Weekend Football

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Yeah he had a great career on the surface, but tainted towards the back end of his Real Madrid career, his unsuccessful Spurs loan spell and obviously moving to America as well will have pushed his value further down as well, but a nice way to end his career nonetheless. A lot of it wasn't his own doing so, some of it (Wales Golf Madrid and messing about on the bench) he caused himself as well. Overall, a fantastic player of this generation.

[6ft Kerplunk]

The last 3 or so years haven't done his legacy in club football any good at all. But I guess if you start out so young its no surprise you're burnt out by 30.

[From Despair To Where?]

I think if he was English he would have been much more widely regarded here as he would have been competing at a higher level internationally, or maybe if he'd stayed in England.

Can't knock him though. He wouldn't have won 5 Champions Leagues with an English club.

Am I right in saying Spurs didn't win any of his first 30 league appearances for them?

[Ascotexgunner]

I think if he was English he would have been much more widely regarded here as he would have been competing at a higher level internationally, or maybe if he'd stayed in England.

Can't knock him though. He wouldn't have won 5 Champions Leagues with an English club.

Am I right in saying Spurs didn't win any of his first 30 league appearances for them?

You are indeed correct. He was mocked for that record.
I saw his last performance at the Emirates for Spurs where he destroyed Arsenal by himself. Seems the gunners under Wenger actually tried to kick him off the pitch that day and failed. Only time I can remember a Wenger side playing like that.
I can't fault the guy for his Welsh performances. He literally carried us by himself at times. His strike rate is incredible. Your right, if he was English he would be held higher. 41 Goals in 111 appearances is a fantastic return when you look at what's been around him......Beckham scored just 16 in 115 appearances and some English fans drone on about him being a legend. Couple of things for me on the downside. The injuries he sustained finished him, he was never fit for the World Cup, I think the preparation wasn't good. The other is I think he would have been even better had he not had to play with that arrogant greedy prick Ronaldo or under that french nutter Zidane.

His performance for me was when we were in serious trouble against Andorra away in 2015 and he scored an amazing header and wonderful free kick to save our campaign.

[Orion1871]

I The other is I think he would have been even better had he not had to play with that arrogant prick Ronaldo or under that french nutter Zidane.

Strange then that it was Benzema who stepped up to be the main man after Ronaldo left Real and Bale didn't.

As for Zidane, Ancelotti didn't play Bale and none of their other managers over the last few years did either. So perhaps Bale wasn't quite the victim that he or his agent made him out to be.

[Loafer]

best ever british player imo

[Ascotexgunner]

I The other is I think he would have been even better had he not had to play with that arrogant prick Ronaldo or under that french nutter Zidane.

Strange then that it was Benzema who stepped up to be the main man after Ronaldo left Real and Bale didn't.

As for Zidane, Ancelotti didn't play Bale and none of their other managers over the last few years did either. So perhaps Bale wasn't quite the victim that he or his agent made him out to be.

As I say, I think at the end of his Madrid career injuries and lack of game time took it's toll. All a bit late by then.
Your right to raise Benzema though. Used to miss so many chances. I didn't rate him, Ronaldo leaves and he becomes the great striker he should have been.

[From Despair To Where?]

I always thought Bale outshining him in the Champions League final is what finnally prompted Ronaldo to flounce off to Juventus. Then again, he'd been publicly moaning about how much tax he had to pay in Spain and agitating for a move for a couple of years before that.

I do wonder if Bale just lost interest at Real. The press seemed to take a dislike to him and he was constantly in the shadow of Golden Balls regardless of what either did on the pitch.

At his best he could rip teams to shreds signed handedly.

[Loafer]

I always thought Bale outshining him in the Champions League final is what finnally prompted Ronaldo to flounce off to Juventus. Then again, he'd been publicly moaning about how much tax he had to pay in Spain and agitating for a move for a couple of years before that.

I do wonder if Bale just lost interest at Real. The press seemed to take a dislike to him and he was constantly in the shadow of Golden Balls regardless of what either did on the pitch.

At his best he could rip teams to shreds signed handedly.

There's a compilation video on YouTube of his goals from 12/13 season

Basically all of them long range screamers

I remember watching him destroy maicon from inter Milan at a pub on holiday in the champions league

[Orion1871]

Strange then that it was Benzema who stepped up to be the main man after Ronaldo left Real and Bale didn't.

As for Zidane, Ancelotti didn't play Bale and none of their other managers over the last few years did either. So perhaps Bale wasn't quite the victim that he or his agent made him out to be.

As I say, I think at the end of his Madrid career injuries and lack of game time took it's toll. All a bit late by then.
Your right to raise Benzema though. Used to miss so many chances. I didn't rate him, Ronaldo leaves and he becomes the great striker he should have been.

The injuries cause the lack of game time. The other players don't just sit around waiting for the injured player to come back, they play and earn the managers trust. That's especially true at a big club.

Zidane was having success with other players whilst Bale was on the treatment table. That doesn't give Zidane much incentive to put Bale in instead just because he's Gareth Bale.

[URZZZZ]

Surely Rodgers has to be on thin ice. Said 12 months ago that he was lucky to still be in a job and they haven’t got better

It’s a team devoid of fight and character. Feel for him to an extent because it’s clear he’s had limited investment but there’s no signs of sustained improvement whatsoever

[Conservative_dad]

Utd made hard work of that. Quite a boring game but a 3-0 win is decent enough. Always nice to get a semi

[Loafer]

8) Utd made hard work of that. Quite a boring game but a 3-0 win is decent enough. Always nice to get a semi

It was Charlton

Newcastle will batter you next round

[Orion1871]

Good to see Mid United go on a nice little cup run after their struggles in recent years.

[Loafer]

Yeah they've got money but Eddie howe has done a fantastic job with players like almiron, willock, joelinton and burn

[Stranded]

Surely Rodgers has to be on thin ice. Said 12 months ago that he was lucky to still be in a job and they haven’t got better

It’s a team devoid of fight and character. Feel for him to an extent because it’s clear he’s had limited investment but there’s no signs of sustained improvement whatsoever

Will cost Leicester 10m to pay him off. 10m they don't really have lying around at the moment - unless it gets perilous or he walks, I imagine he'll see out his contract. Possible they may agree a smaller pay-off in the summer mind.

[Sanguine]

Surely Rodgers has to be on thin ice. Said 12 months ago that he was lucky to still be in a job and they haven’t got better

It’s a team devoid of fight and character. Feel for him to an extent because it’s clear he’s had limited investment but there’s no signs of sustained improvement whatsoever

He had earned the credit that kept him in a job last season, successive 5th place finishes and a cup win for a club of Leicester's size is a terrific achievement, whatever their end of season form and missing the CL spots. Limited investment rather curtails any hope of sustained improvement - the board needs to decide if they want to back a new manager with funds. If not, they probably won't be able to find a better manager and coach than they already have.

I'm not sure defeat at St. James' Park makes his position worse - only Liverpool and City have won there since Howe took charge.

My only real question of Rodgers is what Soyuncu has done to offend him. For me Leicester's stand-out defender, but he doesn't play. Vardy's relative lack of potency this season has hindered Leicester, and Patson Daka has been disappointing.

[Mr Optimist]

Charlton seemed to have slipped in to the role of lower league underdog quite nicely and very quickly.

Taking 9,000 to Old Trafford for a league cup game, being more than they get for home games now, and when they don’t take 300 to a northern away game in League One.

Singing cringy songs like “is this a library”, “shall we sing a song for you”, “we forgot that you were here” etc when they were only playing United regularly in the premier league just over ten years ago….

I hope they took their 3-0 beating in good underdog spirit with a nice patronising metaphorical pat on the head from the media.

[URZZZZ]

Surely Rodgers has to be on thin ice. Said 12 months ago that he was lucky to still be in a job and they haven’t got better

It’s a team devoid of fight and character. Feel for him to an extent because it’s clear he’s had limited investment but there’s no signs of sustained improvement whatsoever

He had earned the credit that kept him in a job last season, successive 5th place finishes and a cup win for a club of Leicester's size is a terrific achievement, whatever their end of season form and missing the CL spots. Limited investment rather curtails any hope of sustained improvement - the board needs to decide if they want to back a new manager with funds. If not, they probably won't be able to find a better manager and coach than they already have.

I'm not sure defeat at St. James' Park makes his position worse - only Liverpool and City have won there since Howe took charge.

My only real question of Rodgers is what Soyuncu has done to offend him. For me Leicester's stand-out defender, but he doesn't play. Vardy's relative lack of potency this season has hindered Leicester, and Patson Daka has been disappointing.

Was the manner of the defeat that surprised me, played from the get go that they knew they weren’t going to go through which is really poor. For a manager that regularly highlights character and mentality, his side sure doesn’t have much of it. Time and time again, they lost the ball trying to play out of defence when it was clear Newcastle’s high press was causing them problems (reference their first goal)

Which, in part, boils down to poor coaching. Rodgers has a habit of getting his teams to play really good football (apart from us!) before hitting a snag and struggling to get out of it. His Liverpool sides were remarkably different from being so close to winning the league to finishing 5th/6th the next season

Mentioned about Iheanacho the other day, staggers me he doesn’t play more. 1 league start, 1 goal. As you says Daka and Vardy aren’t performing yet he seems reluctant to play his best striker

[Royal Rother]

Apart from very occasional bursts of excellence Iheanacho is a brainless waste of space imo.

Loses possession so often he's a risk not worth taking.