SirBalon

Not changing allegiance mate... I just want to show visible support for a club that needs it to go to that next step in Spain. My support for Arsenal FC will never die although I have fallen out of love with the club which has no relevance on my wanting to show support for Lugo though.

Míchel appointed Málaga CF head coach Ex Getafe, Olympiakos and Marseille coach Míchel has been appointed head coach with a three year deal. El Málaga cesa al 'Gato' Romero y Míchel le sustituirá

I also get what Batard has said about global mods as it neatens the place up and all that with more probable reasons. But what Josh has said is also true in that Rebel should be exclusive to the Spanish football part of the forum. He is paramount to this place in my view.

I'd like my Spanish local side that play's in Spain's second division (La LIga 1|2|3) added as I want to show them support... CD Lugo (Club Deportivo Lugo)

Arsene Wenger's days are really numbered at Arsenal... I don't think he will survive even the end of the season let alone sign a new contract. The fans are now big majority against him and they're turning on the board too. There were mass demonstrations outside The Emirates and local areas around Highbury with all sorts being said. This bad blood that now exists between the fans and Wenger is his own fault and that of the club's board for having elongated something that should've ended years back.

He's been quite a protagonist for a while now. His issue has always been the lesser games where performance is in question. But he is talented.

He plays for Real Madrid now... But seeing the shape of his head and remembering my the initiations of my degree on neanderthal social culture, I wouldn't have expected much more from Bale. The character in Planet of the Apes must be ashamed of their compadre.

Good to see you've moved here with us mate. Yep... Florentino Pérez is one of the biggest reasons behind many of the awful footballing decisions at Real Madrid. If things were to go wrong this season, there are strong rumours that he may stand down due to all the pressure he is receiving from many Real Madrid socios and a lot of the Madrid based sports press. Only last week MARCA released a report that stated he had already told people close to him that he would favour leaving the post although the benefits of being the head of such an institution are too good to let go.

In reality Verratti hasn't said anything out of the ordinary or anything that all players say when questioned on possible suitors. He belongs to PSG and is in the middle of a campaign where he's been a major protagonist this season... Emery has gotten the best out of him and what many thought he was capable of. What's he meant to say? He didn't actually close the doors on a possible move to the Camp Nou and even if it isn't Barça, I wouldn't be surprised if he did actually move somewhere next season. Answering in any other manner than the way he did when he's playing Barcelona and the references are to the club he will be battling it out against would've been absurd.

But an anti-Barça clause they made him sign. He is contemplating seeing out his contract and going to Barcelona for free. Florentino Pérez is apparently livid because he could lose a player that should cost double for that amount if he's forced to sell and not have him go to Barcelona.

That all sounds great and I hope it's genuine. I mean... Present football clubs these days in most places everywhere do tend to visit kids in hospitals and all that which you can associate with this type of thing. The present is also always invited which is sort of a downer to be honest if you know what I mean. That's not what I'm on about from a football perspective but it's good to see that some American sports institutions help out the community.

That would actually be hilarious to be honest. On another note... Both The Sun and The Mirror have back pages today with the Alexis row. It's looking more and more likely he'll be leaving.

Yeah that is a part of it and it wasn't all that long ago that Arsenal for example still participated in local events, supported local businesses and even the poorer people locally. All of that is DEAD! But it goes much further than that in why football is unique mate. Have you ever read Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch"?

I get you and I can agree with a lot of that but the part I've quoted you on has nothing to do with the football I am talking about where moments are concerned. That's the total opposite because that's not competitiveness. Infact that's something modern, something relatively new because at Arsenal we have been conditioned to think that finishing in the top four is a trophy and bragging about the fact he's done it for 16 years or some crap like that (I'm not even sure if I got that right which shows how little I care about that) seems to be seen as something tremendous. The press has a lot to do with this but it's just another small detail in the way they market this league which has a lot of holes in it. It doesn't need all the bullshit because it could easily sell itself (there I'm going into something totally off topic here). In my last post where I defended the uniqueness of football, it had nothing whatsoever to do with seeing a top four finish as something special (just for the record and so you know that that means nothing to me). I was getting at something else where football is concerned and where winning isn't everything about this sport although the target should always be working to win which to do you must be competitive with the best.

He has been given too much responsibility in that midfield to be honest and that has held him back so to speak. He is almost a commodity due to his very good passing range and accuracy.

This is why it's shit mate! Maybe you can do that with other sports but not with football! Football is unique whether the Americans like it or not. Back in the 80's they tried hard to change football rules to quarters instead of halves, making the goals bigger, time-outs blah blah blah because there were tons of these things. I like the fact football is antiquated in some respects because it relies on moments as a legendary symbol. Take for example past great players that didn't win too much, they're also legends of the game like for example George Best at international level or Buffon who at international level has done it but at club level he hasn't won the most prized of trophies (as seen on the continent) which is the European Cup (Champions League). We could go n naming names! Clubs come into this standing... Winning is the goal but not everyone wins and along the way special things happen. Here I'm not talking necessarily winning, but competing! Demanding to win is total arrogance because you're not on your own, but if you design a good project to really compete, then you are in with a chance of tasting glory.

You don't necessarily have to spend extreme amounts to win or compete, which is what I really want. It would be blatant arrogance to demand to win when we aren't even on a status level by comparison historically to others. It's about competing mate! Look at Atlético Madrid? They win and when they don't win, they're definitely competing! We have triple the resources that Atlético Madrid have and then I can go further down the line with a club like Sevilla. Being astute with the correct structure at a club can bring rewards as Sevilla have proved over the years and they are a pea by comparison institutionally with Arsenal. I could name many other clubs but obviously I know a lot more about Spanish football to the minuscule detail which is why I've used those two and which would be easy anyhow. But it's the financial aspect you've brought up on the spending avenues which I've touched upon here. European football's problem is that they are trying to become like those American sports franchises and that has NOTHING to do with football. They can keep that because it's boring from a real football fan's perspective.

This is true what you're saying and I can't dispute that neither have I ever pretended to do it... What I do try and do even though some Arsenal fans on TFF don't understand is put forward my opinions on solutions. The whole thing is stale on the football side of things for years and the club heirachy mainly look at the figures and all that goes along with Arsenal Holdings PLC.

Mate, I can only go on the stuff we have to analyse. Obviously right now it's balanced as to whether or not we'll be in next season's edition of the Champions League. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise so as to force Wenger out.

I like Rabiot and made that clear in the place we've all just left. He is one for the future in that department in my view although still not made and is prone to errors. We could've bought Krychowiak from Sevilla for cheaper.

Mate, we DO play those sides and only last season we got knocked out by Barça and this season it seems we'll get knocked out by Bayern. You are right though in that players can be a sum of parts that make a good machine. But the midfield is a sensitive area and an area we have been failing in for a number of years even with some very talented players in our squad. Maybe it's as Chaaay says in that the manager is the one that's not getting the most out of players like Xhaka and I'm wrong. I'm just giving my opinion by watching this guy and others I make a view point on most weeks at the ground.

I'm talking about when midfields clash at the top end. Would you put Xhaka as outplaying some of those midfielders around Europe? Without that you can't win unless you devise a plan to bypass the midfield which tends to mean either playing wide a lot or mainly long passes on a counter.

Aren't you a bird?

Madrid based press turn on Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo was missing for yesterday's trip to Eibar where Real Madrid won 1-4 and last night on Spanish tv and radio stations when analysing the fact that Madrid actually played well for the first time this year (since turning 2017) they came out with a stat... Real Madrid have won all 9 games that Cristiano hasn't played in this season and in all 9 games they've been convincing in their victories. Real Madrid have won many games this season and went on that 40 game unbeaten run which started at the end of last season. But in that 40 match stretch there were many many games where they won by the bare minimum or needed a last minute miracle (usually Ramos providing it) to sort things out. But in the 9 games Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't played in this season, Real Madrid have actually played a more stable game without maybe being spectacular, but always looking assured. Madrid's two main sports daily newspapers ran their front page which for pundits today was a message to Cristiano himself. AS had the headline saying "This is more like Madrid" while MARCA ran their headline stating "When they play like A TEAM..." (emphasis in capitals on team). They speculate that knowing how temperamental Cristiano Ronaldo is that he will probably go into one of his famous training ground moods and Florentino Pérez has already made it known that he is disappointed at the way the Madrid based press is manipulating things from "afar". Sin rastro de Cristiano

You really think Xhaka is at the level required for a top side wanting to win top honours mate? Let me put it another way... The most important part of the field when you're facing the best sides in Europe is the midfield. That's the area where you have to be superior so as to win. You see Xhaka outdoing midfielders against teams like Bayern, Barça, Real Madrid, PSG or Juventus?