What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (6 Viewers)

Draxler confirmed to PSG for 35M pounds. I havent seen a ton of him, but I always rated him as one of the more talented young players in Europe. Would have thought hed cost a lot more than that.

Talk about an embarrassment of riches. Not sure there is room for all three of Di Maria, Lucas Moura and Draxler on the wings. 

 
NewlyRetired said:
Legia WarsawVerified account‏@LegiaWarsawEN

Done deal: Nemanja Nikolić leaves Legia to join @ChicagoFire. Thank you and good luck, King Niko!
Click to expand...
Look at the Fire!   Putting my Revs to shame this offseason  :bag:  

======================================

CHICAGO (Dec. 23, 2016) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club acquired Club Tijuana midfielder Juninho through Major League Soccer’s Allocation Process on Friday, and signed the Brazilian on loan to a one-year contract. The deal includes an option to purchase the player outright and options to extend the MLS contract. 

 
They were just talking about Firmino getting a DWI on Xmas Eve.  Because I follow several pro sports I don't really pay attention to the off the field stuff much - is the EPL pretty lenient with things like this or are they doing like the NFL and cracking down on this kind of thing - I have no clue.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Kinda seems like man u is on the verge of being pretty good. Can't imagine the Rojo-Jones partnership lasts forever but he seems to mostly have the right lineup out there at this point. Blind's tendency to defend sort of balances out Valencia and his attacking nature and having Carrick, pogba and Herrera in the middle of the park provides a ton of ball control and stability. 

I don't think Mata is playing his best position and i still don't think lingard should be starting over miktarian (or even martial) but I get why he's doing it. I'm not a lingard fan but his work rate is pretty high. 

Leaving great talents like Shaw and Rashford on the bench seems odd but it's working right now. 

 
TLEF316 said:
Kinda seems like man u is on the verge of being pretty good. Can't imagine the Rojo-Jones partnership lasts forever but he seems to mostly have the right lineup out there at this point. Blind's tendency to defend sort of balances out Valencia and his attacking nature and having Carrick, pogba and Herrera in the middle of the park provides a ton of ball control and stability. 

I don't think Mata is playing his best position and i still don't think lingard should be starting over miktarian (or even martial) but I get why he's doing it. I'm not a lingard fan but his work rate is pretty high. 

Leaving great talents like Shaw and Rashford on the bench seems odd but it's working right now. 
Click to expand...
Lots of stuff works when you play palace, West brom and Sunderland.  :thumbup:

 
Can't really say I blame them for the timing.  Next up are Bournemouth, CP, and Hull and they are probably their only shot at getting points till March.

 
This is kind of fun...based on Leicester's terrible form I went looking to see if an English champ had ever been relegated before.

Turns out it's happened once. After winning the title in 1936/37 and LEADING THE LEAGUE IN SCORING THE FOLLOWING YEAR, Man City still went down after the 1937/38 season.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
This is kind of fun...based on Leicester's terrible form I went looking to see if an English champ had ever been relegated before.

Turns out it's happened once. After winning the title in 1936/37 and LED THE LEAGUE IN SCORING THE FOLLOWING YEAR, but still went down in 37/38.
Click to expand...
OH CMON!

 
And :sadbanana:  Bradley.  It was fun while it lasted.  Hopefully they hire someone with a better English soccer vocabulary.

 
Ned said:
And :sadbanana:  Bradley.  It was fun while it lasted.  Hopefully they hire someone with a better English soccer vocabulary.
Click to expand...
I saw something on this somewhere - might even have been here - but other than saying "game" rather than "match", Bradley used English lingo the vast majority of times in press conferences.  Even said "penalty" rather than "PK" 5 times to one - but the one is what people went nuts about....

 
Sinn Fein said:
I saw something on this somewhere - might even have been here - but other than saying "game" rather than "match", Bradley used English lingo the vast majority of times in press conferences.  Even said "penalty" rather than "PK" 5 times to one - but the one is what people went nuts about....
Click to expand...
I think a lot of Bob's defenders jumped on the fact that he was criticized for that and made it a bigger deal than it really was.

I'm sure he faced some anti-American bias, but if you're being brought in to bring a relegation side to safety, you can't let the team ship 29 goals in 11 games.    Because while he made a lot of progress on chance creation, it just doesn't feel like progress to have to win games 5-4.  With the exact same record, but a bunch of 1-0 or 2-1 losses, I think he gets a window to bring in some help.  It's easy to argue that those games could have been different with some luck. 

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
I think a lot of Bob's defenders jumped on the fact that he was criticized for that and made it a bigger deal than it really was.

I'm sure he faced some anti-American bias, but if you're being brought in to bring a relegation side to safety, you can't let the team ship 29 goals in 11 games.    Because while he made a lot of progress on chance creation, it just doesn't feel like progress to have to win games 5-4.  With the exact same record, but a bunch of 1-0 or 2-1 losses, I think he gets a window to bring in some help.  It's easy to argue that those games could have been different with some luck. 
Click to expand...
Bradley did not get sacked because he was American, he got sacked for the same reason managers the world over get sacked - management lost confidence in his ability to keep Swansea up. A lot of that was as you said in terms of shoring up the defense. But some of that was fans "turning" on him and creating the ruckus. 

Just on Spurs boards I saw a bit of anti-Americanism from the day he was hired. He was always going to have to exceed expectations just to keep the job. 

I kind of wish he came in under better circumstances - full preseason and transfer window. But, it's an unforgiving environment no matter your nationality 

 
charvik said:
American or not has nothing to do with it. If nationality played any part it's because he is not English (or Welsh).
Click to expand...
So basically the same as every good player & coach in the "Best League in the World, Which Happens to be English"...errr....I meant to say the EPL.

 
I mentioned this to crickets on Facebook last night, so I'm going to post it here to give @roadkill1292 an aneurysm.

I think the Bob Bradley story shows how pro/rel rewards ugly/pragmatic soccer.  Guys like Big Sam, who are considered specialists in getting teams out of relegation trouble, do so by emphasizing defensive organization and physical, opportunistic football.  Essentially make the team hard to beat and hope that you can use the Route One approach well enough to steal your share of goals.  Bob came in (with the mandate to try to play "the Swansea way" because Guidolin was a pragmatic manager) and he tried to press higher up the field and use the ball more.  This was probably the right approach to improve the team in the long run.  But it was precisely the wrong approach when he had 30 games to make the team safe or risk losing the club a truckload of money.

For all the benefits of competition, that competition crowds out a lot of fun stuff.  There might be teams in the BPL right now who have academy players who might be a fraction worse right now than established veteran players, but who have much bigger upsides.  In the long run, playing the academy players would be the right move, except no team can afford to play those players in the name of being better in 2018 because they can't afford to crash out of the BPL now.  Of course the counter argument is that MLS teams don't play academy players enough even with relative stability, but I think that's largely because conventional wisdom has been handed down from European leagues. 

I don't say any of this to claim that pro/rel is "bad."  I don't think any system of organization is "bad."  But they all create different incentives that change how the game is played.  I think he US pro/rel advocates are blind to the negative incentives that pro/rel creates in European leagues.

 
Slapdash said:
Rumors swirling about Arda Turan too...i wouldn't be broken up about that one
Click to expand...
It's amazing (to me, at least) how much a player can be so integral to one team ( Atletico) & so inefficient for another ( Barca).  Arda was obviously signed to add grinta & grit, but he just doesn't fit Barca's tactics...I think  :unsure: .  Mascherano did, & works as a Puyol replacement, to a degree...

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
I mentioned this to crickets on Facebook last night, so I'm going to post it here to give @roadkill1292 an aneurysm.

I think the Bob Bradley story shows how pro/rel rewards ugly/pragmatic soccer.  Guys like Big Sam, who are considered specialists in getting teams out of relegation trouble, do so by emphasizing defensive organization and physical, opportunistic football.  Essentially make the team hard to beat and hope that you can use the Route One approach well enough to steal your share of goals.  Bob came in (with the mandate to try to play "the Swansea way" because Guidolin was a pragmatic manager) and he tried to press higher up the field and use the ball more.  This was probably the right approach to improve the team in the long run.  But it was precisely the wrong approach when he had 30 games to make the team safe or risk losing the club a truckload of money.

For all the benefits of competition, that competition crowds out a lot of fun stuff.  There might be teams in the BPL right now who have academy players who might be a fraction worse right now than established veteran players, but who have much bigger upsides.  In the long run, playing the academy players would be the right move, except no team can afford to play those players in the name of being better in 2018 because they can't afford to crash out of the BPL now.  Of course the counter argument is that MLS teams don't play academy players enough even with relative stability, but I think that's largely because conventional wisdom has been handed down from European leagues. 

I don't say any of this to claim that pro/rel is "bad."  I don't think any system of organization is "bad."  But they all create different incentives that change how the game is played.  I think he US pro/rel advocates are blind to the negative incentives that pro/rel creates in European leagues.
Click to expand...
I don't think you thought this out enough.

 
Kafka said:
It's amazing (to me, at least) how much a player can be so integral to one team ( Atletico) & so inefficient for another ( Barca).  Arda was obviously signed to add grinta & grit, but he just doesn't fit Barca's tactics...I think  :unsure: .  Mascherano did, & works as a Puyol replacement, to a degree...
Click to expand...
The surprising thing is how little Arda has brought in defense when he plays in the midfield. Stupid fouls and poor positioning along with difficulty facilitating play in front of him.  He is better as a sub for Messi or Neymar where he can play on the wing and fit in well.  Reminds me too much of the failed Cesc experiment where he can put up stats but cannot play the position Barcelona wants/needs him too.  Part of it is undoubtedly coaching (giving another nod to the incredible job Diego does with Atletico). 

 
This is a funny Samir Nasri story, but I'm jaded with Samir.  Nothing will ever top the story about the blackmailers who used Benzema declining Nasri's offer to be the go-between with Valbuena because they determined that nobody liked Nasri. 

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
I mentioned this to crickets on Facebook last night, so I'm going to post it here to give @roadkill1292 an aneurysm.

I think the Bob Bradley story shows how pro/rel rewards ugly/pragmatic soccer.  Guys like Big Sam, who are considered specialists in getting teams out of relegation trouble, do so by emphasizing defensive organization and physical, opportunistic football.  Essentially make the team hard to beat and hope that you can use the Route One approach well enough to steal your share of goals.  Bob came in (with the mandate to try to play "the Swansea way" because Guidolin was a pragmatic manager) and he tried to press higher up the field and use the ball more.  This was probably the right approach to improve the team in the long run.  But it was precisely the wrong approach when he had 30 games to make the team safe or risk losing the club a truckload of money.

For all the benefits of competition, that competition crowds out a lot of fun stuff.  There might be teams in the BPL right now who have academy players who might be a fraction worse right now than established veteran players, but who have much bigger upsides.  In the long run, playing the academy players would be the right move, except no team can afford to play those players in the name of being better in 2018 because they can't afford to crash out of the BPL now.  Of course the counter argument is that MLS teams don't play academy players enough even with relative stability, but I think that's largely because conventional wisdom has been handed down from European leagues. 

I don't say any of this to claim that pro/rel is "bad."  I don't think any system of organization is "bad."  But they all create different incentives that change how the game is played.  I think he US pro/rel advocates are blind to the negative incentives that pro/rel creates in European leagues.
Click to expand...
I buy this.  I think you made a good post about the mls playoffs too a few weeks ago that I also enjoyed.

There are benefits and disadvantages to all formats.  None are perfect. 

 
shader said:
I buy this.  I think you made a good post about the mls playoffs too a few weeks ago that I also enjoyed.

There are benefits and disadvantages to all formats.  None are perfect. 
Click to expand...
In a perfect world, the FIRE! would have been relegated to the Premier Development League.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
My dream is to get an Opta subscription to use in these threads. 
Click to expand...
So it turns out that for the big European league games and CL games, all of the standard Opta stats are available through Four Four Two's Stats Zone.  Either on the web or through an app.  Still wish I had that option for USMNT games to test some perceptions, but I'll have to settle for geeking out on European games in 2017.

 
So I was looking at a list of free agents in my IDP league - ya know, looking for those diamonds in the rough.  I just caught myself pronouncing James as Hahmes. :shock:  

Yes, I am still in some dynasty FF leagues... :bag:  

 
Arda wasn't a great defensive winger in Cholo's system.  He was much more of a chance creator and attack facilitator.  He had plenty of stupid fouls and wasn't the best at knowing when to give the "professional" foul.  In that sense, Gabi is the consummate system player for Cholo, and many people see him and Cholo's lieutenant on the pitch.  There's a reason he's the captain.  Atleti's fortunes mimic those of  Gabi.  When he's on, Atlético can be a beast of a team to play against.  When he's off, the middle of the park gets soft and the defense gets exposed in myriad ways.  I was upset when Arda left because it removed a vital creative force for the team.  Thankfully, Carrasco has picked up that mantle, and Cholo has brought in a few others to help in that regard.

 
The winter transfer window starts January 1, but is only open for one month, so teams typically line up deals in advance. The biggest announcement so far is Draxler to PSG for 40 million Euros. Julian Green will transfer to Stuttgart. There's lots of talk about Depay and Schneiderlin.  I wonder how much Verratti would cost, given Pogba's recent valuation at 104mil Euros.

 
I doubt many agents had a better year than Kia Joorabchian, who moved Teves, Ramires, Oscar, Teixiera and probably a few others to China, in addition to all his standard Euro transfers like David Luiz and the big Matt Miazga loan.

 
This is an interesting comment from Honda's agent about why they are rejecting the offers from China

======================================

Keisuke Honda’s agent confirms the Milan midfielder rejected Chinese offers - “we definitely prefer MLS”.

“We’ve been in contact with several Chinese clubs,” Japan Yahoo Sport quotes his agent as saying.

“We declined their offers though because of the problems that Keisuke would have in adapting to China. We definitely prefer MLS.

“Keisuke isn’t playing much in Milan and he doesn’t want to lose his place in the national team.”

 
CletiusMaximus said:
The winter transfer window starts January 1, but is only open for one month, so teams typically line up deals in advance. The biggest announcement so far is Draxler to PSG for 40 million Euros. Julian Green will transfer to Stuttgart. There's lots of talk about Depay and Schneiderlin.  I wonder how much Verratti would cost, given Pogba's recent valuation at 104mil Euros.
Click to expand...
Yes many suspect Memphis and Schneiderlin are Everton bound 

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

BLOCKED_PUNT
list index
Replies
16
Views
621
El Floppo
El Floppo
Andrew74
2025 FBG Stock Contest
2
Replies
77
Views
4K
Andrew74
Andrew74
SwampDawg
The College Soccer Experience
Replies
31
Views
912
BassNBrew
BassNBrew

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top