arsedoc md wrote:

The lone Indian footballer who I think tried out for an english club for half a season -bhaichung bhutia...for FC Bury.

Is he famous in India?
I posted this a week ago and he was not in the Bury team according to their website.

Muswell Hill Gooner wrote:

https://www.buryfc.co.uk/teams/first-team/

In days gone by,when we only watched world cup football every 4 years, before espn brought in EPL to India, Football=bhaichung bhutia and bhaichung bhutia=football.

He is. He has more international goals than Messi and second only to Ronaldo amongst active players 😆

That's the PR around him everytime he scores.

Some real beauties among those goals as well. You can't help but like him, just his face makes him look like the kindest footballer you'll ever see.

Vela:
"I was really close [to joining Barca]," Vela told BS The podcast. "In the second month of my holiday, I had a pina colada in hand and my agent called me to say: 'Listen, Barcelona are calling you.

"They want you to play for four months and then you can go back to Los Angeles.' I said to him: 'Just say yes, I don't care about money or anything. I'm going to start training tomorrow. Give me two weeks to get my fitness up.'"

😆

How the fuck was Ronaldo even nominated for this?

Thoughts with Luis Enrique who lost his daughter to cancer, aged 9.

Klaus wrote:

How the fuck was Ronaldo even nominated for this?

These award are laziness.
Ronaldo won a scudetto and the European Carling Cup of Nations, putting on a fine display. That was enough for the voters who tend to be driven by prime time to include him.
On the winner. I think this guy is a really really good defender. But I watch Pool and admire what Klopp has done with the system. A large part of VVD’s myth is driven by the effectiveness of Pool’s attack and team defense. And pundits always overindex his offensive contributions because ‘goals’. So I think he’s good. But is he the best player in Europe? Far from it. Not even top 2 on his own team.

That is so wrong by any objective measure.
There is no VVD myth and it's hard to take anyone who says that seriously.
He was the same at Southampton and that's why Liverpool went as far as tapping him up.
He has been Liverpool's most important and most consistent player from the moment he joined, it's not even close.
Salah, their next best player, went through a poor patch last season when they threw away a potential 10 point lead over City!
Klopp had won nothing till he got him now he has the Champions League and the Super Cup.
This is what made him the favourite for the award and the only other player i could make a case for is Messi but he loses as VVD knocked him out of the Champions League which has been the criteria used to justify all the recent Ronaldo wins.

It's a bit silly that the Champions league is now the deciding factor in who gets the award. At any rate, I don't really mind since it changes things up - most people know that if it was given on talent, Messi would win it every single year but that's not compelling viewing.

That's true and i gave up arguing when seeing them vote for Ronaldo year after year when clearly behind Messi's influence and stats.

Jed wrote:

Thoughts with Luis Enrique who lost his daughter to cancer, aged 9.

Just read that. Genuinely heart breaking

Yeah just terrible. I can't fathom the pain of losing a child.

4 days later

😆

Gotta love how Gasperini isn't even on there after transforming Atalanta and taking them into Champions League on a negative budget. Name me one manager who did a better job in Italy last year.

Ole's at the wheel 😆

Great news for United. Ole is only two spots below Poch, United may as well keep him, not worth upgrading.

...aside from the fact Solskjaer, Kovac and Loptegui are on there.

Not a particularly convincing list.

Don Pacifico wrote:

...aside from the fact Solskjaer, Kovac and Loptegui are on there.

Not a particularly convincing list.

Kovac has actual credentials unlike the other two idiots.

Garbage list. I probably had ten coaches myself who were all better than Ole

Bold Tone wrote:

8: Brenton  😆

Gonna get Leicester top four this season...

I do love the headline though - 'Emery close to rock bottom'. In a list of 20 coaches. At 14th.

Conte should be higher. A proper manager, a little underrated.

Captain wrote:

I do love the headline though - 'Emery close to rock bottom'. In a list of 20 coaches. At 14th.

A list of the top 20 coaches 😆

That list doesn’t warrant commenting. At least not more than this

Emre Can absolutely furious after being left out of Juve's UCL squad. He has went from a Liverpool first choice to Juventus 7th choice CM behind Pjanic, Khedira, Bentacur, Rabiot, Ramsey, Matuidi.

Mandzukic also misses out as Juve only have space for 7 attacking players.

He's rightfully furious. Apparently he sad no to PSG because he was told he'd be in the squad.

I feel really bad for him as, for all his faults (and they are inexcusable) i've never really disliked him.

He's definitely better than Ibra

Euro U21 Qualifier (KO 1845 GMT)

Turkey U21 2-3 England U21 | LIVE |
2 Eddie Nketiah goals
Reiss Nelson with the third goal 30 secs later

Eddie's second:

Betting on Eddie to score in every game has earned me a ton of cash this season already. Odds are always much higher than betting on the result and it has a success rate of like 80 percent. Free money for anyone interested until the bookies catch on.

Klaus wrote:

Eddie's second:

Lovely goal, what a first touch.....it essentially negates the goalie because Eddie can shoot to either side.

I'd be furious if I was that RB/RW's coach, how clueless can you be that you needed to get back?

Ex-academy lad Malen scores after coming off bench for Netherlands against Germany. Could well be the winner.

Germany really is Netherland's bitch these days.

Nketiah is good enough to start in the premier league.