Football (Soccer) Thread

[Sheilbh]

Barca is also lucky because the counterpoint to compare against is Real Madrid, a disgusting POS operation and team.

I mean even Madrid is starting to be sympathetic in the age of state-owned football clubs

I'm actually quite familiar with Barça's marketing operation and it's very slick and of course calculated and hypocritical. If only the sports side was as well run as the marketing side... 

Yeah. As an Everton fan my memory of Ronald Koeman is not great

We're still recovering from a lot of the mistakes he made (we can't shift players he brought in for a lot of money) and from everything I've heard he is the worst man manager I've ever heard. Some of it, in my view, was borderline workplace bullying. I've no doubt he'd just say he was being Dutch so just telling people things directly but.....yeeesh

So good luck for now

[celedhring]

His tenure at Valencia was also dreadful. He's only been signed because he's beloved by fans and the board thought it might calm things down.

[Sheilbh]

His tenure at Valencia was also dreadful. He's only been signed because he's beloved by fans and the board thought it might calm things down.

I mean I think he's done quite well at the Dutch national team where, presumably, he gave a shit. And he definitely gives a shit about Barcelona. So maybe he'll be okay.

But, yeah, I'd say he's the worst recent manager we've had - and we've had Sam Allardyce

I also feel that if you'd told me Roberto Martinez would be managing Belgium, his replacement would now be managing Barcelona and now Everton were being managed by Carlo Ancelotti - I would assume good things had happened. But here we are

[celedhring]

Hindisght 20/20 and all that, but Ancelotti is a terrible fit for Everton. You won't go anywhere with him.

[Liep]

His tenure at Valencia was also dreadful. He's only been signed because he's beloved by fans and the board thought it might calm things down.

I would've thought there were plenty of more beloved former Barca players to choose from. Koeman wasn't very Barca-esque when he played either.

[Sheilbh]

His tenure at Valencia was also dreadful. He's only been signed because he's beloved by fans and the board thought it might calm things down.

I would've thought there were plenty of more beloved former Barca players to choose from. Koeman wasn't very Barca-esque when he played either.

But he has that iconic goal which I imagine has been on loop in the Barcelona boardroom this week.

[Josquius]

But, yeah, I'd say he's the worst recent manager we've had - and we've had Sam Allardyce

Sam Allardyce is the best recent manager we've had.
Not a great human being. But a very under rated manager.

[Sheilbh]

I don't know, I feel he is rate entirely appropriately. Luckily we only had him for six months so he only got to waste about £50 million instead of a lot more like Koeman

And the football under him was just so insipid - I think one of my favourite Everton moans about Allardyce was that there wasn't even anything to boo - "he's taken away our rage, that's all we had left"

[celedhring]

His tenure at Valencia was also dreadful. He's only been signed because he's beloved by fans and the board thought it might calm things down.

I would've thought there were plenty of more beloved former Barca players to choose from. Koeman wasn't very Barca-esque when he played either.

But he has that iconic goal which I imagine has been on loop in the Barcelona boardroom this week.

My generation grew up with that goal on loop. It was our biggest moment until the Ronaldinho-Messi eras.

[Liep]

My generation grew up with that goal on loop. It was our biggest moment until the Ronaldinho-Messi eras.

That seems strange to me, but then again I've only been a fan of Barca when they had Laudrup, Ronaldinho, Iniesta and/or Messi.

[The Larch]

My generation grew up with that goal on loop. It was our biggest moment until the Ronaldinho-Messi eras.

That seems strange to me, but then again I've only been a fan of Barca when they had Laudrup, Ronaldinho, Iniesta and/or Messi.

Why strange? That was the first European Cup won by Barcelona, and it was thanks to that Koeman goal. And Laudrup was playing for Barcelona by then. It's the culmination of Cruyff's stay at Barcelona, in a way. Two years later they'd be humilliated by Milan 4-0 in the final.

[Liep]

Why strange? That was the first European Cup won by Barcelona, and it was thanks to that Koeman goal. And Laudrup was playing for Barcelona by then. It's the culmination of Cruyff's stay at Barcelona, in a way. Two years later they'd be humilliated by Milan 4-0 in the final.

What I mean is that I was only a fan of the players never the club. I don't remember any Barca wins from the 90's so I never saw that Koeman goal as something special.

I do remember when they lost that 94 cup though. Laudrup wasn't on the team because of the 3 foreigners rule or something and I had quite a bit of schadenfreude. Actually this might be why I don't like Koeman or Cruyff or any Dutch player.

[celedhring]

Liep's grudges against the Dutch nation run deep!

Laudrup should've played, Koeman was done by that time.

[Duque de Bragança]

I do remember when they lost that 94 cup though. Laudrup wasn't on the team because of the 3 foreigners rule or something and I had quite a bit of schadenfreude. Actually this might be why I don't like Koeman or Cruyff or any Dutch player.

Games between Portugal and the Netherlands have to be very special for you then. 

[Liep]

I do remember when they lost that 94 cup though. Laudrup wasn't on the team because of the 3 foreigners rule or something and I had quite a bit of schadenfreude. Actually this might be why I don't like Koeman or Cruyff or any Dutch player.

Games between Portugal and the Netherlands have to be very special for you then. 

I've grown to like Portugal in recent years and I've had sympathy for Ronaldo ever since he left the EC sitting on the grass crying with a grasshopper on his face.