The European football thread

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

One for our Aussie/Liverpool fan.

Watch out for a player called Declan McLoughlin playing for Liverpool in the future, be about 10 years though as he’s only 8 lol. Signed for them last week but been at Liverpool since he was 6 although could only sign for them when he turned 8, one of only 9 players to be snapped up for Liverpool’s under 10’s team. Plays right wing and supposedly been scouted by numerous teams, signed his contract in front of Jamie Carragher.

Nice child labo(u)r laws there Engerland.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

Nice child labo(u)r laws there Engerland.

Latics scouts must have been on their tea break when this lad was playing, personally I think your crackers to send your kid to a top team as more than likely he'll just get buried in all the other hopefuls that are there.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Latics scouts must have been on their tea break when this lad was playing, personally I think your crackers to send your kid to a top team as more than likely he'll just get buried in all the other hopefuls that are there.

I thought Charles Dickens had helped put an end to all that back in the 19th century. IMO, players should have to wait till they are 15-16 before they can sign any professional contracts. And who knows how any 9 year old will develop pnysically, mentally or emotionally? Its a risky investment for the club too.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

I thought Charles Dickens had helped put an end to all that back in the 19th century. IMO, players should have to wait till they are 15-16 before they can sign any professional contracts. And who knows how any 9 year old will develop pnysically, mentally or emotionally? Its a risky investment for the club too.

Big clubs can afford to bring in loads of youngsters and have only one or two go on to play for them, by all accounts Leigh RMI have a good youth team and policy.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Big clubs can afford to bring in loads of youngsters and have only one or two go on to play for them, by all accounts Leigh RMI have a good youth team and policy.

Can 8 year olds work at McDonalds? The local pub? If they can work professionally in sport I dont see why not. This is a rather barbaric law and sends completely the wrong message to society at large.

[bababui]

Didnt mean to vent UKHS but should an 8 year old have his profession decided ar such a young age? Why does the government allow this?

[LFC1892]

LOL, yeah, signing kids that early is ridiculous. Why dont they go one step further and sign actual schools to be feeder organisations? The lunch time games would be mini-trials,lol.

It's not just the Reds though, I dont think any team should be looking for kids that young.

Having said that.....come on lad, develop!!!!

[bababui]

Originally Posted by LFC1892

LOL, yeah, signing kids that early is ridiculous. Why dont they go one step further and sign actual schools to be feeder organisations? The lunch time games would be mini-trials,lol.

It's not just the Reds though, I dont think any team should be looking for kids that young.

Having said that.....come on lad, develop!!!!

Pure speculation, but what if this kid, on an academic track, turns out to have the brilliance to be a great doctor or scientist? Now it seems we will never know.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Charlton v Spurs - predictions? If the Addicks win then it's a big day on Sunday for them, West Ham, Sheffield United and Wigan.

[bababui]

I predict Berbatov will get on the scoresheet and we will see at least 2 hot blondes in the stands

[bababui]

Anyone with ESPN Deportes might wanna check out a Champs League final classic Ajax vs Milan from the 90's. Its an amazing collection of HoF players: Davids; Seedorf, Overmars de Boer, Reitziger, Rykaard, van der Saar, Litmonen, Maldini, Costacurta, Baresi, Albertini..etc.

[LFC1892]

Going Cheap: 1 Psycho

Manchester City will sell Joey Barton to anyone prepared to pay £5.5million ($A13.2million), according to the troubled midfielder's agent.

Barton is facing the threat of legal action from team-mate Ousmane Dabo following a training-ground bust-up and has been suspended by the club for the remainder of the season.

It is the latest episode in a catalogue of controversy for the 24-year-old and agent Willie McKay insists City are ready to cut their losses.

"What's happened is very unfortunate," he said in the Sun.

"I have spoken to City's chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, and he told me they want the price that is in Joey's contract. If City get the £5.5million they will be happy and Joey will be sold."

Everton agreed to match the asking price in January before Barton decided to stay at City.

[edrooney]

Originally Posted by LFC1892

Going Cheap: 1 Psycho

I like midfield 'hard men' in my team. No jokes please. And Barton is a genuine MHM. He's not particularly good at football - although he's alright. Like's a tackle, though, and I feel that some opponents are genuinely scared of him. All good stuff. Got to a point where I sometimes thought that Liverpool could do with a Barton in the middle. Hometown boy. Tough as nails.

This episode, though, (and it's obviously not the first and only*) is completely psychotic. Seems like he hit Dabo from behind, knocking him down, then proceeded to pile on his back and continue punching him as well as gouging his eyes. Crosses the line from 'hardman with a psycho edge' to 'complete nutjob with inability to control himself'. Wouldn't want him within a country mile of Pool now.

* Stubbing his cigar out in his teammates eye was a bit of a warning - although said mate had tried to set him on fire by putting a lighter to his shirt. Footballers, eh.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

Didnt mean to vent UKHS but should an 8 year old have his profession decided ar such a young age? Why does the government allow this?

He'll still go to school and such, even probably be better for him even if he makes it or not. I know some teams not sure bout Liverpool but some run what they call "life classes", no idea what the contract is but I can't see it being a major contract like the first team players, I'll ask my Latics contact when I see him and see if he knows what kind of contract it will be.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

Pure speculation, but what if this kid, on an academic track, turns out to have the brilliance to be a great doctor or scientist? Now it seems we will never know.

You could say that about the thousands upon thousands of American kids though who are touted as sportsmen/women of the future, who was that kid years ago who's Father trained him day in day out as a Quarterback and he'd ended up in the NFL but either didn't make it or got injured (Raiders QB ?).

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

Didnt mean to vent UKHS but should an 8 year old have his profession decided ar such a young age? Why does the government allow this?

No it's cool, personally I wouldn't let a 8 yr old son of mine sign for a pro team but when they shove £50,000 in front of you then you may change your mind, there was a programme years ago that had this Father on saying what kind of "presents" and money he was offered for his son to sign for clubs.

[ukhotstove]

Another one for LFC as I know he likes his hooligans

Not sure if you've seen the Hooligan programmes done by Danny Dyer from the Football Factory film where he went seeing football hooligans over here, anyway he's done an internaitonal one.

Turkey: Danny speaks to supporters who are prepared to live and die for the sport, at one match as the tear gas and rubber bullets fly Danny learns what the meaning of "Welcome to Hell" means.

Argentina: He witnesses the hatred between Independiente and Racing Club where the vilonce is so bad the game is called of at half time.

Italy: Danny attends the Rome derby to experience the madness first hand, in Turin he meets the Droogis the Juventus firm who have neither forgiven or forgotten Heysel.

Croatia: George Orwell once wrote football is war without bullets, In Croatia's capital Danny discovers football is war with bullets.

Holland: Differances of opinion between Ajax, Feyenoord, Utrecht and Den Haag are settled with arson, stabbings and murder.

Brazil: Danny discovers the dak side behind the Brazilian myth of sex, samba and football, he follows the Sao Paulos firm and comes under fire from Botafogo's fans.

Poland: Saturday resembles England in the 80's - pitch invasions, terrace wars and an added Polish twist, forest fighting. The derby between Wisla Krakow and Krakovia, Wisla fans burn Krakovia shirts and the game explodes into a riot as the stadium blazes around them.

Russia: He meets CSKA's female hooligans and is introduced to Vasilli the Killer, who he classes as the scariest hooligan he has ever met because and I quote "He *$*^£&* kills people".

[ukhotstove]

Good to see Alex Ferguson taking the game against West Ham serious as he's stated he'll rest players against Chelsea because the game doesn't mean anything but will field a full team against West Ham as a mark of respect to the teams fighting relegation, seems everyman and his dog well apart from West Ham fans want Wigan and Sheff utd to stay up and West Ham to go down as good luck messages have been arriving on various Latics message boards from nearly every team apart from West Ham hmmm wonder why

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Good to see Alex Ferguson taking the game against West Ham serious as he's stated he'll rest players against Chelsea because the game doesn't mean anything but will field a full team against West Ham as a mark of respect to the teams fighting relegation, seems everyman and his dog well apart from West Ham fans want Wigan and Sheff utd to stay up and West Ham to go down as good luck messages have been arriving on various Latics message boards from nearly every team apart from West Ham hmmm wonder why

Most teams (forget what the fans want, when did anyone important listen to us, eh?) will want the Hammers to stay, more fans going through the gate.

[bababui]

Before I decide what to make of this, I would please ask some of the more experienced in football posters what they think.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...428569&cc=5739

Former World Cup-winner Jorge Valdano has fiercely criticised the style of football produced by Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez, claiming it stems from their failure to find success as players.

The Argentinian, a legend at Real Madrid where he played, coached and was most recently sporting director, has criticised Chelsea boss Mourinho and Liverpool counterpart Benitez following the uninspiring Champions League semi-final tie between the English sides.


'Football is made up of subjective feeling, of suggestion - and, in that, Anfield is unbeatable. Put a s*** hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it's a work of art. It's not: it's a s*** hanging from a stick,' he wrote in Spanish newspaper Marca.


'Chelsea and Liverpool are the clearest, most exaggerated example of the way football is going: very intense, very collective, very tactical, very physical, and very direct.


'But, a short pass? No. A feint? No. A change of pace? No. A one-two? A nutmeg? A backheel? Don't be ridiculous. None of that. The extreme control and seriousness with which both teams played the semi-final neutralised any creative licence, any moments of exquisite skill.'


Despite his father's status in the game as a former Portugal goalkeeper, Mourinho never played professionally and instead focused his sights on a coaching future while Benitez also only achieved success by working his way up the coaching structure, having failed to make an appearance in the Primera Liga.


Valdano believes that has led to a degree of cynicism as managers.

'The lives of Mourinho and Benitez have crossed in a world that is ever more scrutinised and exposed by the media, which is why they look at each other with such distrust.


'But they have two things in common: a previously denied, hitherto unsatisfied hunger for glory, and a desire to have everything under control.


'Both of those things stem from one key factor: neither Mourinho nor Benitez made it as a player. That has made them channel all their vanity into coaching.


'Those who did not have the talent to make it as players do not believe in the talent of players, they do not believe in the ability to improvise in order to win football matches. In short, Benitez and Mourinho are exactly the kind of coaches that Benitez and Mourinho would have needed to have made it as players.'