Paranoid Android Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Something I learned yesterday which surprised me. After winning the Champions League in 1999 they only won one knockout match in the competition between then and the 2006/7 season. That's partly explained by a few of those years being when the format had two group stages and the first knock out round was the quarter finals. But still I'd forgotten how after finally reaching the top they seemed to slip significantly down the European ladder. Remember when the Champions League had two group stages? What a fucking awful idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 The group stage in general is pretty dull, except for that one group which has 3 good teams in it. Should just go full-knockout again. No seeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Andy cole was as deadly a striker as there's ever been on his day. I enjoyed watching him a little more than shearer so he gets the nod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I think it's been better the last few season than it was for a while. There's usually at least one exciting match to watch each match day. The strengthening of German and Italian teams over the last few years has meant there's more competitive teams in the groups than before, even if the number who can realistically go all the way is about the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Cole would come way below Shearer in my book. Also below the likes of Van Nistelrooy, RVP, Drobga, Fowler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Fowler over Cole? U mad bro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) In his prime I think he was a much better finisher than Cole. His career dipped earlier than it should have but his goals to games record is still not much worse than Cole's and he had that amazing midfield providing him with billions of opportunities. Edited February 20, 2014 by Paranoid Android Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) Early days Michael Owen was phenomenal too but he peaked at about 17. Edited February 20, 2014 by Gladstone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Matt Le Tissier perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Matt Le Tissier perhaps?Number 1 of the fat lazy bastards for sure.Good shout! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Le Tissier couldda been something if he had some ambition. He's praised for being loyal or whatever. I don't buy that. He could've played for a team in Europe, winning titles, but he just didn't want to. I read his book, and he seemed happy to just meander, and go into each season with no expectation on him or the club. He had the talent to play for a top club, but probably didn't have the mentality to have big expectations placed on him, or to deliver consistently. Very talented. No guts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Le Tissier couldda been something if he had some ambition. He's praised for being loyal or whatever. I don't buy that. He could've played for a team in Europe, winning titles, but he just didn't want to. I read his book, and he seemed happy to just meander, and go into each season with no expectation on him or the club. He had the talent to play for a top club, but probably didn't have the mentality to have big expectations placed on him, or to deliver consistently. Very talented. No guts. Agreed. Total waste. Is his book worth reading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain America Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Speaking of the one god Bergkamp, his statue should be going up soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I just came across a picture of Soda Jerk: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Agreed. Total waste. Is his book worth reading? It's reasonably interesting in parts, but it's quite a slog to get through some of it. His career wasn't really all that exciting, and he played for one club. He doesn't really have all that much to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Very talented. No guts.His guts were massive to be fair. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) I think it's incredibly unfair to say that LeTissier was a coward or wasted his talent. By no means do I think that being a one team player is more respectable than not but I don't see a problem with him choosing to be one. I think it's easy to forget footballers are real people too. I personally would be attracted to the idea of playing in different leagues and living in various cities but I can completely understand someone not wanting to move their whole life to somewhere else when they have a very good life already. Also I don't think he lacked ambition completely he just didn't have the ambitions other people wanted him to have. It certainly doesn't diminish his own ability as a footballer. Definitely a premier league great. Edited February 20, 2014 by Paranoid Android 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eupraxia Posted February 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 I just came across a picture of Soda Jerk: I tend to use pornography instead. It's good that aberdeen-music is getting interpersonal though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 I think it's incredibly unfair to say that LeTissier was a coward or wasted his talent. By no means do I think that being a one team player is more respectable than not but I don't see a problem with him choosing to be one. I think it's easy to forget footballers are real people too. I personally would be attracted to the idea of playing in different leagues and living in various cities but I can completely understand someone not wanting to move their whole life to somewhere else when they have a very good life already. Also I don't think he lacked ambition completely he just didn't have the ambitions other people wanted him to have. It certainly doesn't diminish his own ability as a footballer. Definitely a premier league great. That's a decent point really. It's easy to think "why is so-and-so not packing up his life to Spain and playing for Barca?". Juan Mata's tweets and blog posts recently have sometimes been about how he couldn't find a house in Manchester and was living out of a hotel. It's the sort of stuff you don't really think about. His lack of ambition seems to be pretty clear in his book though. He seemed happy to have seasons without expectation to win this and that, to score this amount of goals. He enjoyed the freedom of just playing and hoping for the best, rather than having the kind of targets that would be set by a club on a title tilt. I certainly do think he's a Premier League great in terms of talent, but I think he could have hit a level no English footballer has in a long time if he give himself a push in the right direction. Ability and mentality go hand in hand, and the latter was lacking, and he admits that himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 I certainly wouldnt have said he was a waste of talent. He found a level he was happy at and enjoyed a relatively stress free career, doing what he loved, for the club he loved, for me thats commendable. He was an incredible talent as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 It's all relative though. Why should Matt Le Tissier have pushed himself to a level his obvious talent could have reached?Being blessed with the ability to do something you love for a living is great. If you're so good that you can choose to play in the top league in your country but do it for a team without the associated pressure of challenging for trophies or the ridiculous pressure placed on a player playing for England etc seems pretty great to me.Yes, he could have pushed himself and played for one of the top teams in England or on the continent but there's never a guarantee that will work out and it brings with it all sorts of other stuff and dare I say it may take the enjoyment out of doing what he loved doing - just playing football for a living and scoring glorious goals for a club he loved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 300k per week to play football.I think I could handle that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain America Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 So when he's 34 he'll be on 300k a week. That's a mental contract to give out if not for the situation Man Utd are in this season. They need to keep hold of him to help attract more top quality players I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 "Brand Rooney" is a moneyspinner, even if he plays shite. Who knew a player with that mug would be one of the most marketable footballing assets on earth? Football is weird. Still, he's already unfathomably rich. Allegedly Nike pay him just as much of a living as United do. He's good, but he's not that good. If he was sold, he wouldn't really need to be replaced, as Mata and Kagawa can play there, but the reason they don't get to play there is because of Megabux Rooney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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