Football (Soccer) Thread

[The Larch]

BTW, I picked up "The Damned United" to read as my holiday book this year, and I'm halfway it. Has anyone else read it or watched the movie? What do you think of it? Is it a realistic portrayal of footie in England in the 70s? I read that some of the players that are still alive aren't very happy with their portrayals.

I haven't read the book but I enjoyed the film version.

John Giles was very critical of it. He sued the author of the book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Giles#Media_portrayals_and_successful_legal_action

Giles successfully sued the author of the book, David Peace, who printed the work in 2006, from which the film was made. His reasons for pursuing legal action for libel were as Giles said of Peace's The Damned Utd: "His book was outrageous. I'm portrayed as the scheming leprechaun. He [Peace] had me in conversations with Clough that never happened. It made Clough out to be a wild man whereas he wasn't drinking then. I didn't get on with him but I found him highly intelligent. Peace said the novel was fiction based on fact, trouble is, people assume it's the official version. The movie was a misinterpretation of the misinterpretation that was the book!"

Clough comes across as pretty much obsessed with Revie and his legacy at Leeds in the book. Was he really like that in reality? I have an extremely limited knowledge of English footie of that time so I don't know if it's an exagerated feature or if he was really like that.

[Josephus]

BTW, I picked up "The Damned United" to read as my holiday book this year, and I'm halfway it. Has anyone else read it or watched the movie? What do you think of it? Is it a realistic portrayal of footie in England in the 70s? I read that some of the players that are still alive aren't very happy with their portrayals.

I saw the movie (as a Derby Co. fan i felt compelled). I wouldn't know of course, since I wasn't really following footie much inthe early 70s, but I thought the movie was quite well done.

[Josquius]

Yeah, good film.
No clue on the reality though.

[The Larch]

There are a few things in the novel that really strike me as very unusual in footie, in comparison with what we have here, but I guess they were staples of English footie of the time. I'm thinking mostly about the extremely high mobility of clubs and players. The fact that a top team from the first division could fish a player from some backwater fourth division club and actually improve their team is very puzzling to me, when nowadays talent is so extremely concentrated and player development so regimented that this kind of free flowing movement is very strange to me.

[Josephus]

I'm not so sure, but I think that was the norm back than. Smaller clubs served as feeders. They made their money selling top talent to top clubs.

[Liep]

The legendary Danish player Christian Poulsen becomes the 2nd player in history to play in all five major European leagues after signing with the famous and acclaimed French club, Evian.

EDIT: Poulsen, le dernier (gros) coup

[Warspite]

There are a few things in the novel that really strike me as very unusual in footie, in comparison with what we have here, but I guess they were staples of English footie of the time. I'm thinking mostly about the extremely high mobility of clubs and players. The fact that a top team from the first division could fish a player from some backwater fourth division club and actually improve their team is very puzzling to me, when nowadays talent is so extremely concentrated and player development so regimented that this kind of free flowing movement is very strange to me.

Scouting networks were far less developed back then; in fact, the lower divisions were essentially the youth academies for big clubs. This has all changed these days, of course.

[Zanza]

For the Euro 2012, Ukraine and Poland will be seeded. The other two seeds will be Spain and the Netherlands according to current ranking. That will make for some nice groups of death...

[Warspite]

For the Euro 2012, Ukraine and Poland will be seeded. The other two seeds will be Spain and the Netherlands according to current ranking. That will make for some nice groups of death...

[The Larch]

Joint bids, always producing the best results. 

[Sheilbh]

Man City seem to be more popular with your actual Manchester blokes.

Sign of the way things are going is that the local sport shop in Dorchester has the Man City strip in the shop window and I've seen kids wearing it

Clough comes across as pretty much obsessed with Revie and his legacy at Leeds in the book. Was he really like that in reality? I have an extremely limited knowledge of English footie of that time so I don't know if it's an exagerated feature or if he was really like that.

My understanding is that the book shows Clough in a far more dark and obsessive way than he's depicted in the film, though I've not read it.  In the film Sheen's performance is very likeable.  The film's very good though.

The fact that a top team from the first division could fish a player from some backwater fourth division club and actually improve their team is very puzzling to me, when nowadays talent is so extremely concentrated and player development so regimented that this kind of free flowing movement is very strange to me.

That remains Everton's transfer strategy...

[Zanza]

Germany will qualify for the Euro 2012 tonight. Half an hour played so far and it's 3-0 against Austria.

[Liep]

2-0 over Norway, both goals by Bendtner.

Anything but a win seemed impossible judging from the tabloids, but I actually expected the Norwegians to pull home a draw like they usually do.

[Duque de Bragança]

2-0 over Norway, both goals by Bendtner.

Anything but a win seemed impossible judging from the tabloids, but I actually expected the Norwegians to pull home a draw like they usually do.

A good result for Portugal 

[Liep]

You still need to beat Iceland!