The football thread

[Hank Scorpio]

Camuacho on the left ?

[jamcc]

I always spend from the strikers backwards, thats where you get your points

So true.

Goalscoring/creating midfielders are the best though.

[SandyCoin]

I just saw that Pique spitting video. That really is disgusting. Maybe it's a hilarious Spanish thing though?

I like Pique still. Everyone does stupid gooseberry fool when drunk, and he really did look drunk .

My brother just found a Merlin Premier League sticker book for 1994. Amazing! I loved the shiny background for the kit and badge stickers.

[Adam Pollard]

My Fantasy side is going to own;

Robinson

Dawson
Dunne
Hangeland
Toure

Yaya Toure
Milner
Malbranque
Cahill

Tevez (c)
Drogba

Reserves: Taylor, Upson, Ferguson and Beckford.

[President Evil]

My Fantasy side is going to own;

Robinson

Dawson
Dunne
Hangeland
Toure

Yaya Toure
Milner
Malbranque
Cahill

Tevez (c)
Drogba

Reserves: Taylor, Upson, Ferguson and Beckford.

Seems very good, can you afford that though ?

[Songwriter]

Seriously Im going to call it now... J Beckford will flop.

Nugent-esque.

[Adam Pollard]

Seriously Im going to call it now... J Beckford will flop.

Nugent-esque.

He'll do better than Nugent due to actually being a natural goalscorer. He'll need to stop being a lazy strawberry float though if he's gonna pull up any trees.

[Kanbei]

How is sponsoring a charity proof that Barcelona aren't arrogant in the first place? It's irrelevant.

It shows that they are a good club who is willing to help even if it means paying out of their pockets, what else do you need a club to do?

On 14 July 2006, the club announced a five year agreement with UNICEF, which includes having the UNICEF logo on their shirts. The agreement has the club donate €1.5 million per year to UNICEF (0.7 percent of its ordinary income, equal to the UN International Aid Target, cf. ODA) via the FC Barcelona Foundation.

Yeah, Barca are so selfless, paying 0.7 of their income out of their pockets

You doing it wrong

They still are donating 1.5m a year. I don't think you understand the point of charity.

Just because Barca have UNICEF on their shirts doesn't mean the other big clubs aren't.

http://www.mufoundation.org/

Look at the bottom of that site, United support numerous charities, including UNICEF.

[Ario]

Yeah Barcelona are such a thoughtful club, I mean sure they suck all of the TV revenue from the league so that as team like Mallorca (who came 5th, very nearly displacing Sevilla from the CL) can go into administration, but it's ok because they give money to UNICEF, and they play beautiful football.

I suppose you could say thay regularly tap up other teams contracted players, with half the Barca squad under instruction to express how much they'd LOVE to play alongside XXX, driving a wedge between players and fans to bring down transfer fees. But that doesn't matter because they're Barcelona, who give money to UNICEF and play beautiful football.

[Pancake]

How the strawberry float can you argue that Barcelona are not an arrogant club? Of course they bloody are! All successful clubs are arrogant!

[Dblock]

Yeah Barcelona are such a thoughtful club, I mean sure they suck all of the TV revenue from the league so that as team like Mallorca (who came 5th, very nearly displacing Sevilla from the CL) can go into administration, but it's ok because they give money to UNICEF, and they play beautiful football.

I suppose you could say thay regularly tap up other teams contracted players, with half the Barca squad under instruction to express how much they'd LOVE to play alongside XXX, driving a wedge between players and fans to bring down transfer fees. But that doesn't matter because they're Barcelona, who give money to UNICEF and play beautiful football.

Mallorca going into administration is the fault of Barcelona how exactly? Everything else you mentioned is completely rubbish and makes no sense whatsoever. Real Madrid and Barcelona do get the biggest share but not all of it. Unlike Real Madrid Barcelona atleast is giving back some. Its the way La Liga operates they need to take care Real Madrid and Barcelona if they want the league to stay strong and can attract players from other leagues, I do agree they need to divide the TV revenue instead of the big two taking half of the pot.

[Red Devil]

I think you answered your own question with that post Dblock.

[Irene Demova]

Mallorca going into administration is the fault of Barcelona how exactly?

They need cash and an even tv revenue would have gave them that.

And the real bit, jesus Googling "Real Madrid Charity" is enough to disprove that

[Pancake]

As Kanbei already pointed out, just because Barcelona have UNICEF on their shirts doesn't mean they're actually donating more money to charity. If anything, it just proves they want to show off about how 'charitable' they are!

[Dblock]

Mallorca going into administration is the fault of Barcelona how exactly?

They need cash and an even tv revenue would have gave them that.

And the real bit, jesus Googling "Real Madrid Charity" is enough to disprove that

Them going into Adminstration is poor business on their side so many teams are in the la liga and they survive year after year, its completely rubbish to blame it only on TV revenue but then again you always come in here after the obvious has been said.

[SandyCoin]

Yeah I used to like Barca a lot some years back. My mum even got me a top when she went to visit. Now I really am starting to dislike them as much as Madrid. Well, actually not quite as much as Madrid.

As for the arrogant remarks, all succesful clubs are arrogant.

[Dblock]

I think you answered your own question with that post Dblock.

"Over the last two years, Mallorca has suffered a complex economic situation, serious financial problems and an inability to meet its commitments," managing director and majority shareholder Mateu Alemany was quoted as saying on the club website (www.rcdmallorca.es).

Not the fault of Barcelona at all.

[Irene Demova]

Mallorca going into administration is the fault of Barcelona how exactly?

They need cash and an even tv revenue would have gave them that.

And the real bit, jesus Googling "Real Madrid Charity" is enough to disprove that

Them going into Adminstration is poor business on their side so many teams are in the la liga and they survive year after year, its completely rubbish to blame it only on TV revenue but then again you always come in here after the obvious has been said.

Half the league's in huge debt because they're trying to compete, y'know as fans of football teams want them to do. It's not Malaga's fault they're at a huge financial advantage with no magical bailout unlike those that Barca and Real have.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/mar/28/barcelona-real-madrid-spain
Read it

[Pancake]

As for the arrogant remarks, all succesful clubs are arrogant.

Precisely. No point arguing otherwise!

[Dblock]

As Kanbei already pointed out, just because Barcelona have UNICEF on their shirts doesn't mean they're actually donating more money to charity. If anything, it just proves they want to show off about how 'charitable' they are!

They donating 1.5m a year to Unicef and frankly I think that is generous. Look at the other big clubs instead they usually take money off the sponsors this is the other way around. This is a long term agreement (5 years) not the one off charity you guys seem to mention and they also do other charities.