The English Football Thread

[Jase 43,479]

To be fair, that's one side of the story. I'd like to hear AVB's response to this before we should crucify anyone. Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat.

Yeah but Magnay isn't exactly the 1st player to have spoken out against AVB.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

A former Chelsea youngster Carl Magnay gave an interview and revealed something about AVB and his man-management while being at Chelsea.

Did the manager at the time take you to one side and offer any advice?

"The manager at the time I left was AVB. He separated the young players and placed us in another building. He had nothing to say. I took a lot of advice from Steve Holland who was a great help to me when leaving the club. He almost set up a move to Swindon for me but it fell through at the 11th hour."

Whilst at Chelsea, AVB asked the youth team to leave the premises. What was that like at the time & what impact did that have?

"AVB's decision to kick us out of the building didn't go down too well to be honest. It upset coaches and players alike. Whilst there, the youth players felt pointless. Regardless of how we performed we were never given an opportunity. He didn't have too much of an interest. He tried to change too much about the club and that includes trying to oust Lamps. He treated Anelka and Alex poorly, banning them from the dressing room and have them train separately on their own. We had recently won the youth cup and the reserve league. We had the best youth set up in the country. I think the final straw was when the first team were short for players, he used to use members of his staff to fill in instead of calling up young players and giving them first team experience in training. One day we were walking in from training and the conditioner was training with the first team as oppose to giving a young player vital experience. That said it all really."

Full interview here - http://shedlowerblue.blogspot.cz/2013/03/magnay-my-time-at-chelsea.html#!/2013/03/magnay-my-time-at-chelsea.html

Seriously, AVB fucked this up. What on earth was he thinking?? Pathetic, and the last words of Magnay about the conditioner in particular.

How convenient. That fits the media's story about AVB very well, don't you think?

[Jase 43,479]

How convenient. That fits the media's story about AVB very well, don't you think?

Convenient maybe in terms of timing, if you like, but nothing more. Just happen Magnay is being interviewed after leaving the club not too long ago.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Convenient maybe in terms of timing, if you like, but nothing more. Just happen Magnay is being interviewed after leaving the club not too long ago.

So a "nobody" youngster tells the press what they want to hear as the only way to get his name in the paper and get some attention. Sounds credible..

Like mentioned above, I would like to hear AVB's side of the story before I judge.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Rumors that Robbie has been offered the Reading job. Honestly don't think he, or any other manager, can save them.

[Jase 43,479]

So a "nobody" youngster tells the press what they want to hear as the only way to get his name in the paper and get some attention. Sounds credible..

Like mentioned above, I would like to hear AVB's side of the story before I judge.

You're just being selective and cynical. Why would he even bother about getting the media attention?! That interview was not even done with any popular media outlet and he is just telling what happened last season with AVB from a player's perspective.

And of course, even if AVB say he did this and did that for the good of the team, people would probably believe him and still put all the blame on the players for the problems last season.

Why some people just won't admit or even see AVB was part of the problem last season is beyond me.

[Kezza 1,965]

So a "nobody" youngster tells the press what they want to hear as the only way to get his name in the paper and get some attention. Sounds credible..

Like mentioned above, I would like to hear AVB's side of the story before I judge.

AVBs response: errr um errr errr mmm errr.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

You're just being selective and cynical. Why would he even bother about getting the media attention?! That interview was not even done with any popular media outlet and he is just telling what happened last season with AVB from a player's perspective.

And of course, even if AVB say he did this and did that for the good of the team, people would probably believe him and still put all the blame on the players for the problems last season.

Why some people just won't admit or even see AVB was part of the problem last season is beyond me.

And yet it made it here and we're debating it. That's what happens when you give the media exactly what they want on a trending story. In fact, had he praised AVB, the story would never have even been published because that's not what everyone wants to hear.

Of course AVB was part of the problem, he was the manager! He had many faults and made mistakes, but his "poor man-management skills" was not one of them. He tried to change things around here and naturally there will be people who oppose change.

[Jase 43,479]

And yet it made it here and we're debating it. That's what happens when you give the media exactly what they want on a trending story. In fact, had he praised AVB, the story would never have even been published because that's not what everyone wants to hear.

Oh, because it makes out to the media, it is a bad thing? It gave the media what they wanted? Riighhttt.....

If you look at the entire interview, it was basically just about asking Magnay's new playing experience at Gateshead and past experience at the club here with the team, players etc. Only 1 question is mainly about AVB, the other 10 is not even related. What AVB did in terms of separating the 1st team and youth team back then was already well publicized by the media then. Magnay did not exaggerate anything when he was asked about this in the interview. He only recalled what happened then and offered his perspective from the player's point of view given he was involved in it. He is likely to be telling the truth but because of this negative pre-conception you have about the players causing AVB to get sack that you assume Magnay is just trying to give the media what they wanted and talking nonsense.

Speaking of trending story and giving what the media wanted, have you even seen this interview being covered anywhere in the major news outlet such as ESPN, Guardian, Telegraph, Sky Sports etc? No. This was just a low key interview conducted on a previous Chelsea youth player and it isn't even the 1st time it has been done. And all this 'negative' stories about AVB is not even a trending story anymore. He is now enjoying good publicity simply because he joined the media's favorite club in Tottenham.

Of course AVB was part of the problem, he was the manager! He had many faults and made mistakes, but his "poor man-management skills" was not one of them. He tried to change things around here and naturally there will be people who oppose change.

Yes, he tried to change things around here but went about it in the wrong way. Had he done so properly, there wouldn't even be a massive problem with the team last season.

[bluesman2610 1,337]

and Rio escapes any desciplinary action frmo FA as he plays for United if that was Terry or any other Chelsea player there would have been a suspension.. i.e ivanovic vs wigan last season unseen by officials and subsequently banned by FA #bunchoftwats

[Strike 7,184]

Cause for Optimism - Almost inadvertently, we end the season very strong

2007 - FA Cup/CL Semi shootout loss

2008 - Carling Cup Final/CL Final

2009 - CL semi/FA Cup

2010 - League/Cup double

2011 - Stormed back into title race but fell short

2012 - Historic

2013 - ?

[Special Juan 27,385]

*Claps in the face of the FA*

[petr.breu 1,618]

These are some of the questions fans asked downing on twitter when liverpool fc started the hash tag.

Liverpool's official twitter handle urged everyone to ask question for Stewart Downing (#AskDowning).

Well, people are asking some funny questions. Here are the funniest :

Jamie Carragher has seen some things during his time at Anfield, but... how did the poor guy feel when he first played with you?

If you were a footballer, what would your preferred position be?

In 2009 Pogatetz said you would eventually join a top 4 club. Do you think that will ever happen?

So you left Aston Villa for Champions League football. How's that working out for you?

How did it feel to have more arrests than assists last season?

How do the Liverpool strikers feel when they are stood in the box for the 978th time, waiting for you to cross the ball?

How do you sleep at night knowing you get paid for trying to play football?

How did you feel last season knowing Tim Howard was closer to lifting the golden boot than you?

If you were a footballer, what would your preferred position be?

Did you laugh when Liverpool brought you for 18 million?

Did you feel that Messi robbed you when he won the Ballon D'or?

What will you wear when you win the Ballon D'or next year? Please don't wear what Messi did, OK?

You finished 230948th on the Ballon D'or list, behind my mate Mak who plays for my school team. Did you expect to finish this high?

When you retire, will you ever think of starting a career as a professional footballer?

Which stadium has the comfiest bench?

[Yeboii 1,844]

When you retire, will you ever think of starting a career as a professional footballer?

That was some funny shit.. I lolled at that

[Laylabelle 9,337]

T

Jamie Carragher has seen some things during his time at Anfield, but... how did the poor guy feel when he first played with you?

In 2009 Pogatetz said you would eventually join a top 4 club. Do you think that will ever happen?

So you left Aston Villa for Champions League football. How's that working out for you?

How did it feel to have more arrests than assists last season?

How do the Liverpool strikers feel when they are stood in the box for the 978th time, waiting for you to cross the ball?

How did you feel last season knowing Tim Howard was closer to lifting the golden boot than you?

Did you laugh when Liverpool brought you for 18 million?

Which stadium has the comfiest bench?

Hahahahaha!

[Mufassir08 2,400]

Out of the likes of lukaku,nastasic,wilshere,oscar,benteke and davies the managers have voted sterling as the young player of the year :banghead:

[Milan 17,846]

Millwall leading at Blackburn

[Spike 12,049]

I posted this in another thread, but I feel it's more appropriate here.

The FA feel the pathological need to sustain
the credibility and name recognition of ManUtd. Why? Because they are
worth the most out of all the clubs? Which club has the most supporters?
ManUtd. Which club will attract the most sponsors and TV deals? ManUtd.
The FA has the League in my mind, not any team and it just so happens
the easiest and most effective way is to sway everything in the favour
of their unstoppable juggarnaut, ManUtd. The Red Manchurians have the
most exposure and the better they play, the better England and the FA
looks.

This is a business not an idealistic concept of fair play and
sportsmanship. Want sportsmanship? Watch the local game down at the
park, that is as pure football will ever get.