The Official EURO 2012 thread

[Steed Train]

Rather than picking names, a manager for a national team should pick players that not only are in form, but also base his selection on what roles they have in their club team. You don't pick an attacking wing back and tell him to only do defensive work. You don't have a midfield pairing of Lampard and Gerrard. You don't put a central midfielder on the wing because he works hard. You pick a balanced squad of players that gives you the option to play different tactics without having to spend weeks practising them.

What? Where am I? Oh, it was just a dream.

Exactly! Which is obviously why Martin Kelly and Jordan Hender.........

It does tinkle me off, our first 11 every tournament looks like its been picked by a 10 year old from Europe who's analysis goes as far as the EPL headlines in their national paper.

 

[thfcsteff]

It's amazing what you can do with disproportionate wages and nobungstoagentswhatsoeverforlegalreasons.

Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story Scara...


...and certainly don't add how the wages of said-assembled helped cripple Pompey...

 

[ArcspacE]

Not only Pompey!

 

[thfcsteff]

Skrtel is a brilliant centre back, and has just had a fantastic season.

Personally I think he's a liability but obviously I don't see him week in, week out...I just wonder whether you really need two psychotic thugs at CB, or just one and a calm fella...?

 

[Leeds Spur]

I thought that was an excellent Portsmouth squad he put together with the money he had (which wasn't nothing, but wasn't huge either).

Eh? He bankrupted them

 

[elltrev]

I agree. 4 at the back and a lone striker, that makes it 5 midfielders and most of the time any of those 4-x-1 formations will be 4-5-1 when defending against anyone good. Even when attacking it will vary more with players selected like you say and game flow.

VolSpur: It would seem like it, again with the assumption that 4-5-1 = 4-3-3 = 4-2-3-1 = 4-4-1-1. Although that is a bit of a simplification. Most teams go for a central trio to stem the opponents, at least against good teams and 4-4-2 and other formations tend to be more for special occasions like when in desperate need of a goal these days.

I agree that it's a bit pointless to start debating exactly what different formations should be called, given that they're all fluid and a variation on a theme, but I would say that 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 are significantly (albeit only slightly) different to 4-2-3-1 / 4-4-1-1.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

Harry didnt bankrupt Pompey. The Pompey board did.

Perhaps they had to much faith in Harrys ability to manage budgets as well as players, its unclear as to where the lines were drawn, but ultimately it was Storrie and the gang who signed the cheques and did the deals.

Redknapps crime was asking for players, getting them, then asking for more. The board simply giving him what he wanted was the far greater crime

 

[ArcspacE]

Redknapps crime was asking for players, getting them, then asking for more. The board simply giving him what he wanted was the far greater crime

Well in that case his transfer strategy was completely unsustainable in relation to their means - hence their 'relative' success = much better players than their rivals could afford.

 

[parklane1]

Harry didn't bankrupt Pompey. The Pompey board did.

Perhaps they had to much faith in Harry's ability to manage budgets as well as players, its unclear as to where the lines were drawn, but ultimately it was Storrie and the gang who signed the cheques and did the deals.

Redknapp's crime was asking for players, getting them, then asking for more. The board simply giving him what he wanted was the far greater crime

Of course Storrie must be held to blame, but Redknapp was the one who asked for stupid money for over aged overrated players and he must have known it was not sustainable

 

[WookieD]

Well in that case his transfer strategy was completely unsustainable in relation to their means - hence their 'relative' success = much better players than their rivals could afford.

But you have to make up your mind which stick you are going to beat him with. It's no good saying "Oh well, in that case the problem was..."

Most people want to hang Harry out for bankrupting Pompey. Sorry, but if you're making the financial decisions of your club based on what an ex-footballer with no business acumen is telling you, you deserve to go bankrupt. It's like asking Heather Trott to control the ordering at a bun shop.

 

[yiddo2786]

Alan Hansen has boldly predicted that Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands will make it to the semi finals :lol:

 

[Steed Train]

hooray, another redknapp thread

 

[ArcspacE]

But you have to make up your mind which stick you are going to beat him with. It's no good saying "Oh well, in that case the problem was..."

Most people want to hang Harry out for bankrupting Pompey. Sorry, but if you're making the financial decisions of your club based on what an ex-footballer with no business acumen is telling you, you deserve to go bankrupt. It's like asking Heather Trott to control the ordering at a bun shop.

No - I'm saying he should be held accountable for some the blame as opposed to completely exonorating him from something he had an absolutely key role in

 

[Superhudd]

Seriously looking forward to seeing how the FA deal with an half empty stadium when people decide they don't want to watch that brick. How will the advertisers react, how will the TV channels react, even down to the shirt makers and sponsers react.

The FA needs to phone Karen Brady pronto

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

For my sins I actually really rate Kelly and am amazed he did not displace either of those thugs Agger or Skrtel in the middle of their defense, which is where I hear he's actually at his best.

Both of them are decent centre halves. Skrtel especially looked very good everytime I saw him this season.

 

[Gazza Dazzla]

Both of them are decent centre halves. Skrtel especially looked very good everytime I saw him this season.

Didn't seem too special at the Lane this season!

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Of course Storrie must be held to blame, but Redknapp was the one who asked for stupid money for over aged overrated players and he must have known it was not sustainable

What really fudged them was getting relegated. If they had stayed in the Premiership they'd have just about pulled through.

This isn't down to Redknapp as much as some of our own would love to believe it. There is a lesson there for all promoted teams, and a lesson for ourselves and the Champion's League. We've seen so many teams break the bank to achieve CL football, and then break the bank to stay there. Their justification is the revenue the CL brings, but the money they spend to stay there exceeds that of the rewards! So it's a broken business model. Fair play to Levy for seeing this and not going mad with expenditure just because we qualified for it.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Didn't seem too special at the Lane this season!

Ha ha, true true!

 

[ArcspacE]

What really fudged them was getting relegated. If they had stayed in the Premiership they'd have just about pulled through.

This isn't down to Redknapp as much as some of our own would love to believe it. There is a lesson there for all promoted teams, and a lesson for ourselves and the Champion's League. We've seen so many teams break the bank to achieve CL football, and then break the bank to stay there. Their justification is the revenue the CL brings, but the money they spend to stay there exceeds that of the rewards! So it's a broken business model. Fair play to Levy for seeing this and not going mad with expenditure just because we qualified for it.

Yes, of course

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

I quite like Kelly as a player TBH, Richards should've been straight in as he can do it all, but at least Hodgson is looking to young players and not old duffers...

And what good will that do if the young ones aren't good enough anyway? International football the best team should be picked all the time, regardless of the players ages.