Village Idiot

ManU have to pretty much acommodate Giggs though, and he's always had more going for him than just pace. He's a bit like Beckham nowadays.

Some enlightened debate in that group.

Sport are full of s***, they make up headlines by randomly picking names off a hat and linking them to us, but still EDIT: Just read the piece in Sport, they say it is Newcastle who has approached Barça with a swap deal with Puyol :lol:

Riquelme would be a waste. He was only able to perform in La Liga when the entire Villarreal side was built around him (and basically the same side made 2nd when he left). La Liga isn't the pacier league around, and Barça never been the most direct team in it, but watching him for us was frustrating. No movement, no tracking back, easily bullied off the ball, dwelled on the ball way too much, always slow in getting into attacking positions... he does have talents to burn, but you have to acomodate your side for him.

You are a big fish, a big club having a reversal of fortunes so dire as yours was last season is always going to attract a big deal of schadenfreude from other clubs fans. I remember Leeds getting a fair share of ridicule on their time.

60m wage bill, really?

Gaitán looks class, but I'm always wary of Argentine playmakers moving to Europe, even more so to England. The tempo in that league is as slow as police cars in Hollywood movies.

Roberts is a decent player, actually, but at 32... meh. You have enough "squad" strikers I think.

He did fine to be honest. His first season was very good, his latter two not so good and we sold him when we promoted a certain Argentinian midget. Still, don't sign anybody with a game based around his pace when he's past 30.

Nice article. We also say "Chilena" and "Rabona" in Spain even though they say they are south-american words. We also use "Tijera" (scissor) for the overhead kick. A "palomita" for us is a diving save from a keeper, not a header. We call the nutmeg "túnel", "caño" or "Sotana" (when done to a keeper). "Sotana" is the long dress that chaplains wear, intending that if the keeper had worn one, he would have stopped the ball. Some other words... Chupapostes or Palomero ("postsucker"/"dove keeper"): goalhanger Chupón ("sucker") : ballhog Bicicleta ("bicycle"): stepover. Tuercebotas ("boot tearer") : terrible player, normally dirty to make up for his lack of skill (hence the word) Cantar ("to sing"): when a keeper makes a big mistake. Ariete ("battering ram"): our word for striker. Amarrategui: playing 10 behind ball (false basque word, as basque teams were famously defensive and hard as nails in the 1980s) Pared ("wall"): one-two, alluding to the fact that the ball will "rebound" from the second player back to the first one, as if it was a wall. Gato ("cat"): common nickname given to agile keepers, particularly in SA. Crack: footballing ace (taken from the English "cracking player", but we use it as a sustantive "Messi's a crack") Peinar ("comb" the ball): flick-on Salir a por uvas ("going to get grapes"): when a keeper fails to defend a cross, speaking as if he went to get something else instead of the ball Piedra ("stone"): overhit pass No la mete ni al arco iris ("couldn't score against a rainbow"): our "can't hit a barn door".

Yes, sign a pace-based winger when he's 33 years old. Still, that goal at San Siro...

Only thing I know is that Barça is at the bottom of the SPLLCI (Semtex Preferred La Liga Club Index)

i dont think theres a football fan around that isnt hoping fulham win the europa league (liverpool apart), would be fantastic if they did Would rather have Atlético win it... but would smile if Fulham pulled it off, mind.

Is there a provision for that in the PL rules? If not, screw them. Can think of plenty of sides that have been forced to play their third choice keepers this season so it's their fault if they couldn't be arsed to get a third keeper they really trust.

Incidentally, elsewhere in La Liga another bout of fisticuffs happened at the end of the Mallorca-Málaga between Aduriz and Keita http://estaticos01.marca.com/imagenes/2010/04/25/futbol/equipos/mallorca/1272225496_extras_noticia_foton_7_2.jpg

Tell me, one of my best friends is a Celta supporter and he's been closing in to suicide for a while now. They barely dodged relegation last season, and they are looking worse this year. The team spirit is completely gone as you can see in this video, and the squad is devoid of quality as they have been forced to sell since the relegation and their finances aren't good.

He's supposedly one of Argentina's biggest talents, and they are doing well with slowly introducing him into the side. They are hoping to get another Agüero I assume. Tenerife hardly the toughest opposition, however.

Ameobi could have been looking at a 20 goals season had he stayed fit. He's always had a bit of quality in him but always been way too slow, if he just did everything he does 1,5 times faster (like how he always is caught offside) he would be a great striker. But he has all the time he needs in order to do his thing in this division. Pretty nice that Ameobi, Nolan, Lovenkrands and Carroll all had their patches of form in perfect succession during the season

Last season was the first one where we have had these awards in Spain (official ones at least, we have had a shedload others presented by sports rags or magazines before that). Nobody cared about them and Guardiola didn't even show up to pick up his

Harsh innit? Ha ha ha ha. You are back in the 4th place race with a decent chance, if you ask me. Who would have thought just a few weeks ago!

4th place race split wide open, even Liverpool managed to sneak themselves back into it with a chance.

what the hell is with wikipedia fiends, I wasn't familiar with the expression "gardening leave" so I googled it and lo and behold the wikipedia entry for it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_leave

Fran Mérida did very very well in his loan at Real Sociedad (Segunda División, but still). Word is that he is an Atlético fan though, so don't think you can compete.

One thing where European managers probably are more limited than British ones is youth signings. A manager only signs players for the first team, signing promising youngsters for the reserve or B sides is beyond his authority and is conducted through a different set of staff appointed by the DoF. The manager can block loans or sales if he intends to use players from the youth teams, though.

You make it sound like European club managers only coach the players and select lineups, and it really isn't like that. In any sane European club the manager will still expect to select and approve transfer targets, or point the problem areas that need strengthening. The DoF will advance possibilities, be aware of potential market opportunities, and conduct the dealings. Of course the DoF will still have his ideas and suggestions, and make them known to the gaffer, but the thought that a DoF will sign or sell a player without the manager's approval is ludicrous (unless the club needs the money). Yes, the DoF is supposed to design and implement footballing project, but that is represented through his selection of the manager, and not his interference once one is appointed. Heck, even Real Madrid tried to make it look like Pellegrini approved the Galactico signings. Lots of managers have resigned in Europe if the DoF pulled rank of them. Valencia for example has had lots of problems with their managers this decade due to overzealous board/DoF having frictions with Rafa Benítez or Quique Flores.