Daft questions (football edition)

[Wolfcastle]

Al Ahyl v Zamalek used to bring in referees from outside the country back as far back as the 80s it was that fierce. Decades before Roma Lazio did it, if were looking for a passionate experience. (courtesy of 'The Worlds Game' programme circa 1990)

On 28/04/2021 at 18:31, Disco said:

Less fussy about individual fixtures but stadiums to visit off the top of my head would be

• Azteca for a Mexico or big America game
• Racing v Independiente or one of the other big 5 at El Cilindro
• A big European game at Fenerbahce or Besiktas complete with boat trip to the game.

Not sure when they’re moving but more realistically I’d like to go to de Kuip before it’s obsolete.

I still think the Azteca is my favourite stadium.  And feel the same about pretty much any old stadium before it goes cos all my romance for football has gone on the new ones mean nothing.

Wanted to go to all the USA 94 stadiums but several are gone and/or changed beyond recognition now. Verona's Bentegodi and Montpellier's (if its still as was from the 90s) are probably the only grounds left and/or unchanged in Europe I'd like to go to that I haven't been to now sadly. Was quite a few Prater Stadium, Lehen stadium in Austria, San Mames in Bilbao.

 

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Wolfcastle

[Wolfcastle]

1 hour ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

Thinking on this with Arsenal visiting tomorrow, but what clubs go on to have continued or greater success after spunking millions on a new stadium or big expansion. 

We're obviously an example of it going wrong, as are Arsenal and I expect Spurs to be the same. 

City were given their stadium so wouldn't include them, Chelsea maybe? 

Pretty much every Italian club before and after Italia 90 was successful after stadium expansions, new stadiums.

Blackburn arguably. Won the league the year their rebuild was complete. Pretty strong in two of the next three seasons but then they went down too. Reading - much better profile/status post Madjeski than before same docile atmosphere though.

They used to herald it as a bright new dawn but seemed more like a curse starting with Millwall. But nobody mackems, Boro, Chesterfield, Derby Southampton, Bolton, Notts County (total rebuild) was any different with new stadiums than they were before and all (with the exception of Derby) were swiftly relegated. After the first few where I though "oh these could be contenders now" it just came off like someone's getting a boring new ground and nothing more.

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Wolfcastle

[Astroblack]

Always wanted to go to the Amsterdam Arena and watch Ajax dismantle a team. Feel like it would be nice to watch. 

[Ameritoon]

Same, at some point in the next year or two I'll do a trip to Amsterdam and take the train to Dortmund for a match.

[Optimistic Nut]

8 hours ago, Rafalove said:

An obvious one being boca/River also wydad v Raja. Would love to go to an old firm game or Celtic on a European night.

 

saint Ettienne

El classico

Rosario v Newells

racing v independiente 

 

Id like to visit the san Siro before it goes and also Seville

 

oh and redstart v partizan 

St-Etienne was cracking. Went in 2005, worst game of football I’ve seen but the atmosphere was the best.

[Fantail Breeze]

5th place will now almost certainly get CL qualification, no?

Chelsea and Man City both look fairly certain of qualifying through league position and meet in the final.

But it doesn’t seem to be part of the conversation when spoken about in the media?

[Kaizero]

3 hours ago, Fantail Breeze said:

5th place will now almost certainly get CL qualification, no?

Chelsea and Man City both look fairly certain of qualifying through league position and meet in the final.

But it doesn’t seem to be part of the conversation when spoken about in the media?

No. In the event Chelsea wins the CL but finishes 5th, they'll get the 4th CL spot and the team that finishes 4th in the league goes to the EL instead. It was changed after the Liverpool debacle.

[Disco]

On 02/05/2021 at 07:55, Optimistic Nut said:

St-Etienne was cracking. Went in 2005, worst game of football I’ve seen but the atmosphere was the best.

Went for the atrocious game v Slovakia in the Euros, quality ground. France does a good job of building decent stadium that holds the atmosphere. Team/club are vile but would love to go to a game at Parc in Paris.

[Nobody]

5 hours ago, Kaizero said:

No. In the event Chelsea wins the CL but finishes 5th, they'll get the 4th CL spot and the team that finishes 4th in the league goes to the EL instead. It was changed after the Liverpool debacle.

England would have 5 CL places should Chelsea win the CL but finish 5th. There wouldn't be a fifth team if Chelsea finish in the top 4 though.

Was changed after the season we finished 5th when Spurs didn't get into the CL because Chelsea won it. 

[Doctor Zaius]

Which of the Scandanavian domestic league is the strongest? Ive no idea whether, for example Rosenborg are actually better than Midtjylland, despite not playing in European competition or Brondby stronger than Malmo. Teams from Scandanavia seem, from a casual observer to bounce around the European qualifying rounds/group stages and not much else, suggesting they're all much of a muchness? Or is one nations teams consistently stronger than the others?

[ponsaelius]

In last 10-15 years Denmark >> Sweden > Norway id say. 

 

Danish teams have been stronger in CL generally. The teams that have had success tend to have been sides formed from late 20th/21st century mergers of smaller clubs (Copenhagen, Midtjylland, Nordsjaelland) so are basically new clubs altogether representing greater regions or perhaps more logical geographical areas. Not great for the traditionalists but has probably allowed them to consolidate better, gather bigger support and put together stronger sides in Europe. 

 

The traditional big clubs in Sweden have on the other hand kind of fallen further behind in the modern game (similar to Brondby in Denmark - although they finally won the league again last season). 

 

Early 2000s Norway were probably on top but that was more entirely down to Rosenborg. 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by ponsaelius

[ponsaelius]

On 28/04/2021 at 18:06, Tomato Deuce said:

If you could see any particular match (i.e. El Clásico) or visit any ground around the world for a match, what would it be?

 

Some that would be up there off top of my head:

 

Feyenoord vs Ajax at the De Kuip before they leave. 

Boca vs River at La Bombonera. 

Raja vs Wydad Casablanca. 

Persepolis vs Esteghlal (Tehran derby) 

Red Star vs Partizan at the Marakana

 

 

 

[Mike]

USA v Mexico at the Azteca would be wild as fuck. Waiting for teleportation to exist before getting a ticket.

[Disco]

When do clubs have to register their squad?

[Astroblack]

Sorry if this is a stupid question but where do you think certain players would fit in to the new styles of football being played in this day and age. Like a Solano. I couldn’t see him playing as a right winger in this day as  he didn’t have much pace but I could see him as a central mid in midfield three. Or a Laurent Robert. Would he play as a left sided player in a three prong attack? 
 

did we play 443 under Sir Bobby? Where did players like that fit in? 
 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by Astroblack

[gjohnson]

15 minutes ago, Astroblack said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question but where do you think certain players would fit in to the new styles of football being played in this day and age. Like a Solano. I couldn’t see him playing as a right winger in this day as  he didn’t have much pace but I could see him as a central mid in midfield three. Or a Laurent Robert. Would he play as a left sided player in a three prong attack? 
 

did we play 443 under Sir Bobby? Where did players like that fit in? 
 

 

 

 

 

We pretty much always did 442 under Robson

[Astroblack]

That’s how I remember it too. I wish we played more dynamic formations like having Ben Arfa in an attacking role instead of playing him as a traditional winger. 

[Exiled in Texas]

I love that Going Home/Local Hero is part of NUFC - its a great tune and builds really well.

 

But how did they get associated?   I know that Knopfler is from Newcastle, but how did that song get linked to NUFC?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

What's going on with the Shearer bollocks in loads of threads?

[Rich]

Good question and handily brings it into yet another one.

[LFEE]

On 22/11/2021 at 19:13, Exiled in Texas said:

I love that Going Home/Local Hero is part of NUFC - its a great tune and builds really well.

 

But how did they get associated?   I know that Knopfler is from Newcastle, but how did that song get linked to NUFC?

Knopfler was born in Glasgow according to my local pub quiz. 

[HaydnNUFC]

1 minute ago, LFEE said:

Knopfler was born in Glasgow according to my local pub quiz. 

 

He was but was brought up in Newcastle.

[Guest HTT II]

Legend or icon though?

[Wullie]

On 19/11/2021 at 08:38, Astroblack said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question but where do you think certain players would fit in to the new styles of football being played in this day and age. Like a Solano. I couldn’t see him playing as a right winger in this day as  he didn’t have much pace but I could see him as a central mid in midfield three. Or a Laurent Robert. Would he play as a left sided player in a three prong attack? 
 

did we play 443 under Sir Bobby? Where did players like that fit in? 

 

I was thinking the other day that it's weird how quickly a back three became so ubiquitous. Seemed to happen almost overnight having been completely out of fashion for ages. I remember Robson trying it once or twice, memorably against Spurs at home where it was a complete fucking disaster.

[Yorkie]

12 minutes ago, Wullie said:

 

I was thinking the other day that it's weird how quickly a back three became so ubiquitous. Seemed to happen almost overnight having been completely out of fashion for ages. I remember Robson trying it once or twice, memorably against Spurs at home where it was a complete fucking disaster.

 

https://www.nufc.com/html/2001-10-21tottenham-h.html

 

He even explains it in the post-match but I can't figure out how that team lined up in a 3-something-something. He says Hughes was on Poyet - presumably in a central position - so God knows which of those remaining out-and-out CBs were playing wing-back roles.