Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: Milan Are Brilliant Jun 17 2011, 11:44 AM

Posted by: Kazdoodle Jun 17 2011, 12:52 PM

Never thought i would see hertha berlin again. Nice to see them back hope they have a better season than the season they got relegated from

Posted by: LaPalma Jun 17 2011, 01:30 PM

Don't particularly like Hertha. When I go to see a game here I usually like to see Union in the 2nd Bundesliga. Great stadium, great fans, great atmosphere. I will though, go to the Olympic stadium in July when Real Madrid is in town to play against Hertha in a friendly. They payed 1,5 million for that match, so I hope for Hertha, that it's going to be a decent game.

Posted by: Milan Are Brilliant Jun 17 2011, 04:20 PM

In Euro's?

Hope for their sake Madrid take some of the stars over to play.

Posted by: LaPalma Jun 17 2011, 07:57 PM

In Euros. Madrid always make a nice profit with their summer friendlies. But Hertha will make some profit as well I think. Sponsors like the Deutsche Bahn paid more than 50% of that sum. And lots of people will watch that match (it's already sold out I guess). So, 70.000 times 15...

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Jun 17 2011, 08:55 PM

Yep, it's a trend. Hajduk of Split in Croatia played the same amount to bring Barcelona for a summer friendly.

Posted by: LaPalma Jun 18 2011, 10:04 AM

Michael ballack is officialy no longer a member of the NT. Löw announced it on thursday. Really weak move by him. Everyone knew right after the WC that he was only waiting for an opportunity to axe Ballack and now he did it, right after the season, just before his vacation, hoping no one would care. Now, Löw has done a great job as coach of our NT, but as a person I can't respect him. Without Ballack the 2000s would have been an even bigger catastrophe for Germany. he should have given him more credit. Löw offered Ballack the friendly against Brazil next fall as farewell. Ballack declined and rightfully so. A man being our most important player for the last decade playing his farewell at a game which was already scheduled last year? Come on...

Posted by: acid911 Jun 18 2011, 10:22 AM

Agreed, LaPalma. I really dislike coaches who think they are the total authority as long as they are in charge of a team. With such power comes a tons of responsibility, who to play, for how long, how to manage the egos and what not. Ballack may officially no longer be a member of the NT, but unofficially he is perhaps the unluckiest guy I have seen in world football right now.

He has had it hard for quite a while now, all the way from missing the 2002 World Cup final, to injuries at key moments, getting robbed in the CL. The guy sure had a burning desire to win a lot, and none of it came to be.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Jun 18 2011, 10:36 AM

I agree, but to an instant.

Isn't Ballack also partially to blame? I think the team also had a renaissance with him not playing in the WC? Correct me if I'm wrong but Ballack is in many ways not an easy person and his effect on the team also isn't just positive. I think Löw is just following the general feel of the team. Also, the German strategy isn't suitable for a injury prone and shabby, slow Ballack. The renaissance happened - partially - because of a fast midfield. Ballack would just slow down things.

Also, there is this Looserkusen mentality. I don't buy into that cr@p, but some people are convinced that once Ballack is out for good, Germany will have better chances in wining actually a final or silverware. You gotta admit, the mans record when it comes to lost titles and finals is almost unbelievable.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Jun 18 2011, 11:24 AM

I just think it's stupid to say you won't pick someone - like Capello's decision with Beckham. What if he scores 20 league goals and they win the league next season because of his performances, is he still not going to call him up? If he's not good enough, don't call him up. But to say you're never going to call someone up for no reason it just makes you seem biased against that person and a total ****.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Jun 19 2011, 08:10 PM

So, what do you guys think of Heynckens, the new Bayern coach? I'm a bit ambivalent. I got fond of van Gaal. I did rate Heynckens but I consider this to be a step back - he's an old coach who not so long ago was their interim coach. I'm really not sure if he's up to the test, the last time he was coaching such a big club was at Real Madrid, and that was long ago...

Posted by: CHU-LIP Jun 19 2011, 08:23 PM

To be honest, even though I rate Van Gaal too, he was far from the perfect coach for Bayern. Them seperating was inevitable. Heynckes is a good coach in my opinion, so I find it a good decision by Bayern.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Jun 19 2011, 08:48 PM

Good coach, that's sure. But is he still top?

Posted by: LaPalma Jun 20 2011, 10:22 AM

I think Heynckes is better than he ever was. He's much more calm, than in his early days. And although he might already be 65 he's still young at heart. Leverkusen played some great football last season and at Bayern with Robben, Ribery, Müller, Schweinsteiger AND Neuer I'm sure Heynckes won't have a problem reclaiming the top spot. And, also very important, he's a very good friends with Uli Hoeneß much unlike van Gaal. And being Ulis friend surely helps a lot.

I wonder how Dortmund will do. With Sahin they lost their most important player to Real Madrid. And what about all the young player like Götze, Großkreutz, Hummels etc. Will they be on top of their game after this very impressing season? For me Dortmund is the only club able to challenge Bayern next year, besides Leverkusen maybe. But then...it's Leverkusen.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Jun 20 2011, 11:31 AM

Well, here's the thing for me:

1) When it comes to Bayern, they still have a very flawed defense. If they even sign Arturo Vidal, they'll have to bring in also another CB as well. Breno sucks, while van Buyten stopped being good long time ago. Badstuber isn't bad, but not good enough, same goes for Contento. They'd need someone from abroad, someone reliable.

Heynckes is a question mark for me, but I get where your optimism is coming from. It may result in something good, the whole story about his appointment. We'll see.

2) Dortmund is a big question mark too for me. They've got Kagawa back (who was instrumental for the first few weeks) and they've signed Perišić who's supposedly very good and talented, even if I watched him a few times and he was awful in every occasion. I think they need one more signing to make up for Sahin's departure. Who? I'm not sure.

3) I don't think Leverkusen can hold on to their previous results. I'd say Schalke or a reformed HSV, even Wolfsburg - all of them have more chances in becoming dangerous to Bayern. Also, I'm very keen to see Gladbach and Stuttgart trying to start a better season then the last one.

Posted by: LaPalma Jun 20 2011, 12:36 PM

1) I agree with what you said. Most of it at least. Badstuber still lacks experience and I think he's got the talent to become a lot better, unlike Contento. Bayern wants to sign Cities Jerome Boateng and I think he'll be a valuable reinforcement for them to his versatility. He can play CB, WB and DM. Plus, Bayern now has Manuel Neuer and he already proofed that he#s the best possible solution to make up for a lawsy defense.

2) I think Ilkay Gündogan is meant to be Sahins replacement. He's been very good at Nürnberg last season and I'm quite sure he can still improve a lot. But he's not a deep lying playmaker like Sahin is, he's a bit more attack-minded. So I'm curious to see if he can live up to his task as new Pirlo-type midfielder.

3)Leverkusens coach Robin Dutt is a guy I really respect. What he did at Freiburg was exceptional. He's a good tactician who knows how to teach young players a thing or two. Schalke is, for me, the biggest question mark in the league. But I think that they won't be able to achieve anything more than a spot in the Euro league. They lost their iconic leader and best player Manuel Neuer. Their still in massive financial trouble and have to get rid of Magaths legacy 8all the crappy players he bought). Gladbach and Stuttgart will probably be mid-table teams next year, which should be a success for Gladbach. Wolfsburg needs a complete refit to fight for a CL-spot again. After the trouble with Diego in the seasons last week I doubt he'll ever play for them again. Or, I hope so.

Posted by: CHU-LIP Jul 4 2011, 10:21 PM

Congratz to Fortuna Düsseldorf for winning the Derby-Cup vs Borussia Mönchengladbach and Alemannia Aachen. I didn't watch Düsseldorf vs Aachen, but I did watch Borussia vs Düsseldorf and Aachen. In both halfs (each game existed of one half) Borussia failed to score drewing 0-0. At least vs Aachen Gladbach won the PK shootout, though that game Aachen dominated ruining lots of goalscoring chances. Against Aachen Gladbach played with Stranzl and Dante in central defense, their starters, so not really good to see all those chances for Aachen.

Talking about Dante: most of his hair is gone! He had a bunch of hair on his head (Felliani-ish). Now it's just short and normal.

Stranzl is an excellent PK taker (both times very convincing). And which I already knew Heimeroth is good in saving PK's, Ter Stegen not so much unfortunality.

Bad display from Borussia.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Jul 4 2011, 11:02 PM

Didn't Dante say he'll cut off his hair if Gladbach stays in Bundesliga?

Posted by: LaPalma Jul 7 2011, 08:24 AM

He did.
Before:



After:

Posted by: kurtsimonw Jul 18 2011, 05:34 PM

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/935424/jerome-boateng-leaves-man-city-to-join-bayern-munich?cc=5739

Posted by: LaPalma Aug 6 2011, 10:47 AM

Dortmund totally dominated yesterdayys opening match of the Budnesliga. Amazing display. It's as if they just play the great football of the last season. Only slightly better. 3-1 against Hamburg and it could easily have been 5-1. Kagawa, Großkreutz and especially 18yo Götze were unstoppable. I swear that this kid, Götze, will become a big star soon. Maybe the most talented German midfielder since Günter Netzer.
Uli Hoeneß was in Dortmund yesterday and he looked a bit scared

Posted by: Milan Are Brilliant Aug 6 2011, 10:49 AM

Do you fancy Dortmund to go and win it again?

Posted by: kurtsimonw Aug 6 2011, 10:53 AM

Who replaced Sahin?

Posted by: LaPalma Aug 6 2011, 11:11 AM

I usually prefer anyone else over Bayern. Don't particularly like Dortmund. They were bankrupt a few years ago and should have been relegated due to this, but they (Klopp as a coach and Zorc as manager) did a great job and built an amazing team and didn't spent big. That I respect.


Ilkay Gündogan. Very talented kid who's been playing a good season for Nürnberg before. Not as good as Sahin but certainly on his way up. Löw recently nominated him for a friendly against Brazil.

Schalke-Stuttgart should be interesting today. Two underachievers from last season which both want to be among the top 5 again. I'm going for Schalke on this. Stuttgarts coach Labbadia is an idiot and the most overrated person in german football.

Posted by: CHU-LIP Aug 6 2011, 12:31 PM

Rightfully so.


Yes. In my opinion they are clear favourites again. After yesterday's game, I can't imagine them not becoming champs again. I can't recall to ever enjoyed a half as much as Dortmund's first half. It was simply amazing, especially Mario Götze. Superstar in the making. It's just sick how good he is for his age, not only yesterday, but also last season. Dortmund plays simply terrific football. It was beautiful. Götze goal with Lewandowski's backflip was wonderful.

Only Bayern has got the potential to avoid them becoming champs again. I don't see it happen, though expect more of them this season obviously. It should be a nice battle between the two. Dortmund are really impressive, just like last season when they proved to do that on a consistent basis which is key for winning the league.


I really don't see Stuttgart finishing top 5. Schalke should though, and I expect them to do so. Since they changed from coach they seem obvious better to me. They should be more consistent now; they have a good squad.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Aug 7 2011, 10:14 AM

Well, I expect at least 2-3 teams to be near the leading duo - Bayern and BVB. But I'd say Bayern will win this championship. Dortmunds football might be amazing, but they still lack some experience. Only truly great teams can pull off a double. Let's see..


To paraphrase LaPalma, Rangnick is one of the most overrated coaches in Germany. I don't think he has made the needed changes. Their defensive line-up is more then problematic, and Rangnick is know as a coach who's start is good but ends up badly.

Fuchs is the only good player they signed. Beside that (and maybe Fährman), Metzelder, Jones, Raul, etc. all present certain problems that will pop-out during this season.


Hey, hey, hey! I respect Netzer very much, but Andi Möller and Thomas Häßler would be my pick!


Why do you think he's an idiot?

I must say, the last 2 years of Bundesliga are a bit different then in the past when it comes to coaches. Some real good young coaches appeared, but they seem to be a bit too serious, boring. I do miss clowns and weirdos like Neururer, Lorant or Mayer.

Posted by: LaPalma Aug 7 2011, 12:18 PM

I think Dortmund plays better football than Bayern (obviously) and they have the more interesting players. And a more suited coach. Bayern is Heynckes first major job since he won the CL with Real in 1998. He was great at Leverkusen, but the environment at Bayern is a different one. In Leverkusen there's no media that questions your every decision, there's not a lot fans either and the management is very calm. At Bayern it's quite the opposite. I think it's the second hardest job after coaching Schalke. I dunno if Heynckes is up to the task.
Klopp on the other hand seems to become better every year. I didn't rate him a lot when he came to Dortmund. For me he was just a mediocre coach being most popular for his appearances on TV as "TV-coach of the nation". But what he did at Dortmund was big. Dortmunds championship last year is one of the very few in Budnesliga history which was won without spending big. Also Klopp and Zorc seem to be great duo. They can do it again, although Bayern won't give away this Meisterschaft as easily as the last one.



I think he's an expert in tactics. One of the best in the world. But he lacks quality when it comes to deal with players as human beings.


True. But I expect a lot from Julian Draxler. Talented kid. Could become the next Olaf Thon. Also, they didn't have any money to sign players.


I thought about Häßler too. He was very talented but his career didn't live up to the hype. That's why I didn't mention him, cause I hope Götze will live up to the hype.



I think Labbadia would be a great waiter in a nice Italian restaurant. But as coach he's a zero. He failed at Darmstadt in the third league and Fürth hired him as coach in the 2nd Budnesliga. He failed as well and Bayer Leverkusen, one of the top clubs in the Bundesliga hired him. Come on! he failed as well and Hamburg, an even bigger club hires him. He fails again and gets another chance at Stuttgart. Sorry, I don't get it...


Mayer wasn't a clown. I once had the honour to meet him and I think he's the most intelligent football coach in the world. Neururer...yeah, he's a clown, but I like him a lot. Miss guys like him, just like I miss players like Effenberg, Scholl or Basler. Todays players are mostly boring professionals.

Posted by: CHU-LIP Aug 7 2011, 03:21 PM

Klopp is a brilliant coach. I have always rated him. He is mostly definitely key in Dortmund's success and amazing display. And I am confident he is capable of becoming champs with Dortmund again.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Aug 7 2011, 03:34 PM

I know. Yet, he's pretty weird, isn't he?

Posted by: CHU-LIP Aug 7 2011, 06:42 PM

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

Igor is his name!

Posted by: kurtsimonw Aug 17 2011, 07:05 PM

Hitzlsperger signs for Wolfsburg on a free. Wish we went in for him, though he'd probably get more chance back home.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Aug 17 2011, 07:10 PM

I'm not sure, kind of uncertain how Magath will find a place for him.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Aug 21 2011, 10:02 AM

So Hamburg have conceeded 10 in 3 games, what's going on!? And didn't Moenchengladbach nearly go down, why the big change with how they're doing?

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Aug 21 2011, 10:12 AM

The big change lies in Lucien Favre's great tactical knowledge and defensive preparations. I remember how he made Hertha look defensively strong. Their attack always did a good job, Bobadilla, Reus, Hanke and Arango are after all not bad players.

As for HSV - they've got a mediocre coach and still a defensive chaos, too many changes and not little consistency. They still have a good or solid team so I wouldn't tip they'll go down that easily this season.

And well, Robbery did their job well, you can't always expect them to be indifferent.

Posted by: CHU-LIP Aug 23 2011, 11:45 AM

cuz Frontzeck sucks

Posted by: William405 Aug 27 2011, 07:10 PM

Leverkuson vs dortmund:2 red cards to both sides,gotze got one of the red cards,he didn't impress me much,and I won't judge since it was my first time seeing him.Shmilzer was awful,and augusto had some bright moments,one of them passing 1 player,then getting past subotic and getting a fouled very close to the box.leverkusen was the better team.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Aug 28 2011, 10:09 AM

So, any comments regarding the Pipi Lahm book?

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Oct 23 2011, 06:05 PM

Just turned on the bayern match. They're down 2 to nothing away to Hannover. What's happenign here?

Posted by: CHU-LIP Oct 23 2011, 06:06 PM

Penalty kick Hannover, red card Boateng... makes an away game tough, doesn't it?

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Oct 23 2011, 06:10 PM

Oh okay..thanks..I don't really now the Bayern lineup too much. I think I've just watched one Bayern game..and they were steamrollering the opposition...so lost interest in their team lineup.

And since I didn't know the lineup, I didn't know who was sent off.

Posted by: Milan Are Brilliant Oct 23 2011, 09:38 PM

Boateng's red looked a bit harsh from first glance.

Posted by: LaPalma Nov 6 2011, 09:21 PM

Yesterday was Uwe Seelers 75th birthday.
Congratulations to one of the best players in the history of German football. The guy who turned down 1,2 million D-Mark offer from Inter (have in mind, that it was 1961), one of the youngest players to ever play for Germany (made his debut at 17) and one of the finest sportsmen ever.
Congratulations, "Uns Uwe"!

Posted by: acid911 Nov 6 2011, 09:37 PM

Nice. Appreciate the heads up, LaPalma!

Posted by: kurtsimonw Nov 6 2011, 09:55 PM

Saw the Bayern game this weekend. What a stupid red card from Tymoshchuk in added time. Horrible tackle.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Nov 20 2011, 12:30 AM

Just watched the Bayern-Dotmund game. Enjoyable stuff, even moreso because of the result. From what I've seen this season, Neuer has not impressed me at all. Very poor goal to conceed as well today, seemed to not realise where he was in the goal.

Posted by: X-Offender Nov 20 2011, 02:00 AM

There was nothing he could about the goal. It was all Boateng's fault.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Nov 20 2011, 10:05 AM

He could've saved it fairly easily in my opinion, there was no power on the shot and it was right next to him. It's clear he had his positioning wrong as he acted as if it was going wide. Boateng was at fault for the shot though, yeah.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Nov 20 2011, 11:02 AM

How much have you seen of Neuer? He surely cannot be blamed for the goal against Dortmund.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Nov 20 2011, 11:19 AM

We'll have to agree to disagree then. A keeper of his level should be getting to that (in my opinion he usually would but his positioning was way off). I'm not blaming him for the goal, the blame is on Boateng, but he should've saved something that close to him at his near post.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Nov 20 2011, 11:22 AM

Yeah, but you can hardly say he's been bad this season. Mostly he has nothing to do, and then when he does get to work, he usually does it good.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Nov 29 2011, 01:33 PM

A Moenchengladbach supporting friend of mine says this is them deciding who gets to take the free kick?



Brilliant if true.

Posted by: X-Offender Nov 29 2011, 04:14 PM

Awesome!

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Dec 25 2011, 11:33 AM

26 goals in 27 matches so far for Huntelaar at Schalke. We should have considered KJH a little more thoroughly I think. The misses we see from Robinho, and to think we crucified Huntelaar for that one miss...

Posted by: William405 Dec 25 2011, 03:05 PM

It was all Leonardo's fault in my opinion.He barely played him,and when he played him it was on the wings which is crazy!I always liked the player,and thought he had potential.The time he saved us against Chievo was it?Scoring two goals,or that amazing one from a far distance.

Posted by: acid911 Dec 25 2011, 04:45 PM

Yup, that was his last goal for us, and probably his most magical. Left footed strike, wham! And yes, I've been following the guy ever since he left us (rarely do I do this), and totally agreed with Fillipo. He didn't cost much, went for round about the same price to Schalke, scored as many goals he could humanly here, and frankly didn't earn that much either. Could (or should) have been the perfect player for us in certain circumstances.

But his position was straight in front of the goal, as a pure poacher. Little did he played there, sadly.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Dec 25 2011, 09:45 PM

It's a sad waste. Something we usually don't do.

Posted by: acid911 Dec 26 2011, 12:32 AM

Again, totally agreed. I don't think (most) any player deserves to be kicked out after just one year. It usually takes that much time to integrate with the team, the new environment, even new language. Who here thinks, Huntelaar (or any new player we sign) knew Italian more than a few words? You can't speak with teammates, you don't get very far.

And any player we ship away within 6 months or 1 year, reflects very, very poorly on the club and it's scouts. Waste!

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Dec 26 2011, 05:26 AM

Absolutely..which is why I'm kind of appreciative that Taiwo has been playing more than one game in a row.

Posted by: acid911 Dec 26 2011, 05:36 AM

You're not the only one, then! I know he's not the second coming of a certain individual, but the guy is not a complete hack either. Susceptible defense, agreed, which can be worked upon by the coaches. Abate wasn't too strong defensively, a while back, but he got there with hard work. The more he plays, the more Taiwo can get his act together.

I don't know when he will leave, but at the very least I want him to score one of his epic long-range goals!

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Jan 5 2012, 06:15 PM

Big news in the Bundesliga: Marco Reus joins Borussia Dortmund in a 17,5 million Euro deal. Poor Gladbach

Posted by: CHU-LIP Jan 5 2012, 07:22 PM

At least it's in Summer... and it's good money for Gladbach. All I hoped for he was finishing the season with VfL

Posted by: kurtsimonw Jan 18 2012, 10:22 PM

He'll get a chance there, whilst he likely would be wasted at Bayern. Good move for Reus. Good signing for Dortmund. Good money for Gladbach. At least that's what my Gladbach supporting friend thinks.

Posted by: CHU-LIP Jan 18 2012, 10:43 PM

I hope Borussia will be able to sign good new midfielders, while not only Marco Reus but also Roman Neustädter will leave at the end of this season. Unfortunality the latter will go for free, contract is expiring, to Schalke.

Obviously Reus is the one carrying Gladbach's attack, but it takes more than 1 player to do so well, and that includes Neustädter. VfL has a nice young midfield. I wonder what midfield they will have next season.

And yeah, Dortmund seems like a safer choice than Bayern, but obviously he went there because it's his youth love; Reus comes from Dortmund afterall. Kagawa may leave now, at least rumours are showing up, Milan included.

Posted by: Jack Bauer Jan 20 2012, 08:46 PM

Neuer

Posted by: kurtsimonw Jan 20 2012, 09:02 PM

What did he do?

Posted by: Jack Bauer Jan 20 2012, 09:08 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fjgi9pABVY

Posted by: acid911 Jan 20 2012, 09:12 PM

Ah, technology. The game's live now and here we are. Pretty stupid/lazy mistake, though.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Jan 20 2012, 09:14 PM

2-0!

Best left back in the World at it again..

Posted by: kurtsimonw Jan 20 2012, 10:02 PM

3-0. Jesus.

Posted by: Jack Bauer Jan 20 2012, 10:07 PM

Bayern's defence sucks.

Posted by: CHU-LIP Jan 20 2012, 10:08 PM

Bayern sucks

Posted by: kurtsimonw Jan 20 2012, 10:23 PM

FT 3-1.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Feb 26 2012, 01:50 PM

Today is yet another chance to reassess Bayern. Playing Schalke, should be fun to watch.

Posted by: X-Offender Mar 17 2012, 07:57 PM

Hertha 0-6 Bayern

With about 23 minutes left to go.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Mar 25 2012, 10:51 AM

Huntelaar scored his 20th and 21st goal for Schalke in the league this season.

As for Bayern, still winning. But to score 20 goals in 3 matches is amazing.

Posted by: acid911 Mar 25 2012, 01:09 PM

Lethal. Two of the best (or at least my favorite) strikers playing in the Budesliga. Hunter and Gomez.


You know these German teams. Run like a military with mechanical efficiency. They're always a force to reckon with, and I don't know what to call a titan like Bayern pulling this feat of 20 goals - amazing or unsurprising.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Mar 25 2012, 01:25 PM

And more stats: Huntelaar scored his 40th goal in his 39th Schalke match.

Posted by: acid911 Mar 25 2012, 01:46 PM

Cheers, man! Amazing. More than a goal a match!

Posted by: Rossoneri7 Mar 25 2012, 02:13 PM

He wasn't on the mark with us, yet that stat says it all.

Posted by: han2503 Mar 25 2012, 02:15 PM

He wasn't at Real either. I don't think he can hack it at a top club, he certainly wouldn't be producing these stats with us

Posted by: acid911 Mar 25 2012, 02:54 PM

He was never allowed to be. Playing at the right and being asked to do stuff he clearly is not best at. But I stil remember all his goals as vividly as humanly possible. The last one in particular, left foot classic bomba from out of the box. Which one us the match, thank you.

It had more to do with our impatience than Huntelaar that saw to the door. One more year, would have settled it.

Posted by: acid911 Mar 25 2012, 02:56 PM

He doesn't have to. Around half of these will do. And you never know, with a strong engine behind him, he could even better it, and get a ratio of 0.6 goals per game. Plus, Real isn't an example to follow. They are pathetic in this regard, anyway, beyond pathetic when it comes to giving time for players to settle down!

Posted by: han2503 Mar 25 2012, 03:17 PM

He only played a couple of games on the right at the end of the season when Pato was injured, by that analysis Pato shouldn't have been played either but that's how it went under Leo.

Posted by: acid911 Mar 25 2012, 03:26 PM

Oh, I've always maintained that. You try and fit players in positions they can give the most in. It's the responsibility of the coach and training staff to figure this out. Unless they are absolute champions who can fit anywhere, then that's okay. But even champions may have a hard first year.

I've always liked Leonardo, and I've always like Huntelaar - but his handling of the Dutch is something that I will always hold against him. And for this reason alone, I am not an inch saddened that we parted ways with the Brazilian. He always preferred Borriello over the Hunter.

Posted by: han2503 Mar 25 2012, 03:29 PM

But Boriello worked in that system while Huntelaar didn't, even when playing in the center. Boriello held up the ball well to bring Dinho into play, that was the entire syste, under Leo. And Huntelaar is just not that kind of player

Posted by: acid911 Mar 25 2012, 04:03 PM

Totally agreed, and that's why I maintain it was a wrong system to begin with. Look where dependence on Boriello ended us. Even Ronaldinho was stupid to play at the comfortable position at the left, instead of more a more hardworking position at the exact center. In essence it never maximized our potential as a team. It was a miracle we ended up 3rd anyway, considering the squad we had at our disposal.

One thing is certain, however: You don't get to more than a goal a match in the German league, do excellent in the Dutch league, earn and keep a place in the Holland National Team for years, do decent enough in the first year at titanic new clubs like Madrid and Milan while being a mediocre player. Even mediocre players survive and thrive in good systems at big clubs. Huntelaar is our loss as a club, Boriello or Gilardino not so much.

I can go on to say that we have never had a better, more lethal pure finisher. He wasn't much good outside the box, but give him a chance inside it, and the guy will bury it 9 times out of 10. He's an Inzaghi without the added frustration, and Inzaghi sometimes requires more than one chances to score. Besides, the Hunter rarely, if ever, gets injured. That's as big a plus for any striker as anything.

Pair Huntelaar in the box, with someone like Tevez or Ibra behind him, and you can score at will. Literally and figuratively. Add his low salary and good-guy nature to the mix, it's a massive win. Trust me, I've followed Huntelaar since his early PSV days, all those years back. And this was one guy who could have given much more.



And with 31 goals for Holland, he is just 9 shy of breaking the all time record for the Oranje. That's impressive enough for someone who does not always start, and only usually comes in dying minutes. Point is, we lost a graceful, prolific talent who could have been here for a few good years, easily.

It's in the all in the past now, so doesn't really matter. But I do hope we do better the next time around, and maximize the potential of the players we sign. That'll do us good as a club.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Mar 27 2012, 12:25 AM

Watching Dortmund highlights. Wow. The quickness and passing of this team is unreal.

Posted by: acid911 Mar 27 2012, 05:05 AM

Very true. German efficiency at it's best, like I said a couple of days back.

Posted by: kurtsimonw Apr 11 2012, 09:57 PM

Dortmund 1-0 Bayern. Including a 87th minute penalty miss from Robben.

Posted by: X-Offender Apr 11 2012, 10:31 PM

His miss a couple of minutes later was even more outrageous.

Posted by: Zed.D Apr 12 2012, 05:08 PM

Just saw the highlights on the sports news. what huge misses by Robben!

Posted by: X-Offender Apr 12 2012, 05:30 PM

He was horrible, like the rest of Bayern. Dortmund are a really good team.

Posted by: Jack Sparrow Apr 12 2012, 05:58 PM

Yup...but too inexperienced and I think that's why they got caught out in Europe. But I think they play some of the fastest football I have seen.

I would have liked Klopp in Milan, except with the kind of hard running he expects we'd have our whole squad in the treatment room by matchday 4.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Apr 13 2012, 10:22 AM

Haha. Klopp is a good coach, but he's very irritating. He's like Andy Roddick.

Posted by: acid911 Apr 13 2012, 08:38 PM

At least they are a country mile better than Bayer Leverkusen. Those freaks gave away 5 goals!

Posted by: X-Offender Apr 13 2012, 08:40 PM

Why should that make you angry?

Posted by: acid911 Apr 13 2012, 09:02 PM

I always get angry when a team gives away a bucketful of goals. I love defending, partly as an art, and partly as as science (mostly art), but when a team, any team bends over like this, they fall down in my eyes like no other. Maybe smaller teams can get away with it, very smaller ones, level B or C clubs. But not professional ones.

And surely not teams that play in Europe. If you aren't scoring goals, the least you can do is try and prevent the opponent from scoring them. Or at least minimize them with good, solid, water tight defending. But if you can't even do that, then I'll start doubting that teams footballing credentials. Just like I doubt Roma. And Arsenal.

Surely, any team is bound to have a bad day at the office, but this bad?! Just get your thick heads together, and defend, goddammit. Show some urgency, show the people watching you care. For me a 0-3 defeat is as bad as it gets, meaning you are totally and hopelessly outclassed. Anything more is a murder. Cold-blooded murder.

Posted by: X-Offender Apr 13 2012, 09:07 PM

But why should you care? They're not your team. Regardless of your love of defending and all, it doesn't affect you nor the team you support in any way possible. I always take defeats like that with a laugh.

Posted by: acid911 Apr 13 2012, 09:27 PM

I don't have a team, Milan are the closest to what I call almost being a fan. I don't even have a favorite player anymore, at least none that currently plays. The 5 I liked retired, and the club I was a fan of stopped being that club after Kaka, Maldini and Carlo left. And Brazil is another thing, but they too have more than a few thugs in disguise as players. Still, I watch Brazil NT matches anytime I can.

You can say that I've evolved. Outgrown the sports a bit maybe, yes. Your case is different, I've seen the highs of the past, and the present does not compare. So it's uninteresting to me. Even if we do win the CL next somehow, it still will not match the 2007 triumph for me, which will not match the loss at 2005, which will further not match the win in 2003 (that one was sweet). And so on.

Point being, I like the sports for what it stands. Little more than that now. I do like watching quite a few names, and always like seeing quality stuff on display, some tough neck-to-neck affairs, fair play, champion sportsmanship. That for me is the beauty of the game, and what sports stand (or stood for) in general. And I struggle to get that out of my head.

Granted you don't see that quite often now, what with the falling standards, but hey, I'm not complaining. Much. This new football is a dirty, dirty affair. And almost as worse is the falling standards in all departments. Give me one goalkeeper that can touch the heights of a Buffon or Oliver Khan. None come close.

Same goes for most strikers and midfielder. Can you see how much of a dearth (oh, I love using this word) we have now of really visionary playmakers. It used to be a glut a few years back. What we have now are either mechanical and military (like Emanusleon, or the type that Allegri likes), or the real creative ones are lazy basturds.

And so I do care, when I see teams like Leverkusen being clueless during a match. It's a small nail in the coffin for me when it comes to footballing standards. And it hurts like a small nail too. I mean, if we, with a weak, weak team hold Barcelona to 0-0 and go there without our first choice midfield, attack and more importantly defense, and hold them to 1 goal (those two penalties don't count for me), then Leverkusen should be doing better.

Long rant, I know, but that's that. It's the falling standards of the game that irks me the most. And I blame commercialism and the glut of money for it. Pretty soon the spirit of the sports will die (if it hasn't already), and I am not sure I'll be watching it as much then. Just like cricket after the advent of the money making events like IPL and Twenty20.

Posted by: TriniKing_CE May 6 2012, 12:37 AM

Posted by: acid911 May 6 2012, 08:34 AM

What a way to follow up after my gigantic post above, Trini. Boy, sure does look chaotic!

Posted by: Fillipo Simone May 6 2012, 10:51 AM

Huntelaar scores 28 goals + 11 assists. Bundesliga top, he has to get another chance at a top club.

Posted by: X-Offender May 6 2012, 11:00 AM

Wow, 11 assists as well? That's pretty impressive.

Posted by: acid911 May 6 2012, 11:48 AM

Sadly, I am afraid that time has come and gone. Him and Milan could have worked rather well, if we deployed him as a pure finisher, and worked a system to get the best from him (and most of our players). But for that you need a forward-thinking and accommodating coach with more than a few ounces of brain.

Anyway, he had all the attributes to be a cost-effective solution: Easy on the wage bill, injury free, team man, no attitude problems, and a darn good finisher. All said, from a promising prospect in Ajax to a Real Madrid discard (we all know how that goes) to someone who was not allowed proper space to really prosper at Milan, and then at Shcalke. That's no way to round up a career, unlucky for a player of his talents (if not caliber).

More so when you consider a dud mercenary like Borriello is playing (and about to win a league) with Juventus.


Aye, needless to say, him, Gomez, Robben and Schweinsteiger are my favorite players in the German league, by far. Huntelaar played all his part in getting Schalke closer to the UEFA Cup final, but they just faltered at absolutely the wrong time. Still, I hope he gets even better from here, the Schalke fans totally adore him.

Oh, and last I checked it was 29 goals in 32 league games this season for him, and 48 (in 48 matches) in all competition for Schalke. That's a goal a game average, in a tough, physical league like Bundesliga.

Posted by: han2503 May 6 2012, 07:28 PM

Huntelaar should stay where he is. He won't be able to cut it at a top club, certainly not in his first season. He needs time to adjust and most big clubs don't have the patience to wait for him to come good.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone May 6 2012, 10:43 PM

So sad. We often give people more then enough time, sad we missed this one out.

Posted by: acid911 May 7 2012, 11:58 AM

Totally agree. Not that I am saying he was the second coming of Ronaldo or a Messi in disguise, but he was/is a darn good player. Someone who I did see playing for us 4-6 years, easy. You just create a chance, and Huntelaar is someone you can count on to put it away. Thanks to his eye for goal and instinctive abilities.

So sad we have a serial misser like Robinho playing and starting for us (and you all know how much I support Brazil NT), and talentless hacks like Abate, Bonera, Emanuelson and whatnot wearing our shirts. But a genuine quality player who had the potential to be great was wasted and discarded in less than a year.

And before someone says, no Schalke is no small club, it's just not big, but 3rd place in the German league is good enough. CL entry, reasonable good team and pretty good display of football all round from them.

Posted by: Zed.D May 12 2012, 08:48 PM

Dortmund humiliating Bayern.
5-2 so far.

Ribery gave them some hope with a fantastic goal, but Neuer ruined it with a big howler.

Chelsea can hope.

Posted by: acid911 May 12 2012, 08:50 PM

Not really, they got stuffed too by Liverpool a few days back. So it's all even, right down the middle.

Posted by: kurtsimonw May 12 2012, 08:53 PM

Lewandowski having a beast year.

Posted by: Zed.D May 12 2012, 08:53 PM

Before or after they beat Liverpool in the FA cup final?

Posted by: Jack Bauer May 12 2012, 08:59 PM

Bayern are Dortmund's b!tch.

Posted by: kurtsimonw May 12 2012, 09:01 PM

Chelsea weren't even trying, they rested pretty much everyone. Bayern put out their best XI for this I think?

Posted by: X-Offender May 12 2012, 09:01 PM

Oh, damn, I didn't know the Super Cup was on today.

Posted by: acid911 May 12 2012, 09:05 PM

Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it. Both results could hurt both teams, but then again, the final will be a fresh match and obviously both Bayern and Chelsea have enough experience players to put these last few weeks behind and make it a fresh match.

Personally, I can't decide who to root for, both are good teams. Though I do believe the Germans will be tough.

Posted by: Zed.D May 12 2012, 09:07 PM

So they were like "come beat our 2nd team, we beat you in the FA cup anyway" knowing it's better to focus on the CL final than on the league in hope of a CL spot next season, right?

Posted by: kurtsimonw May 12 2012, 09:12 PM

Pretty much. For them to get top 4 they'd have needed 2 of Spurs/Newcastle/Arsenal to not win any of their remaining games - None of them won their first games, but what're the chances that happens again?

They just rested everyone to make sure they get no more injuries to add to the suspensions for the Final that they already have.

Posted by: X-Offender May 12 2012, 10:28 PM

Bayern dominated Madrid at the Bernabeu, and they're playing at home. Logically, they should beat Chelsea no problemo. But a final is a final, and I can just as well see Chelsea winning it. It will surely be an interesting game.

Posted by: kurtsimonw May 12 2012, 10:32 PM

One man that, on his day (which seems to be big games), can destroy any defender he wants. Bayern have no centre backs that're even of high quality so I don't see how they cope with him..

Posted by: X-Offender May 12 2012, 10:34 PM

Hotlinking is bad... Mmmkay?

But I guess you're talking about Drogba.

Posted by: kurtsimonw May 12 2012, 10:38 PM

Yep.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone May 13 2012, 01:15 PM

Bayerns problem is the defense and the lack of a good DM. Van Gaal's persistence for endless passes and possession still is a main characteristic of the team, yet with the lack of van Bommel they find it hard to keep the passes safe. That's why they lost and will lose to Dortumund in the near future. BVB are just deadly in attack, while the sub-quality CB's can't do much.

Posted by: X-Offender May 13 2012, 01:36 PM

By that theory, they must also have lost twice to Madrid, who have probably the deadliest attack at the moment. But against the Spaniards, Bayern's players gave their all. They really wanted that final and it showed. Perhaps they weren't as much motivated last night, though I didn't watch the game.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone May 13 2012, 01:50 PM

Not necessarily. Sometimes it works, on a good day Bayern can beat anyone because they have all offensive tools at hand. But defensively? Neuer proved more then once he isn't always predictable and safe, a bit like Dida. Badstuber and Boateng are an inadequate pairing in the middle. Luiz Gustavo isn't the DM Bayern needs.

On a good day those characteristics and up being overshadowed by the positive ones. But in general, the CB pairing and the DM position is a vulnerable spot.