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No transfer news today. Just a lot of BS rumors, really.
I thought they were a Scrooge McDuck team?
Which is true for approximately 358 days every year...
It turned out that their rich sheikh was not quite as rich as he had lead people to believe
Yeah, that is bizarre. I had a similar reaction when the rumors about them "having" to sell the likes of Cazorla and Rondon first surfaced a week or two ago. Had to go check an make sure I hadn't confused them with some other club. "Wait, who's the new Iberian sugar daddy team? Malaga? Braga? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!?"
It's odd. I've attended the first game of a weekday September double header between the Royals and Orioles that was a makeup from a rainout the previous night. We tried counting the fans in the stands and our best guess was between 225-250. I don't believe any section had more than 30 in it. It's like you are watching practice and you can hear a lot of the conversation on the field because there is nobody around you.
I'd assume you wouldn't get the same thing for a Queen's Park game because they probably take everybody and put them in just a couple of sections. Sort of similar to what MLS did when they were playing in football stadiums. Close the upperdeck and endzones and you kind of forget that you have a crowd of 10k in a football stadium that seats 70k.
I don't think Ferguson would want Van Persie for €25+ that Arsenal is probably wanting. But for a cut rate price, I could see how Ferguson would go after an older player.
I'm obviously speculating here, but it just doesn't ring true to me. The Moura rumors make more sense in light of the player and United's needs.
It's not odd in the least, he's 30 and has one year on his contract. Arsenal's hope is that one of two or three free-spending clubs will be seriously interested, no one else will meet their asking price.
EDIT: If not even City will spend blindly they're screwed.
EDIT2: Of course, it also has to be a club that RVP wants to go to, they can't unload him on Anzhi just like that.
And a bit injury prone prior to this past season.
That said, there's still a month plus left in the window. The Guardian said Arsenal want £20M for him. I'd be suprised if, by the end of August, somebody hasn't met that.
I guess I'm having trouble reconciling how the bids for Carlos Tevez within the past year, who is essentially the same age, were rumored to be at least double what the price for Van Persie is. And while Van Persie can have trouble staying on the pitch, Tevez also has that problem.
I also am struggling to see how a slightly older Clint Dempsey might be transferred for about 2/3 of the price. I love me some Clint but as good as he is, he doesn't come close to having the class of Van Persie.
For the record, I'm not a huge Van Persie fan. I don't think I'm speaking with any fan-boy bias. In a weird way I completely agree with what's happening. I guess I'm just used to some oil baron coming in and making a massive overpay for the player so I'm a bit taken aback by the fact that it hasn't happened here.
I blame Andy Carroll for screwing with my mind on this.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean here. The buying team has the leverage so I think they are haggling, but the baseline for the haggling is lower because of the advantage they have. Spurs just got Vertonghen for 10 million Euros because he was in the last year of his deal and the haggling there went on for months, many painful months. Also, I think it would be ill advised to buy a player in the last year of a deal without having an extension in place as you'll end up in an even weaker bargaining position with the player than the club you just bought him from.
Yeah, you don't buy the contract in football, you buy the registration, there's always a new contract negotiated. Another facet is that a player can't be transferred against his will, even on loan, leading to scenes like Wayne Bridge playing with the youngsters at City, or Chelsea's Winston Bogarde going through the motions for several years @ 40K a week.
Hopefully he won't be in Austria very long.
Also, I'm just fatigued by Luka Modric and I hope this "saga" ends soon.
And something from the WSJ that my dad sent me a few weeks ago but I think I neglected to link here: Der Formation ist Tot.
Cahill looked pretty shot last year so if he's a DP I'm not so sure it's a great move. Get the ball to his head, I guess.
What do you guys think of Mattbert's link? My initial impression is to disagree with it, but it's provocative.
My brother (Mark Edward) and I picked up tickets last minute. I'd say there was something like 20-25K in attendance (I'm sure the official figure is floating around somewhere). In descending order, it was a mix of:
-Italy fans in general
-Poland fans
-Unaffiliated/fans of other teams just wanting to see a soccer game at Wrigley
-Roma fans (this might undersell them a bit. There was a decent amount of folks dressed in Roma apparel)
huge gap
- Zaglebie Lubin fans
Saw some interesting jerseys. The Joey Barton QPR shirt probably takes the cake. Lastly, Panagiotis Tachtsidis' chip was sweet and is worth a look.
Should have stuck with it.
MLS is such a slow paced league, not being able to run isn't that much of a problem.
As for the link, I agree that formations don't matter as much, but they still matter, the article overstates it. Formations, tactics and player roles go hand in hand. I think part of it is that we want to say a team plays a certain formation all the time when the reality is they play one formation with the ball and another without.
I now realize just how ambiguous that is and I think I'll leave it.
Re the formation article, I don't really get it. I mean obviously coaches aren't telling players "Here's your box, you're not allowed to leave it" but that's not the same thing as not having formations. Taking Barcelona as the extreme example, everyone seems to have a fairly clearly defined role. The four attacking players move from left to right to center fairly frequently, and xavi makes forward runs, but they're still playing a formation in the loose sense. I don't think we've reached full Ender status yet. Or what Mattbert said.
Also
Mario Gomez? I mean, I rate him pretty highly, but lightning speed?
I also don't get the idea that there are no formations. What is 2 banks of 4 defenders if not a formation? Why do you never see Assou-Ekkoto anywhere on the left if he's not playing a strict role in a formation? I'd agree soccer isn't as akin to chess as some pundits might make it seem, but I don't think it's anarchy, either. I'll definitely think about it and try to pay attention to it this year. I wish sometimes the tv broadcasts would give a broader view of the pitch so you could see more how the players are using space relative to the ball and each other.
Sort of--it's not as if it's Italy and they're conservatively working the ball into position. If you're a forward and don't have the speed and strength to create your own space, you can disappear for games at a time. And this often means creating the space when you have the ball, as there's not as many good passers/crossers.
He'll be helped by having Henry. The ability to fight for aerials in traffic is a plus, too, though IMO MLS refs let a lot more go.
I like Cahill and am sad to see him go. But if he has anything left, at least I'll be able to see it on tv. I'm kind of sad Drogba will be hidden away in China. (BTW, his Chinese team is on FSC Wednesday in a friendly vs Man Utd. I hope he plays.)
I'll see the Rapids play Swansea City in a friendly tonight. 3 of their starters (including Sinclair) won't be there, they're on the GB Olympic team.
Given the Swans' state of training, the altitude, and the Rapids' horrible form (lost 7 of 8), and that it's a friendly, it should be kind of horrible. But I hope at least in the 1st half Swansea puts on a good passing display, at least.
Yeah, it's not a tactically slow league, it's just slow all around in general. There are players with excellent pace, there are games with excellent pace too. But by and large, the league is slow and congested, which I guess is expected when you are talking about second tier league.
They've got Henry, Cooper and LeToux, so Cahill should see a lot of time at midfield. And if this means more Rafa Marquez at defense, then ha.
Reunited with Le Sulk!
It's weird, isn't it. Maybe the sheiks in Malaga figure no one else pays players in Spain, why should they?
F91 Dudelange...this year's Apoel? Now to google them as I have no idea what country they even play in.
edit: And the answer is...Luxembourg. Red Bull Salzburg just lost to a club from mighty Luxembourg. Caffeine and sugar aren't everything, I guess.
415. Biff isn't really an apt handle anymore Posted: July 17, 2012 at 05:11 PM (#4185242)
F91 Dudelange, the champion from Luxembourg, beat FC Red Bull Salzburg in a Champions League game 1-0 at home today. That seems pretty crazy to me. They'll probably get hammered in Austria, of course.
Clearly I was wrong about the 'get hammered in Austria' part.
(A quick google search tells me it would be the 5th highest transfer fee ever, just behind Zidane's move to Real from Juve. Take it Levy, take it!)
Yeah, assuming he's willing to sign for them. I'm half expecting to turn on the Spurs/Galaxy game tonight and find that spurs drugged Modric and put him on a red-eye to LA last night. He'll be in a straight-jacket, manacled to the bench and Levy will be standing behind him with a knife. Just so Madrid know we mean business.
Refuse to sign for anyone else, and threaten to go full Tevez if Spurs don't sell to Madrid? I don't get the feeling Modric has it in him to go through with it if Spurs call his bluff, but it's some leverage.
No one does--it's a weak-ass bluff. He's going to be sold this summer, though, so he just needs to keep quiet and not weaken Spurs position. Levy isn't going to bargain from a position of perceived weakness and everyone knows Real have the cash. If they really want Modric they'll pony up the 30-35 million and we can all get on with our lives.
Oh dear.
He was very good. I'm really looking forward to the Kaboul/Vertonghen pairing.
Townsend showed flashes, though he dribbled into trouble a couple of times. I thought Bassong looked awful at left back, Bale was pinned back the entire first half helping out but as soon as BAE came on he was free to go forward. The midfield was mediocre.
He does have leverage, next year he will trigger the provision in FIFA:s deal with EU that allows contracts to be bought off by the player.
Quote from here
Player power, love it or hate it, but it's a rare player that doesn't have some kind of leverage.
This seems a key part of your excerpt, though. Tottenham are still getting a transfer fee from someone. Would Luka and his people pony up the cash themselves? Or am I misunderstanding the implication of this passage?
Does anyone else think the fees for these young Brazilians is crazy this summer? 25 million for Oscar? 35 million for Lucas Moura? I don't see these guys as the sure things those fees imply.
AC Milan want Kaka back.
Gareth Bale is in trouble with FIFA for blowing off the Olympics but playing in yesterday's friendly for Spurs. Suck it FIFA!
Yeah. Those are the kind of fees you pay for very good-to-great players in the early part of their prime, not 19 year olds who might be very good.
Like Andy Carroll.
Whether that behavior constitutes collusion and/or restraint of trade is an interesting question.
Wiki on the Webster Ruling.
Dembele was a Hughes buy, I believe. He definitely pre-dates Papa Bear at Fulham. I know this because I was there in person to see Dembele score a brilliant goal (the last one in the Cottagers' 4-0 thrashing of Spurs in a 4th round FA Cup tie) about 18 months ago.
I think Dembele's a pretty good player, but redundant with VDV and Sigurdsson in the team. Like those two he's very clever with the ball and has terrific shooting ability, but he's not terribly quick. Unlike VDV, I've often seen Dembele dwell too long on the ball when trying to choose an option during a counterattack. Rafa seems to make decisions much more quickly whereas Dembele will frequently take one or two touches too many and allow the defense to recover to a better position. I haven't watched Sigurdsson enough to evaluate him in those situations.
I agree with all of this. Seb was definitely out of sorts at fullback; his positioning was dismal. I've been hoping that maybe a new coaching staff could get through to him because he has all the physical tools to be very good. On last night's evidence, I'm not optimistic.
Bale was at least 50% at fault for the LA goal, though. He switched off for a second when the ball was half-cleared after the corner, and that was all it took for his man to get a step and half goalside of him when the ball was played back in. I don't know who was supposed to be marking Lopes, but that assignment broke down too.
It was a shame VDV had to go off so early. With Jenas replacing him, the shape went from 4-1-2-3 to 4-2-3-1 and was a lot less interesting. I thought Townsend gave a very good account of himself; I really rate him and hope he sees semi-regular first team action this season. Carroll was also impressive in his 15-minute cameo at the end. His movement was really intelligent (he finds space so well), and he made a few dynamite passes. If he could add another 10-15 pounds of muscle, he could be a real player.
Sigurdsson didn't seem to be comfortable out there, although his delivery for Bale's goal was a peach. Jenas and Livermore were, to put it charitably, workmanlike. Lennon looked lively but was, as usual, criminally under-involved. Thud looked rusty. Bentley still looks out of place on the left.
You realize I have Welsh ancestry, sir?
I think Dembele's a pretty good player, but redundant with VDV and Sigurdsson in the team.
I think Dembele could be a really good deeper-lying midfielder. I get the feeling AVB is looking for interchangeability in the midfield. I think Sigurdsson and VDV can both play as attacking mids but are good enough passers and in possession to play as deeper-lying playmakers. Of course, the Dembele stuff could just be lazy journalism rumors as he's also been "linked" with Man U etc.
Aside from that, I wish they'd start taking care of business. That Newcastle game looms. It looms!
Dembele was indeed playing deeper more often by the end of last season under Jol. I think Papa Bear may have been grooming him to take over the Danny Murphy role. Incidentally, now that Murphy has dropped down to the Championship, who's the most underrated midfielder in the Premier League?
As for Spurs, Sigurdsson started last night's game playing closer to Livermore than van der Vaart, but because Spurs were enjoying most of the possession he started pushing up more and more often. At times he was positioning himself like a deep-lying playmaker, in a pivot with van der Vaart as the two of them took turns coming deep, and more or less permanently up high alongside VDV and behind Defoe. I suppose we could interpret that as AVB viewing Sigurdsson as being very flexible tactically. Jenas did not have nearly that same positional latitude when he replaced VDV and took over the deeper role from Sigurdsson.
(Does anyone else find it strangely amusing that in football parlance, 'high' is the opposite of 'deep'? You rarely hear of a player or team playing 'low', and you never hear the term 'shallow'.)
Thanks for the summary ursus. I may have a couple extra tix for the Spurs-Red Bulls game if you're interested, btw. They are really good seats.
Sorry, I'll talk slower.
My blood is boiling, you!
Ok, I'll stop, I don't want to use these all up before we see Bale.
Sport talk is pretty indecipherable a good amount of the time.
No, except that the fee will be set by some sort of arbitrator and I very much doubt that any club is willing to risk being pioneers at losing a high-profile player via this route when there is zero precedent*. There is reason to believe they will get no more than the outstanding value of the contract.
*) Some lesser players have gone this route. But no one anybody has heard of.
EDIT: coke for the bear.
Whether it is true or not, I choose to believe the '91' refers to 1991, not 18.
What has stopped players, when presented with a big transfer deal, from "webstering themselves", so they can roll some of the transfer fee into their own wages in the new deal? From the description of the eponymous case, it sounds like a huge legal hassle that could take years to resolve, so that might be one.
They only have a two-week window at the end of the season to do it, also most players don't become eligible, they sign new deals every other year or so or are transferred, unless they play for Arsenal where they wrangle about an extension for a couple of years before they leave.
Oh, just women's football. Weird that a big matchup like USA-France is an opening game, soccer tournaments seem to delay the interesting matches as long as possible. Even weirder that Germany is not even qualified, using the World Cup as the UEFA qualifier seems like a huge mistake, since there were non-UEFA teams in the competition.
I think all the games are being played today. It's just another sport for the Olympics so they aren't trying to fill days with programming like the Euros or the WC.
It's what they have, and it's better than using those weird rankings they produce.
I'm using a stream on firstrow.
On the positive side of reading the pbp, I learned that I had incorrectly been referring to Morgan, the US' #13 player, as "Alex". Apparently I'm supposed to refer to #13 as "Baby Horse".
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