Football 16-17

[DareToDibble]

I can almost guarantee that they take points from us (LFC). We love giving the relegation threatened teams a helping hand. Lost to Hull and Swansea as well as drawing with Sunderland. I'm sure they were all bottom 3 when we played them, too.

Such a giving club 

[eFestivals]

2 hours ago, big__phil said:

Last week I asked if getting through in the FA Cup was the best thing for Leicester. Most on here said yes, but would anyone like to reconsider? If I were Ranieri I think I'd prefer the time on the training pitch to try and prepare for the battle they're going to face rather than putting out another reserve side to play a team they will either get embarrassed by, or should be beating anyway.

Leicester are yet to score a league goal this year, and have 1 point out of a possible 18. What makes it worse is the teams around them seem to be improving. It sounds like they won't sack the manager, but something needs to change if they are going to stay in the league.

Fixtures to come for the next month or so are Millwall (a), Sevilla (a), L'pool (h), Hull (h), Arsenal (a), Sevilla (h), W Ham (a). Even if they get something out of the Hull game, it still looks a tough run.

I don't think anyone in Leicester cares too much about any of it.

Ranieri won them the title, when no one believed it was possible. He can get them relegated the season afterwards and he'll still be a total hero who'd be bought endless drinks in any bar in Leicester.

On form he deserves the sack, but I really REALLY hope they don't do it, at least not before the end of the season. Keeping him because they love him because of what he achieved for them would be the finest expression of love in footie, and I'd hate it if they did ruthless on him.

[The Nal]

28 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

and I'd hate it if they did ruthless on him.

They already did that when they sold Kante. 

[TheGayTent]

3 hours ago, big__phil said:

Last week I asked if getting through in the FA Cup was the best thing for Leicester. Most on here said yes, but would anyone like to reconsider?

No. Absolutely nothing has changed. 

[eFestivals]

14 minutes ago, The Nal said:

They already did that when they sold Kante. 

Unless they'd chained him up without his mobile phone there was fuck all they could do about that, sadly. That's how it goes when a player wants out, as even your own team knows.

Tho i've been wondering ever since if the likes of Mararez and Vardy now feel like mugs for staying (tho anyone who bought Vardy would prolly also feel like a mug too).

[Hugh Jass]

6 hours ago, eFestivals said:

Unless they'd chained him up without his mobile phone there was fuck all they could do about that, sadly. That's how it goes when a player wants out, as even your own team knows.

Tho i've been wondering ever since if the likes of Mararez and Vardy now feel like mugs for staying (tho anyone who bought Vardy would prolly also feel like a mug too).

Arsenal bid £20m. Vardy turned it down to sign a £100k a week contract at Leicester.

All three parties look silly now.

[pink_triangle]

6 hours ago, Hugh Jass said:

Arsenal bid £20m. Vardy turned it down to sign a £100k a week contract at Leicester.

All three parties look silly now.

Maybe Vardy didn't want to move to London and is settled where he is, it's hard for me to call a fairly average premiership player silly for signing for that money.

As for Arsenal if they had bought for 20 million, they could probably have recouped nearly all back.

[big__phil]

15 hours ago, eFestivals said:

Tho i've been wondering ever since if the likes of Mararez and Vardy now feel like mugs for staying (tho anyone who bought Vardy would prolly also feel like a mug too).

I think Mahrez could still get a few offers at 25 (although not the sort of the clubs he would have had offers from in the summer), but Vardy being 30 has probably signed his last big contract by staying at Leicester. No doubt it'll have a big old relegation clause in it as well, if not they'll be stuck with him, for better or worse.

PSG v Barca tonight, should be a decent game.

[big__phil]

15 hours ago, TheGayTent said:

No. Absolutely nothing has changed. 

Fair enough. So you don't buy in to the 'FA Cup is a distraction from the league' malarkey?

[mjsell]

28 minutes ago, big__phil said:

Fair enough. So you don't buy in to the 'FA Cup is a distraction from the league' malarkey?

It all blends in to one for a lot of players

 

 

[zahidf]

Ha. 'Fears'

 

 

[jackarmy]

18 hours ago, eFestivals said:

I don't think anyone in Leicester cares too much about any of it.

Ranieri won them the title, when no one believed it was possible. He can get them relegated the season afterwards and he'll still be a total hero who'd be bought endless drinks in any bar in Leicester.

On form he deserves the sack, but I really REALLY hope they don't do it, at least not before the end of the season. Keeping him because they love him because of what he achieved for them would be the finest expression of love in footie, and I'd hate it if they did ruthless on him.

I'm not too sure on that. I was reading a Leicester message board in the aftermath of the game on Sunday, and there were lots of people calling for his head.

I agree though, the bloke has won them the title. He deserves the chance to turn things around, and if he can't, well - that's one less relegation spot for my side to worry about...

[TheGayTent]

2 hours ago, big__phil said:

Fair enough. So you don't buy in to the 'FA Cup is a distraction from the league' malarkey?

Nope. Have never seen any evidence of such, but then you can't prove a negative so....

[TheGayTent]

Saw another 3 German games this weekend - not impressed by the quality of football below the top 6 and certainly bundesliga 2. Entertaining football nonetheless and can't complain at the price and experience. 

I'd like to see Mainz's Jhon Córdoba again - he looked very useful. 

[big__phil]

1 hour ago, TheGayTent said:

Saw another 3 German games this weekend - not impressed by the quality of football below the top 6 and certainly bundesliga 2. Entertaining football nonetheless and can't complain at the price and experience. 

I'd like to see Mainz's Jhon Córdoba again - he looked very useful. 

On the box or were you over there? I hear great things about the fan's experience of watching football in Germany.

[mjsell]

2 hours ago, TheGayTent said:

Saw another 3 German games this weekend - not impressed by the quality of football below the top 6 and certainly bundesliga 2. Entertaining football nonetheless and can't complain at the price and experience. 

I'd like to see Mainz's Jhon Córdoba again - he looked very useful. 

 

20 minutes ago, big__phil said:

On the box or were you over there? I hear great things about the fan's experience of watching football in Germany.

Yeah I would like to have a weekend over there later this year if possible. Any suggestions for someone that has no clue where to start?

[big__phil]

1 minute ago, mjsell said:

 

Yeah I would like to have a weekend over there later this year if possible. Any suggestions for someone that has no clue where to start?

I friend of mine is going to Berlin, and is going to fit a game in.

I appreciate that this is no help whatsoever, but never mind. I'll find out when he's back how it was.

[TheGayTent]

51 minutes ago, big__phil said:

On the box or were you over there? I hear great things about the fan's experience of watching football in Germany.

Over there. You've heard right. 

[TheGayTent]

32 minutes ago, mjsell said:

Yeah I would like to have a weekend over there later this year if possible. Any suggestions for someone that has no clue where to start?

I would start in the North West. That way you have lots of clubs in easy reach by public transport. In the top flight you have Cologne, Leverkusen, Dortmund, Monchengladbach and Schalke all within an hour of each other. That's before you take into account the 2nd division sides like Düsseldorf. As long as you don't pick the Dortmund/Schalke derby, you can get tickets pretty easily for all of those clubs. 4 of them get crowds of 50k plus, all have proper terraces or safe standing terraces, you can get tickets for €15 euros and you can smoke and drink in view of the pitch to your hearts content. Oh yeah, and most of them have district wide free public transport on the day of the game included in your match ticket. They have games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so it's not too hard to get 3 games in one weekend should you fancy it. 

[Hugh Jass]

3 hours ago, big__phil said:

On the box or were you over there? I hear great things about the fan's experience of watching football in Germany.

I've been to the Allianz a few times and watched both Bayern and 1860 Munich. The experience is brilliant, much better than over here. The fans are trusted to act like grown ups.

[TheGayTent]

8 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

I've been to the Allianz a few times and watched both Bayern and 1860 Munich. The experience is brilliant, much better than over here. The fans are trusted to act like grown ups.

Agreed - except for the netting behind the goals....

[zahidf]

The child will beat England in the first knockout round, but i doubt he will get past Germany

 

 

[pryce]

18 hours ago, TheGayTent said:

I would start in the North West. That way you have lots of clubs in easy reach by public transport. In the top flight you have Cologne, Leverkusen, Dortmund, Monchengladbach and Schalke all within an hour of each other. That's before you take into account the 2nd division sides like Düsseldorf. As long as you don't pick the Dortmund/Schalke derby, you can get tickets pretty easily for all of those clubs. 4 of them get crowds of 50k plus, all have proper terraces or safe standing terraces, you can get tickets for €15 euros and you can smoke and drink in view of the pitch to your hearts content. Oh yeah, and most of them have district wide free public transport on the day of the game included in your match ticket. They have games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so it's not too hard to get 3 games in one weekend should you fancy it. 

That's what I did, it can be difficult planning if doing a short weekend as they do not announce the tv schedule until a few weeks before

try and hit a weekend in the north west where two or three are playing at home and then wait for that tv schedule

(presume that's still the way they do it)

amazing place to watch Football.

 

[TheGayTent]

32 minutes ago, pryce said:

That's what I did, it can be difficult planning if doing a short weekend as they do not announce the tv schedule until a few weeks before

try and hit a weekend in the north west where two or three are playing at home and then wait for that tv schedule

(presume that's still the way they do it)

amazing place to watch Football.

 

For this last trip we did (10th - 12th Feb), the tv dates were set early November so I managed to sort travel and tickets pretty early. Depends what time of year you go as to how long you get to organise. Obviously early the better in terms of price with regard to the pricing structure of airline and/or rail tickets. 

I've done a number of weekends out there now and tried driving, flying, and going by train. Have to say, I prefer the train option of the three. 

[mjsell]

8 minutes ago, TheGayTent said:

I've done a number of weekends out there now and tried driving, flying, and going by train. Have to say, I prefer the train option of the three. 

Oh really, thats interesting. What route did you take? Eurostar to Belgium? then ICE to Cologne? or did you go a slower way?

I think I would prefer that as well.

I really do want to go out there soon. Would a trip before the end of this season be out of the question now?