General Football Discussion

[Cedric]

I'm pretty sure I've already read it, but I don't remember where... I wouldn't be surprised if it was on Ajax USA (15 years ago ? )

[SE6Ajacied]

Possible, but I doubt it. Answer is Gianluca Vialli for Juventus in the 1996 Cup Final and then Chelsea in the 1997 Umbro Cup. Actually I think I got the question a bit wrong as there was another Umbro Cup game for Ajax in between

[aveslacker]

Ferenc Puskas has died.

X'C :nooo: :sad:

From Soccernet.com:

Real Madrid have expressed their 'profound sadness' at the death of footballing great Ferenc Puskas

The Hungary legend, nicknamed the 'Galloping Major', lost his long fight against pneumonia on Friday after spending the last two months in intensive care at a Budapest hospital.

Puskas spent nine years at Real, forming a deadly double-act with Alfredo di Stefano and winning five Spanish titles and three European Cups.

'The Madridista family feel a profound sadness for the loss of one of their greatest legends,' Real's statement read.

Club president Calderon Ramon added: 'This is one of the saddest days for the Madrid fans, I can assure you that it is the most painful day since I took the presidency.

'He had many friends and was a man liked by everyone, admired as a professional and a person.

'I will remember his goals with much affection, he was the pichichi (top scorer in Spain) on four occasions.

'The Madrid fans in general, and those of my age in particular, will feel a great emptiness for the loss of one our childhood heroes. I want to send a big hug to his all of his family and friends in these very painful moments.'

Puskas' finest hour arguably came in the 1960 European Cup final when he scored four times to help Real beat Einctracht Frankfurt 7-3 at Hampden Park.

But he will also be remembered in Britain for being part of Hungary's golden team of the 1950s - known as the 'Magical Magyars' - which became the first side to beat England at Wembley when they sent shockwaves through the game with a 6-3 victory in November 1953.

Former England international Jimmy Hill, who attended that game, was one the first to pay tribute to Puskas.

He told Sky Sports News: 'It took my breath away to see someone who could manipulate a football and play passing movements against an England team and beat them 6-3.

'It was just quite staggering. I paid my own money to go and I was only a supporter but it took my breath away that a country could produce 11 players like that and one stood out above the rest.

'He wasn't six foot and the most athletic footballer you've ever seen. He didn't stand out as a figure on the field except when the ball came to him.

'He had such control of it with his skill. He could make long, accurate passes and could shoot and score goals.

'It was clearly something quite spectacular that a country like Hungary had suddenly got the quality of players like that and why we had got so far behind.

'In England, we didn't seem to have players of that calibre.'

Puskas' international goalscoring record was truly remarkable.

In 84 matches for Hungary between 1945 and 1956, he scored 83 times, including two goals in the Magical Magyars' famous match against England.

He also starred in a subsequent 7-1 win in Budapest which saw Hungary made favourites for the 1954 World Cup.

However, an injury limited his impact in Switzerland and the Magyars lost in the final to Germany.

He won the nickname the 'Galloping Major' after serving in the Hungarian Army.

Puskas went on to enjoy unprecedented success at Real Madrid, where he and Alfredo di Stefano were the cornerstone of a succession of domestic and European glories.

He scored four goals in Real's 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in a remarkable final at Hampden Park in 1960, and won the European Cup three times in all.

He scored 512 goals in 528 matches for Real and in 1962 he took out Spanish citizenship in time to play for his adopted country at the 1962 World Cup.

He went on to manage a number of teams, the highlight of which was leading Panathinaikos to the 1971 European Cup final was in the last six years was confined to hospital with Alzheimer's disease.

[Kowalczyk]

One of the game's greatest artists ever. A legend.

May he rest in peace. This must be a day of national mourning in Hungary.

K.

[aveslacker]

One of the game's greatest artists ever. A legend.

May he rest in peace. This must be a day of national mourning in Hungary.

K.

I agree. I always thought of him as Cruijff before Cruijff came along, if that makes sense.

[AsgAarD_xxx]

According to polish press, UEFA starts investigation in so-called "Bąk cause". Jacek Bąk - a captain of our national team - said that before the last game someone (probably from Belgium camp) phoned to him with a proposal of 10 thousands euro for making a penalty kick for Belgium.

He told that story to Leo Beenhakker (a coach of national team), but Leo answered that it must have been a stupid joke. Anyway - UEFA took this seriously and asked Polish FA for help in this cause.

[DanK]

One of the game's greatest artists ever. A legend.

May he rest in peace. This must be a day of national mourning in Hungary.

K.

So true. The vids/dvs I have seen of the guy...wow. Great player. A true legend.

He will be missed.

[AsgAarD_xxx]

Hungary had one of the best elevens in the history of football that time... And Puskas was a leader of that team.

PS: If you're not sure if Puskas was one of the best players, look at his statistics. He scored 357 goals in 354 games for Kispest-Honved and 512 goals in 528 games for Real Madrid!! In the national team he scored 83 goals in 84 games. Incredible! It is a big blow for hungarian football that they've lost such a man.



BTW - it's sad to look at hungarian football scene. They have a lot of scandals, the most titled and best-known club (Ferencvaros Budapest) is close to bankruptcy... National team - despite a few really good players (Kiraly, Dardai, Feher, Szabics) - doesn't play well... Sad days for Hungarians.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Yep..Puskas was playing for the greatest team in the world that time to be honest, legend.

R.I.P

[ajaxusa]

"Real Madrid have expressed their 'profound sadness' at the death of footballing great Ferenc Puskas"

Am I wrong to be a little skeptical of Real's tears? Consider their association with a now infamous testimonial match for Puskas, for which Real took a fee of over a million dollars and ran up a hotel bill of almost a 100K while Puskas initially got less than 10k from the match.

Testimonial that short-changed a national hero

[Ayman]

Apparently there was a pitch invasion in den haag when they played Vitesse, ex-kakkerlak Pascal Boschaart got sent off in the first half (last man fouling the striker with a late challenge). I didnt see the second half can anyone clarify this?

[DanK]

Well it was grudge match time again in Australian Football. My team Melbourne Victory against the team we all hate in Australia Sydney FC.

Its incredible how football has taken off here since the forming of the A-League (with a little help from the World Cup). I was part of a record breaking crowd in Australian domestic football 50,333 people showed up to the Telstra Dome. Vicotry's average is well over 28,000 for the season, which when you think how poor the attendances where in the old National League (teams would rarely get over 10,000 at best to a single game), it is quite remarkable.

Its a pity the game didn't live up to they hype. 0-0. However, it does mean Victory maybe 12 points clear by weeks end with 4 games to go. The title is pretty much sown up, as is entry into the Asian champions league for 2008.

It has been a great season to be a Victory fan.
- Most goals scored
- Least goals conceeded
- Highest attendance
- Biggest winning streak for away matches (up to 7 from memory and counting)

I was also witness to one of the best league games I have ever witnessed (here, abroad or even on TV for that matter). Melbourne's 3-3 draw with Central Coast. 2-3 down at half time and with 9 men, yet finishing the game at 3-3 in the dying minutes is something I will never forget.

For anyone (apart from me) who might be interested in this game can read about it here:
http://melbournevictory.com.au/default. ... &pageid=79

Now if only Ajax can follow suite...that would be sweet... :eusa_dance:

[SE6Ajacied]

Now if only Ajax can follow suite...that would be sweet... :eusa_dance:

I could stomach the 12 points clear but which 2 players do you want to get sent off? ;)

[Frans]

Well, it's been a while, but here's the latest news from the world of the hyundai A-league - Australasia's (or is it Asia's) most exciting football competition.

We begin with an administrative cock-up that would even make some former Ajax board members blush.

In the most absurd moment so far, All Whites defender Che Bunce boarded for Melbourne on Saturday, only to walk off the plane, moments from departure, leaving interim coach Ricki Herbert with only eight players on the plane.

Four others were already in Australia and were joined by several last-minute ring-ins, including former Canterbury United midfielder Jeff Fleming.

( - stuff.co.nz)

It really is a wonder that they still pull an average of 3000 people per game. Must be a lot of dedicated Aussie supporters travelling over.

Anyway, moving on to a match between two extremely well-matched teams, who'd already had a couple of close tussles this year. Yes indeedy, before this weekend, in 180 minutes of football this season the score was (only) Melbourne 7, NZ Knights 0. And in terms of the league table, Think PSV vs RKC. stuff.co.nz further describes the Knights’ preparation:

They had their solitary training session for an hour this morning, and some of the new players lined up with no names on their shirts.

So it was always going to be close.
And indeed it was, except for the 10 minutes before half time, when Melbourne scored 4 goals, and no doubt made DanK very happy in the process. Congrats mate, I know it’s always a moment to cherish when you beat a team as illustrious as the Knights. Oh and nice work picking up that minor championship too. Rather slow in getting there though … only 20% of the season left.

So ended another weekend of soccer down under. A weekend where a club had their playing licence revoked due to their inept administration and uncontrollable debt (are you listening UEFA?). A weekend where the credibility of football in NZ took another hit, and also a weekend (possibly) where Romario (remember him?) scored a goal for Adelaide, whoever they are.

Exciting times!!

[SE6Ajacied]

In the most absurd moment so far, All Whites defender Che Bunce !!

Well that's a name and a half, right up there with the best. The story sounds a complete joke though - are these full time professionals we're talking about?

[Frans]

In the most absurd moment so far, All Whites defender Che Bunce !!

Well that's a name and a half, right up there with the best. The story sounds a complete joke though - are these full time professionals we're talking about?

As i understand it, they are full-time players, but a series of unfortunate events, (brought on by the fact that they can't even score a goal, let alone win a game) eventually led to this mess.

for more details, try this link:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/3903001a18075.html

[DanK]

The A-League in general is a huge success, esp for my club - Melbourne Victory is now averaging close to 30,000 per game. inc an all time Australian football record of 50,333 people for the Sydney game a few weeks back. This crowd is as good as any in Europe and its remarkable considering the state of football in this country a few years back. The atmosphere at the Melbourne games is as good (if not better) than any I have been to (yes this includes Ajax games). Other clubs pull in fair crowds and the standard of football is slowly improving as well.

With winning the minor premiership this past weekend (with 4 games to spare!), we now have the lucrative Asian champions league to participate in (despite the AFC stupid rulings which mean that wont be until 2008).

Now onto the total opposite...yes (sorry Franz) the NZ Knights. To Football Australia's credit, they included a NZ team to assist with the growth of the game in Oceania, however how you can sustain a team that has won 3 games in 2 seasons, averages no more than 3000 people and rarely score (from memory their highest scorer has 2 for the season) is beyond me.

I for one though, hope they don't give up on a team in NZ. As one of the "bigger" nations of the region, we have a responsibility to help the growth of the game and I can only see this happening if a NZ team belong to a "larger" league.

I think NZ Knights failing is having hardly any local players. (why not play the All Whites as your 11 for christ sake?). How can an upstart team have any backing, if the locals cannot connect to it (eg: Melbourne has a large number of local, first team players).

It will be interesting to see where this heads, but it will be a shame if FA give up on the team from over the Tasman...

[Frans]

Now onto the total opposite...yes (sorry Franz) the NZ Knights. To Football Australia's credit, they included a NZ team to assist with the growth of the game in Oceania, however how you can sustain a team that has won 3 games in 2 seasons, averages no more than 3000 people and rarely score (from memory their highest scorer has 2 for the season) is beyond me.

I think NZ Knights failing is having hardly any local players. (why not play the All Whites as your 11 for christ sake?). How can an upstart team have any backing, if the locals cannot connect to it (eg: Melbourne has a large number of local, first team players).

Don't apologise. The knights are a joke, and everyone here knows it. However, I don't agree so much with the need for local players. Sure, if you're going to lose, you may as well try and develop a few young kiwi players while you're at it. But frankly it doesn't matter who you have in the team. You have to win to attract the fans - especially at a time when the all blacks are all-powerful, the warriors are on the comeback trail, the breakers have started winning and cricket and netball are gearing up for world cups next year, not too mention the america's cup over the horizon. If you want some media attention amongst that lot you better be winning, or noone will even notice you.

As to the fans feeling 'connected' to a team with no local talent. What about Arsenal? no english players, but it doesn't matter if you're winning. The fans will turn out in droves.

And why not play the all whites as our first XI? Believe it or not, several of our national team actually play in europe (blackburn, fulham, hibernian, dinamo bucharest, and even eredivisie high-fliers RKC) and a few play in the US. Maybe next year (if the knights still exist) they'll get a few NZ'ers back from aussie clubs as those players will be considered imports (they're not asian).

Anyway, with a bit of luck the knights will still be around next year, and since the old management has been turfed out there might even be a shred of sanity in some of the administrative dealings the club. fingers crossed.

[DanK]

Now onto the total opposite...yes (sorry Franz) the NZ Knights. To Football Australia's credit, they included a NZ team to assist with the growth of the game in Oceania, however how you can sustain a team that has won 3 games in 2 seasons, averages no more than 3000 people and rarely score (from memory their highest scorer has 2 for the season) is beyond me.

I think NZ Knights failing is having hardly any local players. (why not play the All Whites as your 11 for christ sake?). How can an upstart team have any backing, if the locals cannot connect to it (eg: Melbourne has a large number of local, first team players).

...As to the fans feeling 'connected' to a team with no local talent. What about Arsenal? no english players, but it doesn't matter if you're winning. The fans will turn out in droves.

And why not play the all whites as our first XI? Believe it or not, several of our national team actually play in europe (blackburn, fulham, hibernian, dinamo bucharest, and even eredivisie high-fliers RKC) and a few play in the US. Maybe next year (if the knights still exist) they'll get a few NZ'ers back from aussie clubs as those players will be considered imports (they're not asian)...

Fair call re: local players. I just find it a bit disappointing that the Knights felt the need to turf a lot of local talent (or maybe the players were happy to go).

It wasn't more than 2 years ago I thought football would never get a real hold here (although maybe its a bubble that will burst!), so anything is possible. Lets not give up hope yet for a team you can call your own (apart from Ajax of course ;) )

[Frans]

I just find it a bit disappointing that the Knights felt the need to turf a lot of local talent (or maybe the players were happy to go).

Yeah, that was just another case of bad management. The worst example being Jeremy Brockie - 18 years old, fan favourite, the club topscorer (4 goals :sad: ), and management can't find $20,000 for a new contract. Now he's rotting on the bench at Sydney, while the knights are paying through the nose for 35 year old ex-english first division journeymen. Oh well, it can't get much worse.

[DanK]

I just find it a bit disappointing that the Knights felt the need to turf a lot of local talent (or maybe the players were happy to go).

Yeah, that was just another case of bad management. The worst example being Jeremy Brockie - 18 years old, fan favourite, the club topscorer (4 goals :sad: ), and management can't find $20,000 for a new contract. Now he's rotting on the bench at Sydney, while the knights are paying through the nose for 35 year old ex-english first division journeymen. Oh well, it can't get much worse.

Yes it can...non-existance ;)

[Frans]

I just find it a bit disappointing that the Knights felt the need to turf a lot of local talent (or maybe the players were happy to go).

Yeah, that was just another case of bad management. The worst example being Jeremy Brockie - 18 years old, fan favourite, the club topscorer (4 goals :sad: ), and management can't find $20,000 for a new contract. Now he's rotting on the bench at Sydney, while the knights are paying through the nose for 35 year old ex-english first division journeymen. Oh well, it can't get much worse.

Yes it can...non-existance ;)

Are you sure that's worse?

[SE6Ajacied]

One of my mates from work who's a Swansea City fan sent me this link for a TV documentary on Swansea and Exeter City FC from NOS Dutch TV.

http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/n ... isited.wmv

It's a great documentary if you've not seen it on Dutch TV already - really captures the unique spirit of the smaller teams in the English league. Recommended Viewing (mostly in English with Dutch subtitles).

[Manneken Pis]

One of my mates from work who's a Swansea City fan sent me this link for a TV documentary on Swansea and Exeter City FC from NOS Dutch TV.

http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/n ... isited.wmv

It's a great documentary if you've not seen it on Dutch TV already - really captures the unique spirit of the smaller teams in the English league. Recommended Viewing (mostly in English with Dutch subtitles).

Saw it.....yes, brilliant documentary.....

[WP_Legend]

I saw it three years ago.. I loved it back then.. I'm really glad they did a follow up on it for the last couple of minutes... I really wanted to know how everything went with the supporters.. btw, I often play with exeter in Football Manager!