The Ultimate Football Thread 2013-2014 Vol. 4 EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A etc

[jada2001retro]

Lame.

 

[Coupé It]

what? you werent impressed by the bernabeu? Easily the best stadium in spain. Deff top 3 stadiums I have ever been to

Best stadium in Spain isn't saying much man. Felt like I was trapped in the 1970's in the Bernabeu. They're in need of a re-model , about time.

 

[champcruthik]

Coupe only likes Estadio do Dragao.

 

[chiva1908]

Rumors of Mexico appointing a new coach. The passion will be restored.

According to RECORD it's a done deal. Azcarraga Jean put his foot down (supposedly)

http://www.record.com.mx/article/miguel-herrera-llega-al-tri-en-lugar-de-vuce

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Wow, that can't be true can it? El Tri is making a very messy situation for itself... :x if true... Why didn't they hire Herrera in the first place then? Is it true that Jorge Vergara voiced concerns about Vucetich & wanting him to be fired ASAP?

 

[Coupé It]

Coupe only likes Estadio do Dragao.

Nonsense. Benfica's stadium is real nice. (how about that for objectivity)

For the most profitable team in the world Real was overdue for a stadium to match. I'm glad they're going to.

 

[chiva1908]

Wow, that can't be true can it? El Tri is making a very messy situation for itself... :x if true... Why didn't they hire Herrera in the first place then? Is it true that Jorge Vergara voiced concerns about Vucetich & wanting him to be fired ASAP?

Nope.

Vucetich was the first choice before De la Torre. Vuce said no thanks, and the team was handed to Chepo. Vuce was fired from Monterrey 2 months ago, and he became the favorite (not the best) option mainly in part to Vergara.

Mexico's play (or lack of) vs CR doomed Vuce. Azcarraga Jean (owner of Televisa and America) voiced his opinion, and Herrera will be announced tomorrow.

 

[chiva1908]

Herrera has been a good coach with a nice offensive style that the fans appreciate. His main knock specially early on, was that his teams were TOO offensive. Back when he was the coach of Atlante, his teams would have spectacular games. Games that would finish 4-4, sometimes after trailing 4-0 or being up 3-0 lol

 

[Kimchi Papi]

I'm aware of Herrera as I kinda loosely follow Los Azulcremas in Liga MX. This move should've been made before Vuce. El Tri has already been proven to be mentally fragile during this year's qualification stages, this move might get into their head too. There are entirely too many hands in the pot for the Mexican FA. They need to reorg & create a football structure that's run by football people. This is ridiculous & sad to see.

 

[dlo13]

Pachuca's director says Bielsa agreed to take the job but the FMF voted against him.

 

[miketysonthekiller]

Lmao!!!!

Mexico is starting to appear so pathetic, and it's because of the people running it. What did Vucetich do wrong? A coach needs to time for his players to adapt to his system. How much time did Vucetich have on his watch? A month? Yea that's some groundbreaking time for a messed up team with only 2 wins the entire year, yea any man can turn them around. Jesus Vucetich just needed some time, and Chepo ate all of it.
Is the new coach better fit for the job? What about if they lose to the kiwis, is he gonna get sacked too?! ****

 

[MetalMario]

Balo seems to have Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Randy Moss syndrome. Raw talent is enough to be a star but the proper attitude/work ethic is needed to keep improving and advancing your skills to take your career to greater heights

QFT

 

[chiva1908]

Lmao!!!!

Mexico is starting to appear so pathetic, and it's because of the people running it. What did Vucetich do wrong? A coach needs to time for his players to adapt to his system. How much time did Vucetich have on his watch? A month? Yea that's some groundbreaking time for a messed up team with only 2 wins the entire year, yea any man can turn them around. Jesus Vucetich just needed some time, and Chepo ate all of it.
Is the new coach better fit for the job? What about if they lose to the kiwis, is he gonna get sacked too?! ****

Not sure who this Jesus Vucetich fella is. Is he related to Victor Manuel?

Pachuca's director says Bielsa agreed to take the job but the FMF voted against him.

I highly doubt that. Bielsa is a coaching god to me...

 

[chiva1908]

Random, not related, and in Spanish but dope.

http://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol/i...-gano-apuesta-por-debut-de-su-nieto-con-gales

Dude placed a 50 pound bet that his grandson would one day play for the Welsh NT when he was born. Almost 17 years later, boom. Grandpa won 125K pounds, and didn't return to work the next day lol

 

[rck3sactown]

 how do you place a bet like that?

 

[rafool]

Tomas Boy should have been the one.

Absolutely despise Herrera.

Love how the Mexican media wanted Herrera and also wants several of America players to get called up for this this playoff match. If they get their wishes I hope we get embarrassed by New Zealand. That way they can shut their ******g mouths already.

Vela was smart not to come play, he knew he wouldn't change ****, he was frightened by the pressure, but smart to stay away.

 

[townbidness]

Yea el tri is just an embarrasment right now.
Imagine the pressure on Vela if he accepted, everyone thinks he is the answer. But the whole team is a mess.

I hope they dont make it to the WC. With all the money theyll lose out on, maybe theyll get their act together.

 

[chiva1908]

Tomas Boy should have been the one.

Absolutely despise Herrera.

Love how the Mexican media wanted Herrera and also wants several of America players to get called up for this this playoff match. If they get their wishes I hope we get embarrassed by New Zealand. That way they can shut their ******g mouths already.

Vela was smart not to come play, he knew he wouldn't change ****, he was frightened by the pressure, but smart to stay away.

Tomas boy? :x

And, this wouldn't be the first time something like this happened. In '01 when Mexico was about to be eliminated and Aguirre was replacing Meza, 9 of the 11 starters that played against the US where from 1 club, Cruz Azul.

 

[ajiiiplatinum]

I'm aware of Herrera as I kinda loosely follow Los Azulcremas in Liga MX. This move should've been made before Vuce. El Tri has already been proven to be mentally fragile during this year's qualification stages, this move might get into their head too. There are entirely too many hands in the pot for the Mexican FA. They need to reorg & create a football structure that's run by football people. This is ridiculous & sad to see.

Welcome to Central American Soccer Federations.
I do not feel sorry for Mexico.

As for Herrera I hope he gets called. Offensive soccer is always welcome in my book. That is why I miss Maradona with Argentina. He fielded 3 forwards lol priceless.

 

[Coupé It]

I may be extra late, but why won't Vela play for Mexico?

 

[chiva1908]

I may be extra late, but why won't Vela play for Mexico?

Because he's a selfish ******g prick.

 

[jada2001retro]

Best stadium in Spain isn't saying much man. Felt like I was trapped in the 1970's in the Bernabeu. They're in need of a re-model , about time.

Have you ever been to real soccer stadium?

 

[mastamind89]

Owner of Jaguars and Fulham Seeks a Football Fusion

Andrew Testa for The New York Times
Fusing Teams Like Never Before: Shahid Khan, the owner of the Fulham Football Club and the Jacksonville Jaguars, has plans to integrate his teams in ways no other owner has done.
By KEN BELSON
Published: October 17, 2013

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

LONDON — The mile-long walk from the Putney Bridge tube stop to Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham Football Club, is among the most scenic in English soccer. On game days, fathers and sons, young couples and hardened fans amble together through Bishop’s Park past rose bushes, stone sculptures and the Thames.

The pastoral parade is a world away from Jacksonville, Fla., where most Jaguars fans arrive at their team’s games by car or truck in search of parking spots for their card tables, barbecues and coolers. The scenes had little in common until July, when Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jaguars, bought Fulham for an estimated 200 million pounds (about $319 million), creating an unlikely sports tandem. Less than two decades old, the Jaguars are one of the N.F.L.’s youngest franchises and play in one of the league’s smallest markets, with only occasional success.

Fulham, by contrast, dates to 1879, and while it lacks the winning tradition of, say, Manchester United, it has produced great players like Johnny Haynes and Bobby Robson. Archibald Leitch, a renowned architect, designed part of its stadium, a landmark in an upscale section of London.

Khan, an auto-parts magnate, wants to fuse the teams in ways no owner of American and English teams has done. He committed the Jaguars to playing home games in London the next four seasons — including on Oct. 27 against the 49ers — fueling talk that they may move there. Fulham will play friendlies in Florida. Khan has hired marketers to win sponsors on both sides of the Atlantic and has told his teams to share tips on everything from catering to ticketing.

“They are two separate entities, but there is common ground where two plus two equals five,” he said. “It’s kind of saturated in the U.S., so the growth will be internationally.”

To date, most owners of American and English teams have viewed their clubs as too distinct to integrate. While the N.F.L. has a salary cap, Premier League clubs can spend without limit for players. American stadiums are like theme parks, dominated by luxury boxes and food courts; British stadiums are frequently minimalist, with fans doing most of their eating and drinking in nearby pubs. While American teams seek stadium naming partners, shirt deals in England are often more visible, and more lucrative.

The most prominent combinations of teams have little to do with one another, including Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which are owned by the Glazer family; and Arsenal, the St. Louis Rams and the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, which are owned by Stan Kroenke. Randy Lerner, who owns Aston Villa and sold the Cleveland Browns, did little to fuse his teams.

The owners of Manchester City are likely to collaborate with the M.L.S. team they bought this year, which expects to begin play in New York in 2015. The Fenway Sports Group has created cross-border links between Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox, though baseball is barely played in Britain.

Khan seeks to go further. Because the Jaguars will play in London regularly, the N.F.L. gave them extra marketing rights that are starting to generate more income for a team that is last in the league in revenue per ticket sold. Khan is promoting Jacksonville to British fans in the hope they will visit to see a Jaguars game. To whet their appetites, he sent the Jaguars’ cheerleaders to perform at a Fulham match, and a British lingerie company created a calendar for them. The newly formed Union Jax Jaguars fan club in Britain has about 17,000 members.

“Mr. Khan said we’re not the Fulham Jaguars,” said Laura Oakes, who was hired to find sponsorships for the Jaguars in Britain. “But in terms of raising our profile, Fulham is a wonderful icebreaker.”

Despite the focus on the N.F.L. in London, the bigger opportunity could be in selling Fulham to American fans: on a per-capita basis, English soccer is more popular in the United States than American football is in Britain, said Steven Gans, a principal at Professional Soccer Advisors. The latest deal to carry Premier League games in the United States was three times as large as the previous contract, one sign of the sport’s growing prominence.

“It’s validated our theory, which is, Americans want high-quality soccer,” said Gans, who helped Fulham seek business ties in the United States several years ago. “The growth here has been consistent for people who love high-quality soccer.”

Having Fulham tour the United States in its off-season could bring in millions of dollars. While the club does not have the stature of Real Madrid or Chelsea, it has a following in the United States because national team stars like Clint Dempsey and Brian McBride once played for the team, earning it the nickname Fulhamerica.

“I love any time I see someone with a Fulham jersey or scarf,” said McBride, who was captain during his nearly four years at Fulham and is now an analyst for Fox Sports. “When an American fan goes over there to go to some games, there are some special stadiums, but Fulham has character.”

(Page 2 of 2)

Getting executives five time zones apart to work together is easier in theory than in practice. And some things, like selling tickets more efficiently, will do only so much to offset a terrible player contract, missing the playoffs or being relegated. Some owners, including the Glazers, have also taken heavy criticism from fans who suspect them of using profits from United to subsidize the Buccaneers.

For now, Khan is getting high marks from fans in Jacksonville, where he is treated like a rock star, and in London, where he removed a deeply unpopular statue of Michael Jackson installed by the previous owner. But losing breeds discontent, and the winless Jaguars may need a financial boost if they are to turn around their fortunes on the field. Khan also agreed to pay about one-third of a $63 million upgrade to EverBank Field in Jacksonville and will spend even more to upgrade Craven Cottage. Fulham, which is one spot above relegation before this weekend’s matches, must compete with free-spending clubs across Europe for top players.

Because of the N.F.L.’s healthy revenue-sharing program, the Jaguars earned an operating profit of $15.5 million last year, even though they were the second-least valuable franchise in the league, according to Forbes. English soccer clubs share less of their revenue, but Fulham can tap into the wealthy London market for new sources of revenue.

Indeed, Fulham plans to spend about 30 million pounds (nearly $50 million) to expand its stadium, which has only 25,000 seats and is hemmed in by a park, the Thames and its landmark grandstand. The team wants to add new lounges, 4,300 club seats, and a cafe and restaurant that will be open on nongame days.

“It’s a very important part of our business plan,” said Alistair MacIntosh, Fulham’s chief executive. “There is a trend towards being self-sustaining.”

With its small stadium and modest ambitions, Fulham is unlikely to challenge for the Premier League title or regularly qualify for the European tournaments that might bring in more revenue, even though the team’s previous owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed, once vowed to turn the club into the “Manchester United of the South.”

Yet the Cottagers, as the team is known, have been good enough to avoid relegation the past dozen years. Last year, Fulham had nearly $130 million in revenue, a total that was 10th in the 20-team Premier League but only one-quarter of what Manchester United earned. The team still lost $30 million before taxes.

“Balancing the books is the goal,” said Alexander Thorpe, who works in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, which produces an annual financial review of the Premier League. “If everyone is getting a big chunk of television money, the difference is how much commercial revenue teams earn.”

Like all teams, Fulham has a devoted following. But many fans, including transplants to London, consider the club their second team. Craven Cottage is a rarity in that it has neutral zone seats for fans of any affiliation. It is also considered family friendly, at least by British standards. Fulham’s former cheerleaders, the Cravenettes, were replaced by a mascot, Billy the Badger, who once received a yellow card for his sideline antics.

Fulham’s best asset might be its tradition. It is one of England’s oldest clubs, and its cozy stadium evokes Fenway Park along the Thames. The famed Johnny Haynes Stand includes wooden seats installed more than a century ago, and a two-story brick cottage doubles as a dressing room. Unlike rowdy crowds elsewhere, Fulham’s fans, who include the actor Hugh Grant, appear content simply to be playing in England’s top division.

“Fulham will never compete with Chelsea,” its more powerful neighbor, said Steve Nutley, a lifelong Fulham supporter whose London taxicab is adorned with team paraphernalia. “There’s no animosity between the teams. That’s how we grew up.”

Fans ultimately want to watch a winner, and the lack of a salary cap in the Premier League means Khan can spend heavily on players if he wants. But he is more likely to take advantage of new financial fair play rules in European soccer that will tie the amount a club spends to what it earns. The rules could help rein in owners who have bankrolled losses in their search of the best talent, and give Khan some time to figure out ways to generate more money from his teams.

The goal for Fulham, just as it is for the Jaguars, is that it “should not depend on the benevolence of its chairman,” Khan said.

“It should become a sustaining business,” he added, “a virtuous cycle where you are bringing money in and spending on players.”

 

[Coupé It]

Have you ever been to real soccer stadium?

Yea, plenty Uncle Jada. I've actually been to the soccer stadium they call the Emirates, the one you're so fond of. It is quite a beautiful place.

 

[ice city fc]

 

anybody else think januzaj is overated and balotelli will never reach his potential?

Balo seems to have Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Randy Moss syndrome. Raw talent is enough to be a star but the proper attitude/work ethic is needed to keep improving and advancing your skills to take your career to greater heights

I've NEVER seen anybody with a first hand connection to the professional game question Balo's work ethic. 

And for the record, that goal should've been valid. The GK was in front of both Mexican players, therefore annulling the offside rule...

Incorrect interpretation of the rule. In fact with the GK being in front of both players Costa Rica could have had a defender on the goal line and it would have still been offsides.