Euro Division LXVII

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Enrique & J from 5ive League
 
FC WHU Do You Think You Are - Gregers
 
Bilbao - Afro
 
Would you dance, if Ajax you to dance? - Sodhat
 
Southampton FC - Marky
 
PSV - CF
 
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista - Nando                                                                              
 
Lille - Trebs
 
Glad t'be bach - Hero
 
FC Basel - Viva
 
FC ZwagAtletico - Zinedine_Ze_Zebra
 
The Nodge - Olly
 
Fool 'em FC - Azzy

Well played markles sparkles

And to whoever says it every week... 

I will be improving my defense when I have the money, due to injuries have had to improve everywhere else first!

Gregers wrote:Well played markles sparkles

And to whoever says it every week... 

I will be improving my defense when I have the money, due to injuries have had to improve everywhere else first!

Thanks, happy to win although could have very easily been a draw.

I just don't see what was so special about Zidane. Scored a few spectacular goals, so what? So did Matt Le Tissier. Le Tiss made the game look easier, was tackled less, and contributed far more to his side than Zidane ever did. He was a glorified Scholes, good at passing, took advantage of poor defences, and everyone thought it was cool to get on board the 'Zidane is great' train.

I'd rather have Totti at his peak than ZZ at his peak, for sure.

Which defences did he take advantage of that were so poor?

He had everything, first touch, vision, could dribble, head, hit a dead ball, pass, volley etc etc.

I'm not sure how you define special if Zidane isn't.

I just posted a paragraph on the old page but someone had to close it without warning and it didn't post.

Zidane's first touch? Nowhere near as good as Messi, Ronaldo, Ozil, countless others.

Vision? Even Manu Petit had that.

Dribbling, plenty can do that.

Heading, I never saw much of that from him.

Free kicks, yawn, Baines would destroy him.

Passing, average. Not in the top 10 of his generation.

Volleying, wow, one big goal. Big deal. Di Canio says hi.

If you're defining special needs, then yes, Zidane falls nicely under that category. He was one of the most unprofessional louts the game has ever seen. Who headbutts a man in the WCF? Sent off at 2 WCs, was anonymous in 2002, 3 reds at Bordeaux, 5 with Juventus, and 2 at Madrid. Even Roy Keane got less in his career

Soddy you were too young to watch Zidane, you have been brainwashed into thinking he is better then he actually was.

I used to watch Zidane during Football Italia on Channel 4 on a Saturday and Sunday. He was a fine player but someone who was hailed as the greatest of his generation he drifted in and out of games far too much. 

I don't get the hype with him, he did make things look easy and magical and very artistic but he wouldn't control a game long enough or dictate the flow. Totti was a far better player, he was a true king if it wasn't for loyalty he would be hailed as the greatest.

Okay so Totti also has 12 red cards in his career, let's call them equals

Azzy Mahmood wrote:Zidane's first touch? Nowhere near as good as Messi, Ronaldo, Ozil, countless others.

Vision? Even Manu Petit had that.

Dribbling, plenty can do that.

Heading, I never saw much of that from him.

Free kicks, yawn, Baines would destroy him.

Passing, average. Not in the top 10 of his generation.

Volleying, wow, one big goal. Big deal. Di Canio says hi.

I think you're missing my point. He could do all of those things brilliantly. There may have been some better at each one, but for a total package then Zidane is exceptional.

CMs I consider better than Zidane:

Scholes
Keane
Vieira
Xavi
Iniesta
Fabregas
Gerrard
Mulumbu
Pirlo
Schweinsteiger
Y Toure
Totti

At the very least.

sodhat wrote:I think you're missing my point. He could do all of those things brilliantly. There may have been some better at each one, but for a total package then Zidane is exceptional.

I understand your point mate. You think Zidane was a God amongst men, that he could do all that at a high level. I disagree. You need to add in temperament, leadership, consistency, pace, commitment, guts, character, teamwork. Add those in, and he's much less of a player. It's adding in the negative side of his game that makes the likes of Scholes and Xavi really stand out in comparison. Zidane had a disgusting temperament, was a poor leader on the pitch, wanted to do it all himself rather than help his teammates, was very inconsistent, lacked spine, and never went in for 50/50 challenges like Scholes and Gerrard did. Or even Iniesta.

Zidane's first touch? Nowhere near as good as Messi, Ronaldo, Ozil, countless others. Are you joking, Zidane's first touch and close control was as good as any of those.
 
Vision? Even Manu Petit had that. C'mon, so there is no different levels of vision!
 
Dribbling, plenty can do that. Anichebe can hold the ball up. Does that make him as good as Drogba
 
Heading, I never saw much of that from him. Plenty of it. A good proportion of his goals were headers, including in a World Cup final
 
Free kicks, yawn, Baines would destroy him. Mmm, I'm not sure Baines would.
 
Passing, average. Not in the top 10 of his generation. Now you are just talking nonsense
 
Volleying, wow, one big goal. Big deal. Di Canio says hi. I give up
 
was anonymous in 2002 - that is partially true, although wasn't he suspended for the first two games and in the third, France were already out?

Azzy Mahmood wrote:

sodhat wrote:I think you're missing my point. He could do all of those things brilliantly. There may have been some better at each one, but for a total package then Zidane is exceptional.

I understand your point mate. You think Zidane was a God amongst men, that he could do all that at a high level. I disagree. You need to add in temperament, leadership, consistency, pace, commitment, guts, character, teamwork. Add those in, and he's much less of a player. It's adding in the negative side of his game that makes the likes of Scholes and Xavi really stand out in comparison. Zidane had a disgusting temperament, was a poor leader on the pitch, wanted to do it all himself rather than help his teammates, was very inconsistent, lacked spine, and never went in for 50/50 challenges like Scholes and Gerrard did. Or even Iniesta.

Scholes never went into 50-50s. If he slid in it was 95-5 and he fouled the bloke.

But I'm not going to elongate the argument for the sake of it, we rate him differently. I'm going on football talent only, I hold no grudges against a questionable temperament.

Afro wrote:Zidane's first touch? Nowhere near as good as Messi, Ronaldo, Ozil, countless others. Are you joking, Zidane's first touch and close control was as good as any of those.
 
Vision? Even Manu Petit had that. C'mon, so there is no different levels of vision!
 
Dribbling, plenty can do that. Anichebe can hold the ball up. Does that make him as good as Drogba
 
Heading, I never saw much of that from him. Plenty of it. A good proportion of his goals were headers, including in a World Cup final
 
Free kicks, yawn, Baines would destroy him. Mmm, I'm not sure Baines would.
 
Passing, average. Not in the top 10 of his generation. Now you are just talking nonsense
 
Volleying, wow, one big goal. Big deal. Di Canio says hi. I give up
 
was anonymous in 2002 - that is partially true, although wasn't he suspended for the first two games and in the third, France were already out?

He wasn't suspended, he was injured. He only played in the third game because they had to win so they carted him out. Their hope was they could rest him until the quarters and then bring him in.

Azzy Mahmood wrote:CMs I consider better than Zidane:

Scholes
Keane
Vieira
Xavi
Iniesta
Fabregas
Gerrard
Mulumbu
Pirlo
Schweinsteiger
Y Toure
Totti

At the very least.

How about Scholes+

Afro wrote:was anonymous in 2002 - that is partially true, although wasn't he suspended for the first two games and in the third, France were already out?

Injured for the first two, then rushed back and unfit for the third game as France still had a small chance of progressing. If I remember correctly. None of that was his fault though.

That Pele was rubbish at the Euros in 2012 as well, well overrated.

Marky wrote:

Afro wrote:was anonymous in 2002 - that is partially true, although wasn't he suspended for the first two games and in the third, France were already out?

Injured for the first two, then rushed back and unfit for the third game as France still had a small chance of progressing. If I remember correctly. None of that was his fault though.

It is his fault, Marky.

A stronger character, leader, and man would have paid for a bionic leg to replace his injured one.

Anyone read Roy Keane's autobiography from 2001?

Azzy Mahmood wrote: Zidane had a disgusting temperament, was a poor leader on the pitch, wanted to do it all himself rather than help his teammates, was very inconsistent, lacked spine, and never went in for 50/50 challenges like Scholes and Gerrard did. Or even Iniesta.

Now you are just making things up. He had a fiery temperament, but all those things you label him wuth are complete rubbish. His hot headed'ness aside, his temperament was fine. He was a superb leader and a team player for both France and for Real, hence why Real have kept him in a leadership role. Inconsistent? Lacked spine and never went in for 50/50s?

Please stop making things up.

VivaPaulScholes wrote:Anyone read Roy Keane's autobiography from 2001?

The FA did.

VivaPaulScholes wrote:Anyone read Roy Keane's autobiography from 2001?

Only four words of it. The four he said to Alfie Haaland

The arguments are a bit like saying Messi is rubbish because he can't dribble, can't control a ball and does not score enough goals.

sodhat wrote:

VivaPaulScholes wrote:Anyone read Roy Keane's autobiography from 2001?

The FA did.

Haha they sure did.

Anyway in his book he says that Jaap Stam struggled against the world class strikers such as Raul. Now I'd understand if he was on about Johnsen or Berg but Stam is rated highly by fans and managers. Ferguson even regretted selling him and Keane also in the book said selling stam was a mistake so he did rate him but not as highly as me or many others did.

I sometimes wonder if Azzy is Roy Keane. They have the same bullishness to their opinions and they both flash a temper. And they both know Adrian Chiles...

Both hate Utd too.

Right boys anybody got a CB available

Toby is if you make it worth my while.

And they both think Keane is better than Zidane.

It adds up.

Azzy Mahmood is actually an anagram for Roy Keane if you change most of the letters.

Afro wrote:

Azzy Mahmood wrote: Zidane had a disgusting temperament, was a poor leader on the pitch, wanted to do it all himself rather than help his teammates, was very inconsistent, lacked spine, and never went in for 50/50 challenges like Scholes and Gerrard did. Or even Iniesta.

Now you are just making things up. He had a fiery temperament, but all those things you label him wuth are complete rubbish. His hot headed'ness aside, his temperament was fine. He was a superb leader and a team player for both France and for Real, hence why Real have kept him in a leadership role. Inconsistent? Lacked spine and never went in for 50/50s?

Please stop making things up.

Like I say, this is based on watching about 100 or so of his games. I never once saw him go in for a challenge he wasn't guaranteed to win. He may have worn an armband, but he never raised his teams up to his level. Never improved players around him either, unlike Messi or Ronaldo. He just looked so good because he forced the play to come through him, rather than improving the sides he played for.

That France team should have won more than it did.

Ronaldo improves others around him?

I think Ronaldo improves Ronaldo and couldn't care less about those around him.

Thoughts on the signing of Eric Durm? Getting games recently for Dortmund and can play either fullback role.

Like him a lot hero, good spot

I need to sign CBS... But want to sign anew midfielder!

Hero wrote:Thoughts on the signing of Eric Durm? Getting games recently for Dortmund and can play either fullback role.

He's got a funny last name

Olly wrote:

Hero wrote:Thoughts on the signing of Eric Durm? Getting games recently for Dortmund and can play either fullback role.

He's got a funny last name

Says Mr Inwards.

Hero wrote:

Olly wrote:

Hero wrote:Thoughts on the signing of Eric Durm? Getting games recently for Dortmund and can play either fullback role.

He's got a funny last name

Says Mr Inwards.

 Pfft  

Mervyn King has already let me down on my accy tonight.

Olly wrote:

Hero wrote:

Olly wrote:

Hero wrote:Thoughts on the signing of Eric Durm? Getting games recently for Dortmund and can play either fullback role.

He's got a funny last name

Says Mr Inwards.

 Pfft  

Mervyn King has already let me down on my accy tonight.

Safe pair of hands for the Bank of England though, wasn't he?

Looking for domestic deals, basically to improve defence and striker.

FAQs:

Would you sell Eriksen?
Yes, but the offer would have to be large and weighted for me.

I need winger & forward. Willing to trade people  

I was made depressed by what my friend sent me earlier. Will make you feel old

A piece of cake for anyone who can tell me what show this lady is from  

Spoiler:

I have no idea, but I would.

I want to eat it.

I just googled who she is because I'm clever and I quoted your post to see the link in case the name was there.

It was.

I was worried briefly that I'd pulled a Saville, but we're ok. She's at least 17.

sodhat wrote:I just googled who she is because I'm clever and I quoted your post to see the link in case the name was there.

It was.

I was worried briefly that I'd pulled a Saville, but we're ok. She's at least 17.

I make her out to be 15 or 16 depending on what month was born  

#JimmySavilleJr

Fernando wrote:

sodhat wrote:I just googled who she is because I'm clever and I quoted your post to see the link in case the name was there.

It was.

I was worried briefly that I'd pulled a Saville, but we're ok. She's at least 17.

I make her out to be 15 or 16 depending on what month was born  

#JimmySavilleJr

Nah, she was the baby in Teletubbies, that ran from 97 to 01. That makes her at least 16 because one assumes she had been physically born by that stage and they weren't pioneering in-womb acting.

I figure she's 17.

  Id go with 16 tbh seems more likely.

That picture is far more comforting than the one I encountered on Facebook last night.

I was randomly browsing when suddenly I saw the profile of what has to be a mental patient, in a West Brom shirt and his face painted in the colours of the Belgian flag....

Was it Roy Keane?

Anybody else think Jack Wilshere has really offended 5 year olds?

Gareth Barry thoughts?

I'm reconverted. During his Villa and early City days I thought he was a really good player and did a lot of the work to let the flair players play.

I did think he had lost it a little bit to be honest, but with his start for us, I have been proved wrong and he has been excellent so far