Village Idiot

Yeah but your managers don't decide on anything apart from lunch and the formation. Yep, different cultures. Actually the spanish word for a manager - "entrenador" actually means "coach". One of the points of contention between Guardiola and the board is that he wants English-style managerial powers.

Okay, stupid question... do English clubs really have 200000000000000 coaches like in FM? Because Spanish clubs only have GK and fitness coaches, and all outfield player training is conducted by the manager and his assistant. And that's true even for the big guns. We only used specialized coaches at youth teams.

I think he's massively overrated and has always benefited from the fact he's the biggest fish of a small pond (when it comes to top clubs). He has a rather limited game. But opinions are like arseholes...

Don't make me laugh, he isn't even the best English midfielder.

Pellegrino and Benítez are close pals since the times of Valencia.

He bears the truth. Being onside requires of two defenders between the attacker and the goal, people tend to think it's only one because they don't count the GK, which is usually always there.

Villa scores the fourth to go joint top goalscorer with Messi, 14 in 16.

Capdevila, Spain's #1 leftback :frantic:

To be honest I can't wait for Brown and Zaki squaring it off.

It's more like "uuuuuuuuuuuyyy!!!!" but yeah, we do that a lot. I personally love the "olé" when the home side starts passing around the ball. We don't sing as much as the English though, I love your songs.

Selling Mestalla is the only way to sort their situation long term, but I know they delayed it because with the housing crisis they were getting much less money than expected. And it was a red, just outside the box.

Geremi always seems to do well with Cameroon.

how valencia have managed to keep such a good squad despite their financial problems, their top 4 is one the best in europe VI should barca have signed villa instead of ibra? i heard villa was in tears when he heard the deal was off I think Ibra brings so much more to our game... Villa is probably a better natural goalscorer admittedly, but I'm very happy with what we got. I hope Villa gets a move to some big club (not Real please) where he can get the recognition he deserves. And apparently Valencia were in very deep financial s*** and supposedly needed to sell some of their players, yet that hasn't happened. There was a supposed takeover that hasn't materialized yet, but everybody wonders how Valencia keeps running when the situtation was so bad last season (they were late in their payments to the players several times). And Banega slots the first.

Valencia - Villarreal in about 10 minutes. This can be a sweet game. Valencia can go 3 behind Real with a win. They are lining up a front line of Joaquín, Silva, Mata and Villa, and they have people like Zigic (who I rate a lot at what he does) and Vicente on the bench. That's a peach of a squad.

Ibrahima (who quite funnily is a self-confessed Ibrahimovic fan) scores for Atlético. I think this is his second or third game for them, supposedly a promising talent! 3-1 btw.

another question, is why have barca always depended on valdes, he's very good on his day but is error prone He doesn't do as many mistakes as he used to do. Thing is, we struggled to establish a goalkeeper for 10 years since Zubizarreta retired... and Valdés works well enough for us. He's won us points and trophies so even though there might be better goalies out there, given that people like Reina failed at Barça (not that he isn't talented, but believe me that Barça's goal was like an electric chair back then, we ate goalkeepers like they were candy) we aren't taking risks.

Sergio Asenjo, who was *this* close to being Barça's GK this season is really having a dreadful season at Atlético, he just gifted one of the stupidest penalties ever.

The club was almost bankrupt when the current board took over, we had to refinance a lot of debt and we are still carrying it. Also, our net spend is actually high, it's just that we sign a lot of crap and have to end up playing the kids instead Think of it, players like Hleb, Henrique, Keirrison, Cáceres... cost us 60m combined these two years and none is at the club. geez, i'm sure u have a load of players you could sell and generate 30-40M worth quite easily you's have been lucky with the amount of players your youth system create's when does laporta leave, and what are your thoughts of his era, i know it's been a very successful one, but I know their's been problems behind the scene's I think he's a c***, but him or his advisors have unleashed the most successful era of the club so what can I say? I'm pretty scared about the elections, we'll see what we get but last time we came off a successful regime we elected that useless t*** Gaspart that ran us into the ground. Haven't decided my vote, but I can see myself voting to the candidate that is able to gather around most of Laporta's team. so your a member of the club then, what advantages does the membership scheme have etc? Not many to be honest. Discounted tickets for games (and not a big discount), free entrance to games of the youth teams and other sections (handball, roller hockey, etc...), a magazine I never read... I do it mostly as a matter of pride. Of course you get to vote and you can get elected (by lottery) to the general assembly that's held during preseason.

The club was almost bankrupt when the current board took over, we had to refinance a lot of debt and we are still carrying it. Also, our net spend is actually high, it's just that we sign a lot of crap and have to end up playing the kids instead Think of it, players like Hleb, Henrique, Keirrison, Cáceres... cost us 60m combined these two years and none is at the club. geez, i'm sure u have a load of players you could sell and generate 30-40M worth quite easily you's have been lucky with the amount of players your youth system create's when does laporta leave, and what are your thoughts of his era, i know it's been a very successful one, but I know their's been problems behind the scene's I think he's a cunt, but him or his advisors have unleashed the most successful era of the club so what can I say? I'm pretty scared about the elections, we'll see what we get but last time we came off a successful regime we elected that useless twat Gaspart that ran us into the ground. Haven't decided my vote, but I can see myself voting to the candidate that is able to gather around most of Laporta's team.

Cesc was rated very highly, yes. Mérida and Piqué were more under the radar. I don't hold these players any grudge for leaving, mind, they thought they would have it harder in here to break into the squad and for all accounts it worked for them going abroad.

The club was almost bankrupt when the current board took over, we had to refinance a lot of debt and we are still carrying it. Also, our net spend is actually high, it's just that we sign a lot of crap and have to end up playing the kids instead Think of it, players like Hleb, Henrique, Keirrison, Cáceres... cost us 60m combined these two years and none is at the club.

One of the things he said in preseason is that he sees Busquets as a player in the mold of himself, a deep-lying playmaker but with better defensive attributes than he had. He seems to rate his creativity a lot (I don't, but he's won a treble and I finished second bottom in the college league).

Oh, and Owen Coyle is very unlucky to start his tenure with an Arsenal double-header, but I liked Bolton much better tonight than under Megson, particularly the first half.

Beats me, to be honest. He seems to have a lot of faith in him, which I don't really understand. I'd think of him as an adequate cover for Touré, but he really isn't solid enough to anchor our midfield, plus he seems to lose composure often (he is young so that's to be expected). Regarding Cesc, he is thought as Xavi's successor. I reckon Xavi has a couple seasons at the absolute top and I can't really think of anybody better suited than Cesc, and we don't have anybody in our youth setup with that kind of promise. I don't necessarily think we need to sign him this season, mind, but I get the feeling Madrid will go for him this summer (where they would play him I don't know unless they bench Alonso, who doesn't deserve it) just to spite us.

I still need to see them doing the business in the big games, but I admit to have underrated their chances this season. Mind, out of the top 4 they'd be my preferred team to win the thing.