Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

Good to see that, unlike in F1, the governing body is fair and punishes even the biggest teams. Football is a clean game (nowadays to excess actually, IMO), and players need to start learning to control themselves.

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

Well, looks like Blackburn ran out of patience with Mr Ince: Link

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

How do clubs expect to get anywhere if they sack a manager after half a season. managers need time to build their teams like manchester united did with fergi and now liverpool have done the same with rafa.

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

That only works if you have the right manager to begin with. Benitez had won the league and done well in Europe with Valencia before joining Liverpool, and Ferguson is still the last non-Old Firm manager to win the SPL, and I think the last manager to win a European trophy with a Scottish side. Both came to England with proven track records. Ince had a few seasons in League 2.

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

yeah thats a good point, it would be good if young managers were given a few seasons like southgate has had at middlesborough to build a team but i dont think its gonna happen.

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

The thing is you can't give managers time, due to how bad relegation is. If Ince carried on much longer, Blackburn wouldn't have been in a repairable position. Same with Spurs. Few people actually wanted Wendy gone, but had he stayed until January or later, I don't think we could have saved the season regardless who we brought in.

The gap between the two leagues is massive and getting larger. The drop can cost club so much in lost millions that they have to sell players, etc, that has a cascading effect.

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

Remember for the first couple of seasons United struggled like hell to perform with Ferguson, from what I have heard he was a cigarette paper away from being sacked, but I am willing to bet United are sure glad they stuck with him.

Nowadays I think there is a prevalent culture to blame managers of football teams, and not enough blame for bad performances fall on the players that are often just as much at fault IMO

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

Blackburn finally appoint the manager I thought they should have gone for in the first place, Sam Allardyce! LINK

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

Champions league draw:

Chelsea v Juventus
Villarreal v Panathinaikos
Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v Porto
Lyon v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Arsenal v Roma
Inter Milan v Manchester United

The English clubs had to get the hardest matches....

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

UEFA CUP LAST 32 DRAW

Paris St Germain v Wolfsburg
FC Copenhagen v MANCHESTER CITY
NEC Nijmegen v Hamburg
Sampdoria v Metalist Kharkiv
Braga v Standard Liege
ASTON VILLA v CSKA Moscow
Lech Poznan v Udinese
Olympiakos v St Etienne
Fiorentina v Ajax
Aalborg v Deportivo La Coruna
Werder Bremen v AC Milan
Bordeaux v FC Galatasaray
Dynamo Kiev v Valencia
Zenit St Petersburg v VfB Stuttgart
Marseille v FC Twente
Shakhtar Donetsk v TOTTENHAM

UEFA CUP ROUND OF 16 DRAW

Werder Bremen/AC Milan v Olympiakos/St Etienne
ASTON VILLA/CSKA Moscow v Shakhtar Donetsk/TOTTENHAM
Lech Poznan/Udinese v Zenit St Petersburg/VfB Stuttgart
Paris St Germain/Wolfsburg v Braga/Standard Liege
Dynamo Kiev/Valencia v Sampdoria/Metalist Kharkiv
FC Copenhagen/MANCHESTER CITY v Aalborg/Deportivo La Coruna
Marseille v FC Twente v Fiorentina/Ajax
NEC Nijmegen/Hamburg v Bordeaux v FC Galatasaray

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

Manchester City are weighing up an approach to West Ham for £7m-rated Welsh striker Craig Bellamy. (Daily Mail)

Strange move by Hughes. Surely Ronaldo, Torres, Kaka and Villa wont all be able to start with Bellamy being there :confused: :D

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

I know that it's a slightly false position because of Man U having a couple of games in hand, but Villa in 3rd :shocked:

MO'Ns claret and blue army march on :)

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

I think it would be good to get a new team into the top four this season and well done to Villa for a great season so far. Would love to se you get fourth and Arsenal fifth :D

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

Now officially Champions on England, Europe and now the World :D

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...td/7793438.stm

Of course, if we'd lost it would just be a Mickey-mouse cup :D

Re: Football : Season 08/09
 

Shame about Swansea only managing a draw against Blackpool yesterday - still the play-offs aren't out of reach and I'm still hoping we make it to the premiership by May :)