Real Football (Soccer to you Yanks) Thread

[Springsteen]

Apparently Pep's going to quit Barcelona tomorrow, he's told the board and they've told him to sleep on it. It'd be sad to see him leave because he's brought so much good to Barcelona) but equally could he go any further? Managerial careers by nature don't last very long.

 

[TGLucario475]

word is that profiteering is now underway,£192 flights to munich will now cost nearer £800....its disgraceful

I'd be cheaper to carpool there.

 

[Zorak]

Barca need to appoint Luis Enrique. What a player.

 

[Springsteen]

Luis Enrique

I'm hearing it'll either be Marcelo Bielsa (current Bilbao boss) or Andre Villas Boas.

 

[Zorak]

I hoped they would go the route of the boot room.

 

[Springsteen]

It's romantic to have Luis Enrique as boss, it depends if he wants to leave Roma. He did used to manage Barcelona B so would carry on the youth policy of Pep.

 

[TGLucario475]

Is this the SAME Luis Enrique that played for Barca back in the 90's? o.o

 

[Springsteen]

The very same. He was a great player.

 

[Zorak]

wycombe were relegated today.

3-2 up until the 89th minute, lost 4-3. there were 12 minutes of stoppage time...

 

[Springsteen]

West Brom have given Roy Hodgson permission to speak with England.

I'm not as close to the England team as I once was but I approve on two counts. 1 because it will piss off Redknapp and all his friends in the press if Roy got the job, and 2 I actually think he will do a better job than Redknapp, he's got a good coaching pedigree which helps. Roy has to take this job because it would be his last chance.

 

[Zorak]

I'd welcome Roy into the job; but I'd hasten to him to think long and hard. Because it is an almost impossible job.
However, because the last campaign was so dire, that does make it slightly easier.

 

[Springsteen]

Some people might forget Hodgson has managed internationally before, and did very well at Switzerland. As well as that and most of his club career being good for him, he's certainly justifiably qualified for this job.

 

[Zorak]

I like Hodgson a lot. He's got a lot of integrity, and a lot of talent. The media will eat him for breakfast though.

 

[Springsteen]

Credit Sam Wallace (Telegraph journo) on Twitter

Hodgson/FA talks tmrw. Stat from colleague @RobinScottElliot -RH has lost only 4/30 qualifiers as international manager (Switz, Fin, UAE)

That's really good. I know it's not a finals stat, but it's still pretty impressive.

I think the main reason Roy won't be as popular with the press (because he won't invite them in for a cup of tea like Harry would) but he will do a good job I feel.

 

[skyblue]

strangely enough,roys record at liverpool was better than that scots bloke

 

[TGLucario475]

And Roy's experience with national sides does help.

 

[porterjack]

i am told by the canadian press that the compensation issue ( to Spurs if Rednapp got the job)was a big hurdle for the FA

 

[Springsteen]

It's a whole combination of things really. Redknapp just courts publicity. It isn't something that is necessarily good as England manager because while I think he's the popular choice (and who knows, Roy might turn down England - unlikely though) it would also take away from the performance of the England team. After the circus it's been for many years, maybe it needs a sort of dour character like Hodgson to just make it an "England manager" again. Talks between the FA and Hodgson apparently went well, which pleases me because I like him and think he'll do well as England manager, his problem is when things aren't going so well, the hacks and some fans will be all over him.

 

[TGLucario475]

I'd love to see Roy tell the media to stop hounding the team and trying to publish bad news about them all the time, it does the players no good.

 

[porterjack]

I'd love to see Roy tell the media to stop hounding the team and trying to publish bad news about them all the time, it does the players no good.

I think he wont let the media bother him, surely he must be used to media abuse after Liverpool