Unpopular Football Opinions

[Spike]

11 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Kaiserslautern don't hand out clappers either do they? Or free face masks for that matter? 

Can't say. I wasn't going to Kaiserslautern games very often in the mid to late 90s.

[Carnivore Chris]

On 19/07/2018 at 04:55, Devon Von Devon said:

Care to explain ?

Without Ramos, Real wouldn't have won half as much as they have over the past 5 or so years as it's always him who seems to appear in the most crucial moments, such as when Real had the final lost against Atletico, then he popped up.

He's a liability defensively but nobody can deny the influence he has had on this Real Madrid side in recent years. He's always there. In fact, I don't even get why this is in the unpopular opinion thread as it's pretty much a fact and not an opinion.

[Inverted]

Defenders being discounted as players for not being extremely solid defensively is something I've always disagreed with. 

Attackers can still be appreciated for their defensive output even if they're not world class creators, but the moment a defender doesn't have brilliant positioning or one-on-one defensive ability, they're discounted entirely.

If a defender makes the team slightly more likely to concede, but massively more likely to score, then they're obviously making a huge contribution. 

This is why I've maintained for years that Marcelo is the best left back in the world, and also for example that Marcos Alonso was the best LB in the premier league for a couple of years. 

[Cicero]

3 hours ago, Inverted said:

Defenders being discounted as players for not being extremely solid defensively is something I've always disagreed with. 

Attackers can still be appreciated for their defensive output even if they're not world class creators, but the moment a defender doesn't have brilliant positioning or one-on-one defensive ability, they're discounted entirely.

If a defender makes the team slightly more likely to concede, but massively more likely to score, then they're obviously making a huge contribution. 

This is why I've maintained for years that Marcelo is the best left back in the world, and also for example that Marcos Alonso was the best LB in the premier league for a couple of years. 

Both Marcelo and Alonso started as wingers. 

You're essentially talking about influence, which means a lot. Pogba is a better footballer than Kante, yet he doesn't bring half the influence to his team as Kante does. 

Ramos is massively influential for Real Madrid. I'd rate him defensively on par with Gary Cahill, however what saves him is his tremendous footballing ability. Fits perfectly in the system, as Real give 2 fucks about conceding goals. 

Alonso looks a lot better in a possession minded side, because he spends less time defending. 

All about the system for me. However, I would never rate either of them among the best defenders in the world or the all time greats. Because that is essentially their job, to defend. A striker tracking back but not scoring goals isn't a great striker. 

[Stan]

agree more with @Cicero there yet can see where @Inverted comes from.

When people talk about world class defenders, top of their game etc, players like Maldini, Desailly, Thuram, Chiellini, Nesta, Puyol spring to mind. There are more, obviously, but you could almost guarantee that any given match, they would be reliable and effective in any system.

That's not to say Marcelo/Alonso and the like are bad players or bad defenders. But a defender's job is usually to keep out the goals along with his keeper first and foremost. 

Effectiveness in their labelled position and effectiveness of their role seems to be the key difference, and it's a very fine line between the two. 

[Smiley Culture]

I’m quite happy about having a country from the bottom group of nations in the Nations League qualify for the next Euros. It provides a different name to the tournament, which is usually littered with the same nations time and again. 

[Pig on the Wing]

On 17/06/2018 at 20:41, Cannabis said:

Kevin Davies is a talentless shitcunt.

Responses like this are why he was a truly brilliant target man.

Absolutely rattled the big boys for a solid decade at Bolton, as he was a magnet for high balls, worked like a horse to battle with the best centre backs in the country (I will say, he was fouled just as often as he dished them out), and could hold it up better than pretty much anyone in the league at the time. 

Plus, he'd level that Scottish pansy you had up top for so long

[Devil-Dick Willie]

18 hours ago, Inverted said:

Defenders being discounted as players for not being extremely solid defensively is something I've always disagreed with. 

Attackers can still be appreciated for their defensive output even if they're not world class creators, but the moment a defender doesn't have brilliant positioning or one-on-one defensive ability, they're discounted entirely.

If a defender makes the team slightly more likely to concede, but massively more likely to score, then they're obviously making a huge contribution. 

This is why I've maintained for years that Marcelo is the best left back in the world, and also for example that Marcos Alonso was the best LB in the premier league for a couple of years. 

 

As much as I fucking loved him Kevin Doyle was a garbage striker. I highly appreciated his defensive efforts, and the cunt never gave up. But there were always 20+ strikers in the league I would have wanted in front of goal over him. Rooney is another one, during those years for united where he just drifted around the pitch 'working hard' but achieving fuck all baring disjointing the manu attack.

 

Personally I find it's just that the further back you go the more mistakes are noticed. No one says fuck all when a striker does poorly when he should score, or if a winger beats his man only to play in a fuckig dire cross. But when a midfielder turns the ball over, it's a scene. When a defender is skinned it's a calamity and when the keeper fucks up it's armageddon.

[Danny]

1 minute ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

 

As much as I fucking loved him Kevin Doyle was a garbage striker. I highly appreciated his defensive efforts, and the cunt never gave up. But there were always 20+ strikers in the league I would have wanted in front of goal over him. Rooney is another one, during those years for united where he just drifted around the pitch 'working hard' but achieving fuck all baring disjointing the manu attack.

 

Personally I find it's just that the further back you go the more mistakes are noticed. No one says fuck all when a striker does poorly when he should score, or if a winger beats his man only to play in a fuckig dire cross. But when a midfielder turns the ball over, it's a scene. When a defender is skinned it's a calamity and when the keeper fucks up it's armageddon.

Rooney just grew old, he'd been playing elite football for 12 years by the time he hit 28 years old, judging by him getting pissed On England duty I don't think he looked after his body that well compared to the likes of Ronaldo, Messi etc.

Before that Ferguson falling out his drifting around the pitch was a key strength for United, worked well allowing Ronaldo freedom to be Ronaldo whilst Rooney played everywhere and scored for fun.

[The Artful Dodger]

I think posterity will be kind to Rooney, he was a brilliant player. 

[Guest]

23 hours ago, Smiley Culture said:

I’m quite happy about having a country from the bottom group of nations in the Nations League qualify for the next Euros. It provides a different name to the tournament, which is usually littered with the same nations time and again. 

To be fair a team like Georgia could give a good account of themselves. They would probably finish bottom of their group but I don't think they would get battered every game.

[Dave]

On 07/09/2018 at 00:32, StefBWFC said:

Responses like this are why he was a truly brilliant target man.

Absolutely rattled the big boys for a solid decade at Bolton, as he was a magnet for high balls, worked like a horse to battle with the best centre backs in the country (I will say, he was fouled just as often as he dished them out), and could hold it up better than pretty much anyone in the league at the time. 

Plus, he'd level that Scottish pansy you had up top for so long

I loved Kevin Davies. One of my friends that used to support Bolton pointed out from 2004 to 2007 how everything sucesful went through him. He wasnt rubbish. He destroyed Bayern because they didn't know how to cope with his ilk. An absolute legend of his time for Bolton who should have no regrets with how his career panned out. 

I think my admiration of him stems because he reminds me of Glenn Murray.  Literally looks the bloke in the pub that turns up at your local on the weekend that has a couple of beers and stays outside by the smoking area all evening. He shouldn't be a footballer on five figures a week but he is. Legend.

Duncan Ferguson however. Nah. 

[Dan+]

On 03/09/2018 at 16:58, Tommy said:

Definitely. They did it all on their own, with their own money, and not the money from some Thai company. So it's definitely more impressive. 

We spent peanuts compared to the rest of the league. The first XI we used for the majority of the season cost under £25mil. I'm sure Man City's side that we slaughtered had about 8 players in it who cost more than that combined.

Yes we've had money but relative to the others, absolutely peanuts.

[Guest]

The uefa nations league could become bigger than the European championship in 20 or 30 years time

[Stan]

8 hours ago, Gunnersauraus said:

The uefa nations league could become bigger than the European championship in 20 or 30 years time

How? It's literally a method for qualifying for the biggest international European tournament there is. 

[SirBalon]

Alien invasion has now expanded to this thread 

[Azeem]

Asian Cup is better than the African Cup of nations entertainment wise. 

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Stan said:

How? It's literally a method for qualifying for the biggest international European tournament there is. 

True. But it is it's own competition as well. Not so much for the lower leagues but for the top league I think it could become big as it involves the best teams in europe playing each other. I think it will take a while but I think it could be really big. 

[Smiley Culture]

I’m not bothered at all if some clubs go off and form a ‘European Super League’. In fact, I’d wave them off. I don’t think it would have that much of a negative effect on the rest of English Football, I’d any, either. It just seems like scaremongering in all honesty. 

I’d even be open to these elite five English teams and the rest going off permanently  

 

[Dan+]

7 hours ago, Smiley Culture said:

I’m not bothered at all if some clubs go off and form a ‘European Super League’. In fact, I’d wave them off. I don’t think it would have that much of a negative effect on the rest of English Football, I’d any, either. It just seems like scaremongering in all honesty. 

I’d even be open to these elite five English teams and the rest going off permanently  

 

I think there would definitely be things about it that would damage football such as the standard of the Premier League for example, but I think after an initial struggle, it would get good again in time and it would be a better league for the matchgoing fan.

It would be farcical losing the top clubs but maybe that's what it'll take to make it good again.

[Smiley Culture]

There should be a period at the end of a domestic season that is dedicated to International Football. Take the new calendar for Internationals, it’s very stop, start.

We’re in November and we’ve had three International breaks already, it just feels like the Premier League has never really got going and any momentum generated is quickly exitinguised by an International break and I say this as someone who doesn’t support a Premier League team. 

There’s at least one more International break due in this season, maybe two, if the Premier League started at the same time it does now and didn’t have the International breaks, it could end a few weeks earlier than it currently does and then there could be a dedicated block of International games. For example, the Nations League could be contested in May and June over a four or five week period. 

I think it would benefit the Premier League and probably the national team too, I think dedicated blocks like that would probably drown some of the resentment shown to the national side. 

[Stan]

27 minutes ago, Smiley Culture said:

There should be a period at the end of a domestic season that is dedicated to International Football. Take the new calendar for Internationals, it’s very stop, start.

We’re in November and we’ve had three International breaks already, it just feels like the Premier League has never really got going and any momentum generated is quickly exitinguised by an International break and I say this as someone who doesn’t support a Premier League team. 

There’s at least one more International break due in this season, maybe two, if the Premier League started at the same time it does now and didn’t have the International breaks, it could end a few weeks earlier than it currently does and then there could be a dedicated block of International games. For example, the Nations League could be contested in May and June over a four or five week period. 

I think it would benefit the Premier League and probably the national team too, I think dedicated blocks like that would probably drown some of the resentment shown to the national side. 

The new calendar for internationals is same as before, just a different tournament being played? For quite a while, there's always been international break in September, October and November? 

And there's only one other international break to come, in March?

I do agree with the concept though - there's too many breaks with not enough time to properly get going. I do love the period from mid-November through to mid-March where its purely club football. So much of it over the festive period too. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

The September, October, and November breaks are too many breaks all at once early on in the season - I absolutely hate it. I'm not sure it'd be an unpopular opinion to have international football get it's own designated part of the year so that European club football can remain unmolested.

It's pretty Euro-centric though 

[Azeem]

1. Many parts of the World are too hot, too humid or too rainy in May-June. Ask Qatar

2. And you guys are being naive that the club season will end a few weeks earlier. They will probably add two more teams to the PL or something like that to use those extra weeks. 

3. People don't realise because of the image of the World from those My World Atlas maps but Europe is a much smaller continent than they think and its rich constant travelling for four five weeks in the likes of Africa and Asia is hectic and nearly impossible from a logistic point of view for certain countries.

 

@Stan @Smiley Culture

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ScoRoss]

6 hours ago, Azeem said:

1. Many parts of the World are too hot, too humid or too rainy in May-June. Ask Qatar

2. And you guys are being naive that the club season will end a few weeks earlier. They will probably add two more teams to the PL or something like that to use those extra weeks. 

3. People don't realise because of the image of the World from those My World Atlas maps but Europe is a much smaller continent than they think and its rich constant travelling for four five weeks in the likes of Africa and Asia is hectic and nearly impossible from a logistic point of view for certain countries.

 

@Stan @Smiley Culture

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The international calendar already includes games in June. This doesn't change that.

2. There are no 'extra weeks' it's just a rearranging of already full weeks.