Gongatore - Who or what team was the biggest surprise for you in La Liga this season? Who do you think will win in the Gold Cup semis? Can Capello survive to coach another season at Real? Will FR be shown the door at Barca?
Bobby – I predicted Racing Santander would be relegated and they finished mid-table so they have to be in contention my biggest surprise. Recreativo Huelva and Getafe would also be worthy of consideration. If you need me to pick one then I will opt for Recreativo given that they had just been promoted.
I will go for a USA - Mexico final but I would not underestimate this Canadian side. Hutchinson and De Guzman in midfield are excellent players. If I was Bob Bradley I would try to make sure that are not allowed to settle and in particular I would play a quick player - Landon Donovan? - a bit deeper against the Canadian holding midfielder Martin Nash.
Nash is a fine passer but he lacks pace and when he doesn't have time he normally struggles. In Canada's case I would be trying to get a skilful player up against Onyewu rather than trying to match him with brute strength. Canada tends to stick De Rosario out wide on the left and he can drift out of the game for long stretches. If he came inside he might cause enough problems to create a couple of clear cut chances or get a set piece opportunity.
Capello will leave and I believe Rijkaard will go also.
Henry14 - Q1 Do you know what Milan are up to, the other week Berlusconi claims he want Sheva, and has $140m for Ronaldinho , and then Ancelotti was Henry, then Galliano wants Eto'o , who do you see them signing. Q2 What do you think will happen to Capello as coach, because Marca claimed 56% of the fans wanted Capello back Q3 Do you remain adamant Henry is staying, even after dubious statements he has made which are so far from the one he said last summer and I quote "this is my last contract, the fans in England appreciate me even if they are not Arsenal fans something l can never get anywhere, l will never play in Spain" Q4 - Who do you think will own Arsenal summer next year?
Bobby – A1 – Circumstances have overtaken the answer seeing that Milan signed David Suazo from Cagliari. A2 – I would have thought that an approval rating of 56% after winning La Liga for the first time in four seasons is hardly a ringing endorsement or vote of confidence. I still believe that Capello will saddle up and ride out of Dodge. A3 – It’s silly season in England and I am taking transfer speculation with a kilo of salt. I think Henry will start the new season with Arsenal. Q4 - The same people that own the club now.
Quest5227 - My question deals with Manchester United (as always). I think we both agree that they could use another striker for the upcoming season. Who do YOU believe would be the most useful striker that they can get- realistically?
Bobby – Probably a fully fit Louis Saha – unfortunately he doesn’t come with a 100% health guarantee. I would be surprised if United make a move for a striker before moving some players out. Given the three new signings United will need to shave a chunk of money off their wage bill as well. Once they have decided who they have shifted and how much they get for them then we will have a better idea. The money being quoted for the likes of Darren Bent is silly. When you consider Andy Johnson moved for around 7M pounds last summer, 17M is crazy.
Wyofc – I was reading the some of the articles today and the one about demands of Club and National teams caught my eye. Do you think they will impose a game limit? If so what would be the number and who gets to decided if they are all for club, all for national team or what breakdown? If you look – say the number is 52 games is the max – that is one a week – and it looks like the standard number of league games are 38, that leaves 14 for FA Cup, Champions/UEFA, National team duty, other tournaments. To me putting a limit on number of games makes sense for the human body/mind is concerned, but posses many many more problems between clubs and nations. Just kind of wondered your thoughts.
Bobby – It is an interesting thought but one that would also raise considerable problems beyond the club and country debate. How would account for playing conditions, or travel ala David Beckham, or the age of a player? Another factor might be how spread out are the matches.
Digity - Care to comment on Lalas' statements regarding the 'inferior' EPL product?
Bobby – Lalas works for a very large and successful organization – I’m meaning the company that owns the LA Galaxy. I would find it amazing if he just said what he did on the spur of the moment as opposed to a well thought out strategy. However, I would agree that the average English pundit is generally pig-ignorant about anything that happens in the football world outside of England. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I have never understood the debate about what league is the best. Frankly, I don’t even see how you can compare leagues or why anyone would want to.
Maoze Reading - With Guadeloupe reaching the semifinals of the Gold Cup I was wondering what would happen with the CONCACAF spot at the Confederations Cup if they were to somehow win it all? Would the spot go to the second place team since Guadeloupe is not a recognized member of FIFA?
Bobby – My understanding is that in such a case the runner-up would get the CONCACAF place at the Confederations Cup.
CIAO - Do you think Capello will be fired? If so, with the instability, would any respectable/skilled player still consider moving to Real Madrid? I could see if they keep Capello last season would be considered a transitional and a successful period. So players may want to join Capello’s team. I could even see Kaka making the move to Madrid. Suazo was snatched from under Moratti's nose by rival AC Milan. Inter is perplexed. Regardless, I think it may be good for Inter as they should try to bring in players that will challenge for a starting position... Who do you think Inter should bring in to replace Recoba? And Adriano if he leaves? I personally would like to see Miccoli replace Recoba. And Cassano, Klose, Guti, F Torres or David Villa replaces Adriano. Cassano might be interesting. He will probably step it up a bit this season to regain his spot on the national team - at least I hope... Regardless, I think Inter should definitely keep Ibra and Cruz, they cannot replace them.
Bobby – I think Capello will leave. Some great players will still sign for Real Madrid because Real Madrid has been a mad-house for a while and it didn’t stop players moving there. The problem with your theory about players wanting to join Capello’s team is that it has never been for a longtime or unlikely to be in the foreseeable future Capello or any other coaches’ team. Real Madrid is always only two or three games away from a crisis and that means that whoever coaches Real Madrid will find themselves in a tenuous position. After all, if Capello’s termination clause had not been so costly he would have been gone earlier this year.
Do you think Inter is looking to replace Recoba? He has hardly been used under Mancini so I don’t see it as a great loss to Inter. Miccoli is a great little player and I never understood why Juventus never kept him around. Adriano needs to sort his head out and until that happens Inter is not likely to get market value for him. I’m not sure that there are too many clubs who would gamble on taking Adriano at this time. As for the possible replacements you mentioned – Cassano (it would a trouble for trouble swap at least), Klose (cannot see that move happening now), Guti (not the same type of player and Inter has signed too many floaters like him before), Fernando Torres (I don’t think he would fit with Ibrahimovic) and David Villa (more likely to say in Spain).
Bobby why do you think Rijkaard is leaving now that
http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx ?hlid=472711&CPID=23&clid=178&lid=2 &title=Rijkaard+to+remain+at+Barca
Q1. I don't know why Bobby keeps saying Capello will leave Real Madrid when Capello has said time and time again that he wants to stay and it's really up to the President...
http://www.realmadrid.com/articulo/ rma40487.htm
Bobby please explain.
Q2 Real Madrid are after Kaka this summer. Should this fail, do you think that Brazil's R Diego will be a suitable replacement seeing that there playing styles are so similar?
Q3 What is this about you tattooing a Canadian flag on your arm if Canada win the Gold Cup? Please confirm.
the english media is ####ked up why would kanoute want to leave champions leauge ffotball for pompey and forlan leave uefa cup and probably title contenders next year for villa, it is just ridicolous
Bobby keeps saying that Capello will leave b/c thats what he does and the President has basically said he doesn't really want him. THey should be begging him to stay instead of hemming and hawing.
As far as Rijkaard, I don't know why Bobby thinks he will be fired, which makes me worried b/c the natural replacement for Rijkaard is Wenger and as is becoming more obvious Wenger and Henry are a package. I don't like Barca.
Bobby, you make a good point. Especially since Mancini seems to favor sticking to the memory of Adriano's skills displayed at Parma... Regardless, I do think Inter will loook to replace Recoba. After all they almost did with Suazo. I guess they want to have cover in case someone gets injured. The thing that bugs me about Mancini is that he doesn't seem to chalange most of his first team players.
Forwards: (statistics per www.inter.it)
Adriano played 1900 in all competitions and scored only 6 goals (5 of those were in Serie A). He was subbed out 11 times and brought on from the bench 12 times. It also appears he remained on the bench four times.
Choutos came of the bench 3 times in all competitions and only played 40 minutes, he did not score any goals.
Crespo played 2822 in all competitions and scored 20 goals (14 in Serie A). Subbed out 10 times and in 19 times. Remained on the bench 6 for games.
Cruz played 1275 in all competitions and scored 12 goals (7 in Serie A). Subbed out 11 times and in 6 times. Remained on the bench 7 for games.
Ibra played 3042 in all competitions and scored 15 goals (all came in Serie A). Subbed out 2 times and subbed in 9 times. Remained on the bench twice.
Recoba played 674 in all competitions and only scored 1 goals (which was in Serie A). Subbed out 11 times and in 7 times. Remained on the bench 6 for games.
So it looks like the bulk of the games were played with Crespo and Ibra. Adriano falling to 3rd and Cruz being 4th in line.
I just think with Cruz' strike rate, Mancini could have given him more playing time to challenge the others. Given Adriano's horific season, Recoba could have also been given more playing time. Keeping Choutos on the books is a joke. If they gave me a quarter of what he makes to be a fringe player... I bet I would make more of an impression than he has. How did he even manage to swindle his way to Inter? Who is Choutus?
Bobby,
knowing Moratti likes to see his name in the news and will want cover in case some of the above get injured, who do you think Inter should bring in for next season?
I too never understood why Juventus always sent Micolli out on loan. He and Maresca are the misteries of Italy.
If you look at Capello's managerial career, he really has not jumped ship that quickly.
1991-1996 Milan
1996-1997 Real Madrid
1997-1998 Milan
1999-2004 Roma
2004-2006 Juventus
2006-current Real Madrid
As Bobby pointed out managing Real Madrid is a tenuous position. So I think he will be leaving too. Even though I think if they keep Capello Real would have an opportunity to turn things around. They should beg him to stay. If it were not for Capello they would not have one the trophy. Both Ronaldo and Beckham turned their seasons around and got back into form because they were dropped from the first team.
Bringing in Wenger to coach Barca would guarantee the transfer of Henry and maybe even Fabregas. So if this is a posibility I would think Laporta would make it happen.
Sorry MasMaz, but I am all for this to happen. Ya see, I have Catanian origins. I would also like to see Barca strengthen their defensive end.
Bobby, do you think it was a mistake for Barca to had let Rustu (Turkish keeper from the 2002 World Cup) to return back to Fenerbahce?
Speaking of... Rustu has now transferred to Istanbul rival Besiktas. In other news from Turkey, Fenerbahce is said to be submiting a 10m euro bid for Ronaldo from Milan. Appiah (former Brescia and Juventus player) and Kezman (former Chelsea player) are already in the team. Fenerbahce is trying to strengthen their squad to challange in the Champions League.
Wenger will not go to Barca. Dein's departure has created some instability but this doesn't mean Wenger’s decided to just suddenly abandon his project with the current squad (a squad he’s spent years creating, nurturing, developing) before he can see them fulfill the promise he sees in them. Wenger has invested a lot of his personal and professional energy, skill and time into developing this squad. It would take a lot for him to just give it up. He’s not that kind of man. One of his great strengths is also one of his great weaknesses: his profound stubbornness and passionate commitment to an idea, a project.
Going to Barca means being in a very unstable position, having to deal with a whole slew of club and player politics that Wenger would not welcome. Wenger has a lot of power at Arsenal, he’d lose that at Barca.
Why should Wenger want to jump from one club that’s in turmoil (a turmoil that he at least has some ability to influence, in which he has some power) into another one in which he’s the new guy working at the whims of a capricious club president and a new set of players with massive egos who can’t get along?
Look at Rijkaard: in 3 years he’s led Barca to 2 league titles, a CL trophy and a 2nd place finish in the league (tied with the winners). Yet the club wants to get rid of him. And Rijkaard himself is tired of all the neurotic internal club and player politics. Why should Wenger be attracted to such a set-up?
As for Capello, it was first reported that Calderon was going to put his foot down and bring in Schuster because he didn't like the results Capello was getting. Further to the point, he was blocking out Mijatovic's opinion, which is that he is in favor of Capello's return.
Now today comes the report that Calderon says that Mijatovic will decide who the next manager will be.
If you want to read between the lines, my guess is that if Capello is to stay, Mijatovic will be putting his job on the line. Meaning Capello will probably have to win the League again as well as the Champs League and/or Copa del Rey.
I agree Daniel in principle, but then why hasn't he signed a new contract. Really, maybe he is posturing, but I bet he's had enough of the tight purse strings and the English Press. He can pretty much choose where he wants to go he speaks all the languages.
Daniel if you don't think Arsenal has a slew of club politics going on with its players and board, you're crazy. It goes on at all the big clubs so it wouldn't be anything different for Wenger.
In fact, he's a guy that I think will be successful anywhere he goes. I really can't say the same for Ferguson or Mourinho or even, gasp, Rafa.
Even though the EPL is the wealthiest league at the moment-- they pay clubs in other leagues a hefty amount of money for players. That has an enormous effect on those other leagues. I wonder if anyone has written an article about that.
Last edited by atleti_female on June 20th at 9:15 AM.
MasMaz, there is absolutely nothing new or strange about Wenger leaving his contract renegotiations up in the air. It's what he does every single time. Hhe always leaves it up almost to the last minute. He has said point blank more than once that he will serve out this final year in his current contract (which ends in 2008) and then will consider his future at the club, period. That’s always been his style for every one of his contracts–he’s always made ambiguous comments to the press whenever it was time for him to negotiation a new contract and signs very close to the deadline. This is basic Wenger. It’s his style.
LetsGoBuffalo, I'm not crazy. Re-read my post, this is what I said: "Why should Wenger want to jump from one club that’s in turmoil (a turmoil that he at least has some ability to influence, in which he has some power) into another one in which he’s the new guy working at the whims of a capricious club president and a new set of players with massive egos who can’t get along?"
And for all the player problems in the current Arsenal squad, nothing matches the Eto'o-Ronaldinho split that is tearing up the squad there.
This has nothing to do with Wenger's abilities or skills--he'd be a fine manager at Barca. The question is does he WANT to go to a club with so much baggage in which he would not have the same power he does at Arsenal?
LIVERPOOL FANS ARE A BUNCH OF CLOWNS first the bus painting now this
Torres has previously been a target for Manchester United and Chelsea, but he is thought to favour a move to Liverpool - during a recent match his captain's armband allegedly slipped to reveal the words 'You'll never walk alone' printed on the reverse.
l can not believe the main news paper in liverpool wrote this
LGB, I don't have the link, though RINGO still might.
I don't like to argue...Ok, maybe I like to argue a little. But H14 is the one that brings all this on. I just respond. I'm very unoriginal that way, or else I might do the trendy thing and start my own blog.
One story that I did like today was Jose Mourinho responding to the Kop chant "no history". It's cute and amusing, like Mormons arguing with Roman Catholics about who has history.
Noone missed twice ,but the commentators where saying the Dutch changed the order in the second round ,don`t know if that`s right or not ,so it might not be over yet!
And it`s NOT a record ,found some Turkish cup game that ended 17-16 after 34 pens.And I remember hearing of an Aussie game a few years back that ended something like 24-23!
Just in case you where wondering.
Found a picture of the armband ,don`t know if it`s for real or not. just scroll down a little.
So it Holland Vs. Serbia for the Under 21 final. I have to say Serbia are very very impressive and I hope they win, even though they were racist against my own people.
Bobby
I`ve checked on the order penalties where taken in the England/Holland shoot-out. The Dutch changed up their order in the second round. I thought you had to give the referee a list of who was taking spot kicks and in what order.
I can not find any rules explaining what is supposed to happen after everyone has taken one penalty ,any idea?
Bobby-How come you don't help call the games on The Channel? No offense to your colleagues but they aren't the best and I'd much rather hear someone who knows what they are talking about.
What it means to me is that you've got the experience with the knowledge so you'd be the perfect fit! If you do it, just pleast don't be blinkered like Andy Gray:)
What is happening at Liverpool? At this rate there will be no striker or winger signed. And why is Benitez chasing another midfielder? He will have trouble finding playing time for Alonso and Momo while Lucas will need playing time. He downloaded Guthrie on loan. Time to stop hoarding midfilders and find a quality striker or winger even he signs just one a year.
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