) Football Thread - Football not Soccer

[Angel4576]

^^ You've hit the nail on the head there mate, with the cost point.

Gaydamak's looking to sell up. They sold Diarra and Defoe in the window for near enough £30m. How much of that's been reinvested? It's clear that Gaydamak's got to the point now where he won't put any money in, he's just looking to get as much out as possible. With that in mind, I think it's fairly obvious how Adams got the job.

I don't know whether they'll go with Curbs or Grant, but I bet you cost will factor into it again.

 

[Starkers]

^Its a false economy though. Howwever cheap Adams was to hire, they've now got to pay up his contract and pay someone else to do the job. Plus the value of the club must plummet as it drops places in the league. Why are chairmen--usually experienced business men--often so stupid?

 

[Hermiod]

Portsmouth's problems aren't Adams' fault. I strongly doubt that one of the best central defenders to kick a ball in the Premier League went to training one morning and said to Sol Campbell (also one of the best central defenders to kick a ball in this league), Sylvain Distin and the rest of the Pompey defenders "forget everything you know about defending and just play badly".

He's had, arguably, his two best players sold out from underneath him as well. Going forward against Liverpool they looked okay, it's just that they've forgotten how to defend.

 

[Tomalak]

Shame about Adams, but as with Ince, he should never have been given the job. The cracks were appearing before Redknapp wisely jumped ship, even though a laboured FA Cup win papered over some of them.

* Glen Johnson against Spain, what G.Neville fit and playing again not enough?

Well, no. Neville has lost his place in the United XI to a Brazilian kid. After his Arsenal performance, I don't think Capello is suicidal enough to play him against Santi Cazorla or David Silva. Besides, a Beckham-Neviller right side? Great in 1998, but these days you'd find more pace in an Eastbourne tea room.

It's a friendly, time to be giving the younger players experience without any pressure, not give Gary Neville another cap to stick on his mantlepiece.

 

[Starkers]

Portsmouth's problems aren't Adams' fault. I strongly doubt that one of the best central defenders to kick a ball in the Premier League went to training one morning and said to Sol Campbell (also one of the best central defenders to kick a ball in this league), Sylvain Distin and the rest of the Pompey defenders "forget everything you know about defending and just play badly".

He's had, arguably, his two best players sold out from underneath him as well. Going forward against Liverpool they looked okay, it's just that they've forgotten how to defend.

What it does say about Adams is that he was obviously having difficulty motivating and instilling confidence/self belief in the team.

As for those two best players sold out from under him, was he even playing Defoe?

I'm not suggesting he wouldn't have pulled it round given time, but time is a luxury Premiership managers don't seem to be afforded these days. It always did seem a curious appointment to me...wonder if Adams will try for another managerial job now or turn up at Spurs...

 

[Tomalak]

He seemed to have lost the dressing room, if indeed he ever had it, so I couldn't see him turning things around. It must be said, failure at Wycombe isn't exactly the best preparation for a premier league relegation dogfight.

He was a superb player, definitely one of my favourites in the nineties, because he's exactly what we were missing at Liverpool. It doesn't follow that he would make a great manager though.

 

[Starkers]

Great player doesn't always = great manager, and year failure at Wycombe isn't the best thing to have on your CV (Ince had at least been succesful at a lower level)

The other problem is that as assistant manager you can be everyone's friend, the good cop to the managers bad cop. Suddenly you have to change your entire persona. Adding in losing players and a relegation battle and the writing was on the wall...

 

[Jax]

It's a friendly, time to be giving the younger players experience without any pressure, not give Gary Neville another cap to stick on his mantlepiece.

I think the caps worthy for G.Neville because I want to see if he can cut it at the top level still...He is playing still for Utd and swapping in and out with Rafael, the Brazillian is good but hes not knicked the place fully and won't until Neville retires probably in 2010.

I would rather use this game and see if he can handle it, instead of playing him against a weaker team and being uner the illusion that he still can.

 

[TheArsenal]

Tough to see Adams go, because he remains one of my three favorite players and I wish him well in what he does. He has to be particularly gutted as Pompey gifted Liverpool those goals.

This weekend: If I ever see Eboue in an Arsenal red again I will be deeply disappointed in Wenger. What makes it doubly infuriating is Eboue was having one of his brightest starts; making incisive runs and getting behind the defense.

 

[Jax]

This was much earlier than I expected...

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has been sacked.

 

[Angel4576]

^^ Difficult to see who they think can replace him.

Usual suspects;

Hiddink - Unlikely to leave the Russian national team. They're a cert for the World Cup finals.

Mourinho - Possibly in a sensational return?

Grant - Out of work and did well for them last year.

Other than that, who could they be looking at? Zola, Di Matteo? Too soon surely.

 

[Jax]

^^ Difficult to see who they think can replace him.

Usual suspects;

Hiddink - Unlikely to leave the Russian national team. They're a cert for the World Cup finals.

Mourinho - Possibly in a sensational return?

Grant - Out of work and did well for them last year.

Other than that, who could they be looking at? Zola, Di Matteo? Too soon surely.

Rjikkard did great at Barca though I think the ex Inter boss will be bookies favourite.

As for Jose. I think he wants to stick it to Chelsea owner and looks like Fergie will choose him to take over Utd and Inter is nothing more than a stop gap for that, to win another league title in another country.

 

[TheArsenal]

This was much earlier than I expected...

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has been sacked.

Wow. That actually surprised me. I expected Chelsea to ride out the season with him before he got sacked.

 

[Starkers]

Sven for Chelsea? Didn't do a bad job with City, at least initially? Ridiculous to get rid after half a season. They'd have been better off sticking with Grant to be honest.

 

[TheArsenal]

If Mexico doesn't get past the US on Wednesday in the WC qualifier - and Mexico hasn't beaten the US on US soil since the 90s I believe - there is heavy talk Sven will be sacked.

 

[Hermiod]

^That surprises me since football is a national obsession in Mexico. They should be a lot better than they are.

 

[Daedalus12]

I can't see Sven at Chelsea. My money is on Frank Rijkaard.

Mexico is like Tottenham. They think they belong with the elites but in reality they are just shite.

 

[Hermiod]

I can't see Sven at Chelsea. My money is on Frank Rijkaard.

Mexico is like Tottenham. They think they belong with the elites but in reality they are just shite.

They really should be better, though. They should certainly be able to beat a nation of body armour wearing nancies who think football's a girl's game.

 

[TheArsenal]

Before there were global sport packages offered, the only football you could get here was Scottish league (with commercial interruptions during the action?!) and the Mexican League in Spanish. Better than no football right? So I watched it.

Mexican League football - where the bulk of the national team come from - is shocking. No one can be bothered to defend, and the comical goals from laughable defending don't look much different than the stuff I see in my Sunday games. Under the guidance of Sven, the Mexicans barely made it out of the last qualifying round playing against banana republic countries. If they played in Europe, they'd never see a World Cup.

 

[Starkers]

Well according to the BBC's reporter last night, Chelsea were looking to appoint someone to take them to the end of the season, then hire a new manager, but the impression was given that they already have someone in mind...and they're currently available. Been wracking my brain to think of who this could mean aside from Avram Grant (till the end of the season maybe?) or Curbishly