Your unpopular footballing opinions Mod warnings - post#128

Cienciano

frimpong wrote: »

The disrespect shown to the Europa League by English clubs is a disgrace. Putting out the reserves in a European competition. Compare it to Spanish or Italian clubs who go out to win it every year.

Italian clubs don't go out to win it. In fact, they lost a Champions League spot because their ranking went so low. This happened purely because of a poor showing in the Europa League. They treat it like the League Cup in England.

Paz-CCFC

Diving isn't the endemic that it's made out to be. Yes, it's not desirable, players should be booked (including a second yellow, if they've already been booked), but it doesn't happen nearly often as is made out. I don't believe that it turns away huge numbers that would otherwise be passionate footballers. Usually, I think it's perpetuated by people who try to have a pop off football. Cheating/lack of sportsmanship happens in every sport - stealing yards on a throw/lineball in GAA, players knowingly taking extra steps, in rugby, there was the fella using blood capsules to fake injury (much worse and premeditated than simulation). But, diving is singled out much more. It's also used to portray football as less physical, usually by people who are trying to make the sport that they prefer to look more macho, most likely (in my opinion) to overcompensate for football being much more popular.



Anti-doping rules, as they are now, are not very fair nor just. Some performance-enhancing substances, such as protein supplements, are okay, but others are not. What about performance-enhancing technology - training facilities, equipment such as better football boots, bicycles in cycling etc.? There's one substance on the banned list that mimics the effects of being at a high altitude (increase the size of the red blood cells). It could be argued that it's merely levelling the playing field with athletes lucky enough to be born at high altitudes (or those wealthy enough to travel to train there).

The rules also put a huge undue burden on athletes. They have to inform the sporting regulatory body of their general whereabouts. If they go for a trip somewhere else without informing the body, they could face a ban. They have to be available one hour of every day, 365 days a year. They're essentially on call all year round. Employees have statutory annual leave entitlements; this would very unlikely meet the legal of most employees. Officials are allowed to test employees in the athletes home. Athletes have to piss in a cup right in front of the official.

Imagine, in your job, you had to inform your employee of your general whereabouts at all time - whether you're on or off the clock. If you had to be on call every single day of the year. If you went on holidays and had to say exactly where you were going, lest you be dismissed. If an official of your profession's regulatory body could call to your house outside of work hours. If you had to undress in front of the official or risk being banned from practicing. Would any of that be acceptable in any other job?

Doping isn't necessarily good or bad (it's not black and white, imo), but the anti-doping procedures go far far beyond what is an acceptable curtailment of an employee's rights, I think.

Smithwicks Man

A Top 4 Finish is much better than winning both cups in England.

The Capital One Cup is a joke of a competition that doesn't even have an equivalent in the other leagues and the FA Cup has to be the most over-hyped tournament to have ever existed.

I am pie

Smithwicks Man wrote: »

A Top 4 Finish is much better than winning both cups in England.

The Capital One Cup is a joke of a competition that doesn't even have an equivalent in the other leagues and the FA Cup has to be the most over-hyped tournament to have ever existed.

Perhaps it comes with being older, but in the 80s and early 90s the FA cup was a prestigious trophy which clubs did go all out to win. It was definitely prized and coveted by all clubs. That prestige has defintely diminished, it's an afterthought now. The "top 4 finish" and qualification for europe (even uefa cup places below the top 4) have devalued it totally. It was not always so.

The 2nd cup competition is pointless. I would be glad if the premiership club oulled out of it.

niallo27

The price arsenal paid for ozil was nearly as bonkers as the price Liverpool paid for Carroll. Completely overrated player for that price.

Ulysses Gaze

Mesut Ozil is a £40 million version of Andrey Arshavin.

yohan the great

niallo27 wrote: »

The price arsenal paid for ozil was nearly as bonkers as the price Liverpool paid for Carroll. Completely overrated player for that price.

Complete hyperbole

Iused2likebusts

niallo27 wrote: »

The price arsenal paid for ozil was nearly as bonkers as the price Liverpool paid for Carroll. Completely overrated player for that price.

In fairness he was excellent before he moved to arsenal he hasnt looked the same player since he moved.However he was Germany and real madrid's No. 10 and one of the best attacking players in the world prior to the move and most clubs in world football would have signed him.

NoelJ

This world cup isn't as good as people are making it out to be. Most of the big teams aren't actually playing that well which is why we are having such close games. Germany, Netherlands, Brazil and Argentina are scraping victories against smaller teams not because the smaller teams are playing well but because the bigger teams are playing bad.

Shanotheslayer

Paz-CCFC wrote: »

Diving isn't the endemic that it's made out to be. Yes, it's not desirable, players should be booked (including a second yellow, if they've already been booked), but it doesn't happen nearly often as is made out. I don't believe that it turns away huge numbers that would otherwise be passionate footballers. Usually, I think it's perpetuated by people who try to have a pop off football. Cheating/lack of sportsmanship happens in every sport - stealing yards on a throw/lineball in GAA, players knowingly taking extra steps, in rugby, there was the fella using blood capsules to fake injury (much worse and premeditated than simulation). But, diving is singled out much more. It's also used to portray football as less physical, usually by people who are trying to make the sport that they prefer to look more macho, most likely (in my opinion) to overcompensate for football being much more popular.



Anti-doping rules, as they are now, are not very fair nor just. Some performance-enhancing substances, such as protein supplements, are okay, but others are not. What about performance-enhancing technology - training facilities, equipment such as better football boots, bicycles in cycling etc.? There's one substance on the banned list that mimics the effects of being at a high altitude (increase the size of the red blood cells). It could be argued that it's merely levelling the playing field with athletes lucky enough to be born at high altitudes (or those wealthy enough to travel to train there).

The rules also put a huge undue burden on athletes. They have to inform the sporting regulatory body of their general whereabouts. If they go for a trip somewhere else without informing the body, they could face a ban. They have to be available one hour of every day, 365 days a year. They're essentially on call all year round. Employees have statutory annual leave entitlements; this would very unlikely meet the legal of most employees. Officials are allowed to test employees in the athletes home. Athletes have to piss in a cup right in front of the official.

Imagine, in your job, you had to inform your employee of your general whereabouts at all time - whether you're on or off the clock. If you had to be on call every single day of the year. If you went on holidays and had to say exactly where you were going, lest you be dismissed. If an official of your profession's regulatory body could call to your house outside of work hours. If you had to undress in front of the official or risk being banned from practicing. Would any of that be acceptable in any other job?

Doping isn't necessarily good or bad (it's not black and white, imo), but the anti-doping procedures go far far beyond what is an acceptable curtailment of an employee's rights, I think.

Imagine being able to Retire at 30 odd earn millions and millions of dollars and do something you love. Would you like a job like that?...

Paully D

Vincent Kompany is now overrated. A very good defender for sure (and I think he seems to be a really nice bloke off the field) but the way a lot of people speak about him you would think he was a cross between Franz Beckenbauer and Franco Baresi.

IMO, for someone who is so highly rated, he seems to struggle a bit against the top level forwards, has a tendency for making needless silly/rash challenges, and is often (well, ever increasingly at least) found not being on the same wavelength as his defensive colleagues (stepping back/up at wrong times for example) which doesn't always get punished and therefore not highlighted.

Making the PFA Premier League 'Team of the Year' (among others) for the 2013/2014 season was the straw that broke the camels back for me. It was a complete and utter joke and proved it was based on reputation. Demichellis got a lot of stick last year (mostly it seems because he doesn't look like your stereotypical Premier League center half and had a somewhat difficult start) but he was much better than Kompany was yet was berated for much of the season. The first leg of the Barcelona game was a good example. Demichellis took a ridiculous amount of criticism for being sent off, yet it was a result of trying to rectify Kompany's mistake in the first place.

As I said, a very good player (don't get me wrong), but not quite as good as popular footballing opinion perceives him to be IMO.

peabutler

I'd agree with the above about Kompany and feel that with defenders and to an extent Keepers, the majority of people will go with the media/popular view of a player a lot more than with midfield players and attackers who they tend to judge themselves. i.e Mertesacker is too slow, Pique one of the best in the world etc

gosplan

Players like Scholes and Wilshire are massively overrated in England because they're good technically.

Sneijder is as good as Scholes and Spain produces a couple of new Wilshires every year.

Cienciano

Paz-CCFC wrote: »

Diving isn't the endemic that it's made out to be. Yes, it's not desirable, players should be booked (including a second yellow, if they've already been booked), but it doesn't happen nearly often as is made out. I don't believe that it turns away huge numbers that would otherwise be passionate footballers. Usually, I think it's perpetuated by people who try to have a pop off football. Cheating/lack of sportsmanship happens in every sport - stealing yards on a throw/lineball in GAA, players knowingly taking extra steps, in rugby, there was the fella using blood capsules to fake injury (much worse and premeditated than simulation). But, diving is singled out much more. It's also used to portray football as less physical, usually by people who are trying to make the sport that they prefer to look more macho, most likely (in my opinion) to overcompensate for football being much more popular.

Agreed that there's cheating in all sport, especially team sport. But there's something pathetic and sad about diving that makes it that bit worse. It happens way, way too much and all over the pitch. Keeper will fall on the ground if he's challenged, team in front will constantly do it to waste time. Lots of fans have come immune to it, but it's unreal the amount of dives in every match.

Tombo2001

Cienciano wrote: »

Agreed that there's cheating in all sport, especially team sport. But there's something pathetic and sad about diving that makes it that bit worse. It happens way, way too much and all over the pitch. Keeper will fall on the ground if he's challenged, team in front will constantly do it to waste time. Lots of fans have come immune to it, but it's unreal the amount of dives in every match.

I think the core of what people dont like about diving is that its the right thing for players to do.

The players are right to dive. They would be fools not to. If diving didnt work then no one would do it, because they clearly look stupid doing it.

People want it to be the beautiful game, but diving reminds us that professional sport is about win at all costs.

glued

The rewriting of Scholes' career since retirement has been loltastic. It's actually at a situation now where he's been compared with Jack Wilshire, a nobody.

SnitchingBubs

Ozil hasnt been the same player since he joined Arsenal. He came into the premier league as one of the best players in the world, now he hardly gets a mention any more. Even his performances for Germany aren't great.

Steven Gerrard is past it and should retire before he declines any further. Or at the least, do what Ryan Giggs did and still play but at a limited capacity. He should not be starting every game.

Phil Jones is not going to live up to the hype and is only marginally better than Smalling.

Tombo2001

SnitchingBubs wrote: »

Ozil hasnt been the same player since he joined Arsenal. He came into the premier league as one of the best players in the world, now he hardly gets a mention any more. Even his performances for Germany aren't great.

Steven Gerrard is past it and should retire before he declines any further. Or at the least, do what Ryan Giggs did and still play but at a limited capacity. He should not be starting every game.

Phil Jones is not going to live up to the hype and is only marginally better than Smalling.

You are hardly alone in any of these opinions......

Skylinehead

niallo27 wrote: »

The price arsenal paid for ozil was nearly as bonkers as the price Liverpool paid for Carroll. Completely overrated player for that price.

Ah here. Ozil hasn't had the best of seasons, but he was undeniably one of the best no.10s in world football at Madrid, and that's what you pay for those players. Andy Carroll was a lump of a striker with no technical ability, who had a good 6 months, no comparison for me.

Gringo180

niallo27 wrote: »

The price arsenal paid for ozil was nearly as bonkers as the price Liverpool paid for Carroll. Completely overrated player for that price.

:pac:

Turtyturd

A lot of the stick Pique gets is because he left United to go to Barcelona.

Matt_Trakker

I think the 2002 Rep of Ireland team would knock the bejaysus outta the Italia 90 & USA 94 teams.

Ivan Rakitić>Adam Lallana and cheaper.

Will I Amnt

Matt_Trakker wrote: »

Ivan Rakitić>Adam Lallana and cheaper.

That's hardly a hugely unpopular opinion.

IrishIrish

gosplan wrote: »

Players like Scholes and Wilshire are massively overrated in England because they're good technically.

Sneijder is as good as Scholes and Spain produces a couple of new Wilshires every year.

There goes that theory.

Laois_Man

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

No southern Irish person should support Chelsea. It hasn't changed at all, they might have sanitised Stamford Bridge with plastic flags and families but walk into the wrong pub and you'll be clocked for being a paddy. Headhunters have gone nowhere.

That's not the main reason you shouldn't want to be associated with Chelsea supporters. This is.....

yohan the great

Matt_Trakker wrote: »

.

Ivan Rakitić>Adam Lallana and cheaper.

That's an incredibly popular opinion for anybody that watches La Liga.

niallo27

Skylinehead wrote: »

Ah here. Ozil hasn't had the best of seasons, but he was undeniably one of the best no.10s in world football at Madrid, and that's what you pay for those players. Andy Carroll was a lump of a striker with no technical ability, who had a good 6 months, no comparison for me.

Why move from Madrid to arsenal if your one of the best in the world.

GavRedKing

niallo27 wrote: »

Why move from Madrid to arsenal if your one of the best in the world.

Bale and trying to balance the books, also every other team in Europe that could afford him, had enough "number 10's" and didnt need to spend on deadline day.

Smithwicks Man

niallo27 wrote: »

Why move from Madrid to arsenal if your one of the best in the world.

He felt he wasn't being appreciated at Madrid. Ozil was most definitely one of the best No.10's in the world before he moved to Arsenal.

Same goes for Kagawa at Dortmund. Kagawa's move to United has been detrimental to his career.

Skylinehead

niallo27 wrote: »

Why move from Madrid to arsenal if your one of the best in the world.

Gareth Bale, lots of players, underappreciated etc. Same old story with Madrid really, why did Makelele leave? There's never any logic with that club.

Are you denying that he was one of the best in the world?

I am pie

Anyone mentioning Wilshere and Scholes wants their head examined, thoroughly.

Wilshere is about the 3rd best midfielder at his club, on a good day.

dundalkfc10

Anyone calling themselves a Football fan in Dundalk and has more interest in 2 World Cup games than how Dundalk get on in the Europa League later is a F***ing Knob

I am pie

dundalkfc10 wrote: »

Anyone calling themselves a Football fan in Dundalk and has more interest in 2 World Cup games than how Dundalk get on in the Europa League later is a F***ing Knob

Perhaps quality matters to them more than club allegiances based on geographic coincidence.

If I lived in Dundalk, I''d be watching Messi vs Swiss Messi then USA vs Hazard and co all day long. Wouldn't give a flying fck what anyone else thought of that tbh.

Godge

niallo27 wrote: »

The price arsenal paid for ozil was nearly as bonkers as the price Liverpool paid for Carroll. Completely overrated player for that price.

The thread is about unpopular footballing opinions not randomly generated thoughts masquerading as opinion. Remember Ozil is a midfielder, Carroll is a striker.

International Caps/Goals

Carroll: 9/2
Ozil: 59/18

Not only has Ozil got nearly 7 times as many caps, his goals/game ratio at international level is better than Carrolls.

With Liverpool (1.5, 2 or 2.5 seasons?, hard to tell because he didn't play that often), Carroll scored 11 goals from 58 appearances. Ozil scored 7 from 40 in one season, roughly comparable.

In all that time, Carroll had 4 assists, in his one season Ozil has 9.

One is playing in the World Cup quarter-finals, the other went on holiday months ago.

If you are going to post randomly generated thoughts, it is better that you check them for logic first.

dundalkfc10

I am pie wrote: »

Perhaps quality matters to them more than club allegiances based on geographic coincidence.

If I lived in Dundalk, I''d be watching Messi vs Swiss Messi then USA vs Hazard and co all day long. Wouldn't give a flying fck what anyone else thought of that tbh.

Thats why its an unpopular football opinion,

Better quality. Bet you watched Nigeria V Iran or Argentina V Iran... Ive been at Dundalk U-17 games with more quality than that

I am pie

dundalkfc10 wrote: »

Thats why its an unpopular football opinion,

Better quality. Bet you watched Nigeria V Iran or Argentina V Iran... Ive been at Dundalk U-17 games with more quality than that

Ah yes, Argentina v Iran was terrible, so I will now never watch another international match.

Sorry, Messi vs Swiss Messi vs amatuers all day long. It's the game I like, not the tribalism nor the sing songs. The skills on display at the world cup cannot be matched by Dundalk vs whoever fc. Simple fact.

hjkl

dundalkfc10 wrote: »

Thats why its an unpopular football opinion,

Better quality. Bet you watched Nigeria V Iran or Argentina V Iran... Ive been at Dundalk U-17 games with more quality than that

No you haven't. Stop posting ****e.

dundalkfc10

I am pie wrote: »

Ah yes, Argentina v Iran was terrible, so I will now never watch another international match.

Sorry, Messi vs Swiss Messi vs amatuers all day long. It's the game I like, not the tribalism nor the sing songs. The skills on display at the world cup cannot be matched by Dundalk vs whoever fc. Simple fact.

Ken Shamrock

Now now girls, there's a mod warning in here already, if the dude from Dundalk prefers watching them play fair enough, leave him to it.

Ardillaun

White paint, great idea - but you've got to ENFORCE it lads. Time and again, I see players stepping onto, or actually over, that line as it is being sprayed. The ref then busies himself with the nozzle and somehow manages not to see the infraction.

Paz-CCFC

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

Imagine being able to Retire at 30 odd earn millions and millions of dollars and do something you love. Would you like a job like that?...

The vast majority of footballers are not millionaires. The average wage for a professional footballer in Ireland is €20,000 a year - half the overall wage of an Irish employee. And you don't have to be a sports star to be a millionaire. What about the richest of actors or CEOs of the biggest companies? Are their employment rights curtailed in similar fashion?

Cienciano wrote: »

Agreed that there's cheating in all sport, especially team sport. But there's something pathetic and sad about diving that makes it that bit worse. It happens way, way too much and all over the pitch. Keeper will fall on the ground if he's challenged, team in front will constantly do it to waste time. Lots of fans have come immune to it, but it's unreal the amount of dives in every match.

I see diving so no different from deliberate handball, taking a player out of it to prevent an attack (these are always praised as taking a hit for the team, though players can get away with them just like a dive) etc. I also disagree that dives happen huge amounts of times in every football match. I go to about 25 matches a season, and I rarely see a dive. And when watching matches on television, the dives that do happen are zoned in on and given the impression that it's going on every minute of the match. There are also many cases of a player not looking for a foul, but brought down by momentum, that are called out as dives from commentators.

I completely agree with you about the keepers, though. With outfield players diving, the referee is genuinely conned into thinking that he was fouled. Whereas, with challenges on the goalkeeper, you can see some referees see a player standing next to the keeper, about to jump and they blow the whistle the minute the cross is put in.

Omackeral

I am pie wrote: »

Ah yes, Argentina v Iran was terrible, so I will now never watch another international match.

Sorry, Messi vs Swiss Messi vs amatuers all day long. It's the game I like, not the tribalism nor the sing songs. The skills on display at the world cup cannot be matched by Dundalk vs whoever fc. Simple fact.

Sorry but that's absolutely gas. Sky Sports would love you. Richie Towell has banged in two away goals in Europe and he's anything but an amateur. Also, this Swiss game is dull as dishwater

Will I Amnt

Omackeral wrote: »

Richie Towell has banged in two away goals in Europe

Against a team you probably never heard of before today?

Omackeral

Will I Amnt wrote: »

Against a team you probably never heard of before today?

Messi scored against Iran a week ago. Didn't know a high percentage of their players either but so what. You can only beat what's in front of you. Anyway, this is going off topic. Another opinion I'd have is that the preliminary rounds of Europa League/CL qualifying is great buzz and it's a damn shame our broadcasters don't put them on half as much as they used to.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Don't know how unpopular this is, but keepers have been way too much praise in the WC for saving shots that are hit straight at them.
In some cases it's a case of the ball just hitting them and 'great save' gets belted out by the commentator.

Al Capwned

Lionel Messi is a bit of a [yellow card offense]pick one [/yellow card offense]

Niggly little stuff, kicking the ball straight at oppo supporters, sneaky off the ball stuff.

And get away with a lot of it because of who he is. Blatant foul and a yellow card in the aftermath of his saved shot this evening for example, and not even as much as a replay of it.

delaad

I wish that Liverpool Football Club would someday soon win a trophy so huge and indeed world-shattering - possibly, Blatter's First All-Universe Champions League Title - in the hope that this triumph might raise that miserable shower of ex-said club TV analysts, namely, Ray Houghton, Danny Murphy, Mark Lawrenson, Alan Hansen, Jim (newly smooth) Beglin, and Ronnie Whelan, out of the ineffably offensive drone of negativity and cynicism that they inflict on us, at every available opportunity.

Such a triumph, were it to happen, might get them over the cause of the misery, their deep-rooted shagrin at missing out on the big time.....but i doubt it.

Sorry, lads, you. as a collective, are a bore.

Liam O

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Don't know how unpopular this is, but keepers have been way too much praise in the WC for saving shots that are hit straight at them.
In some cases it's a case of the ball just hitting them and 'great save' gets belted out by the commentator.

That always happens. My gauge of a good keeper is generally how they deal with the ok shots that they have to dive for. If they are merely pushing the ball away at every opportunity then they look a bit dodgy, if they can hold a few of these shots a game then they are preserving possession and it just raises their teammates trust in them I think. There's obviously other factors in goalkeeping but in terms of ones I've seen less than 5 times this is how I gauge them.

derfderf

Al Capwned wrote: »

Lionel Messi is a bit of a [yellow card offense]pick one [/yellow card offense]

Niggly little stuff, kicking the ball straight at oppo supporters, sneaky off the ball stuff.

And get away with a lot of it because of who he is. Blatant foul and a yellow card in the aftermath of his saved shot this evening for example, and not even as much as a replay of it.

Someone pulls his hair and he collapses holding his face..

MagicIRL

delaad wrote: »

I wish that Liverpool Football Club would someday soon win a trophy so huge and indeed world-shattering - possibly, Blatter's First All-Universe Champions League Title - in the hope that this triumph might raise that miserable shower of ex-said club TV analysts, namely, Ray Houghton, Danny Murphy, Mark Lawrenson, Alan Hansen, Jim (newly smooth) Beglin, and Ronnie Whelan, out of the ineffably offensive drone of negativity and cynicism that they inflict on us, at every available opportunity.

Such a triumph, were it to happen, might get them over the cause of the misery, their deep-rooted shagrin at missing out on the big time.....but i doubt it.

Sorry, lads, you. as a collective, are a bore.

You should go in to football punditry. That was beautifully written.