European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

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Hendo
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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Hendo » 20 Jan 2020 10:24

Winston Biscuit
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he is an absolute monster

if it is true that he has a €60M buy out clause in his contract (kicking in from June 2021 i think) then he is going to have his pick of clubs too


Dortmund still turn a €40m profit on that though.


They do indeed (minus wages and any extra's). My point was that €60M is nothing to the worlds top clubs, so if he still looks this good in 18 months time then he can pretty much choose who he wants to play for


Absolutely agreed, although Dortmund may offer him a new contract between now and then, thus increasing his buy-out clause.

I expect it was put there, just incase it didn't go quite to plan in a better league.

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Sanguine » 20 Jan 2020 11:06

Noticed that Benevento are 11 points clear in Serie B with a game in hand. Let's hope if/when they are promoted again they make a better fist of the top flight.

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by stealthpapes » 21 Jan 2020 09:34

On the French Cup

La Magie de la Coupe is thriving in France. While the big European leagues demand more and more of our attention, the simple pleasure of a humble domestic cup is becoming more marginalised. This weekend, however, the biggest and arguably greatest cup competition in world football – led by the usual cast of postmen, builders and shop assistants – fought back for attention against the modern behemoths of Europe’s top five leagues and the Champions League.

Given that there are only three national leagues in France above the sprawling regional divisions, the scale of French football can be a little overwhelming. More than 8,000 teams entered the Coupe de France this season and not all of them are from within the country’s borders. Teams from French overseas departments and regions – such as Réunion in the Indian Ocean, Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean Sea, and Tahiti in the Pacific Ocean – all compete in the Coupe de France. ASPV Strasbourg travelled 20,000 miles to New Caledonia and back in November to face against Hienghène Sport in a seventh-round tie that makes Bournemouth v Newcastle look like a local derby.

Overseas sides regularly defy expectations. Last season Aiglon du Lamentin – who are based in the Caribbean island of Martinique – travelled to second-tier US Orléans and were only beaten 3-2 in extra time; Le Mans travelled to Réunion the season before and scraped past AS Excelsior by the same scoreline. Excelsior also made headlines in 2017, when they travelled to Lille and pushed the 2011 Ligue 1 winners all the way. They made it to injury time just 2-1 down before conceding two late goals as they pushed for an equaliser.

The exotic away trips and sheer scale of the competition only account for a small part of the cup’s charm. The Coupe de France is synonymous with upsets. Teams from the top two divisions lose to lower league clubs so often that it was almost a surprise to see the likes of Marseille and Angers – were both dumped out by lower league sides last season – squeeze past their less illustrious opponents in the round-of-64 earlier this month, with Marseille still needing penalties to see off fourth division Trélissac.

This weekend produced another round of quintessential Coupe de France action. FC Pau, who play in the third tier, beat Bordeaux 3-2 after extra time; fourth-division Belfort routed Ligue 2 side Nancy 3-1 – their 18-year-old goalkeeper saved a penalty and was carried off on fans’ shoulder at full-time; Saint-Pierroise – the last remaining overseas side in the cup this season – travelled 6,000 miles from Réunion to face fourth-tier Épinal, took the game to extra time and only lost 1-0 after conceding in the 118th minute; Monaco face a trip to fourth tier St-Pryve St Hilaire on Monday night in a classic Coupe de France mismatch; and FC Limonest edged out fellow fifth-tier club Prix-Les-Mezieres to join Épinal and ASM Belfort in the last-16.

The Coupe de France offers many lessons to other fading cup competitions across the continent. The heart of the competition still lies with the average football fan and the many provincial clubs that have made the cup what it is. Until the ninth round, ties are divided into smaller regions, which cuts down the distances supporters have to travel. The lower ranked team always plays at home, which adds to the traditional cup feeling.

When smaller sides are drawn against prestigious clubs from the top two divisions, they often move the ties to bigger stadiums for financial reasons, but Ligue 1 teams often find themselves playing on the dodgiest of pitches at grounds that look like local parks. With clubs from the second and third tiers entering the fray early on – often drawing each other – smaller clubs have genuine chances of progressing; fourth division AS Vitre made it to the quarter-finals last season without having to play an opponent from Ligue 1.

Vitre’s success is by no means an anomaly. Les Herbiers were in the third division when they met PSG in the final two years ago; Quevilly were also in the third tier when they lost the 2012 final 1-0 to Lyon; Guingamp managed to win the cup in 2009 when they were still a Ligue 2 side; and fourth-division Calais famously took the lead against Ligue 1 Nantes in the 2000 final before succumbing to an Antoine Sibierski brace. Overall, the last 20 finals have featured nine teams from outside Ligue 1, with 25 quarter-finalists and eight semi-finalists hailing from Ligue 2 or below in the last decade.

Given that the sterile Coupe de la Ligue is being scrapped after this season and the introduction of a European Super League seems inevitable, the Coupe de France plays a key role in representing grassroots and lower league football across the continent and further afield. Vive la magie de la coupe.

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Winston Biscuit » 24 Jan 2020 22:46

2 goals on his 2nd appearance for Haaland. That's 5 in 59 minutes for Dortmund so far.

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by sandman » 25 Jan 2020 17:26

Barcelona lose 2-0 to Valencia.

Valencia got beaten 4-0 by relegation threatened Mallorca last week.


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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Winston Biscuit » 26 Jan 2020 20:37

Celtic's Christopher Jullien alongside their 16 year old midfielder Karamoko Dembele


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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Wax Jacket » 30 Jan 2020 15:50

:shock:

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Sanguine » 30 Jan 2020 15:59

Dembele is currently 5ft 3ins. Hope for his sake he has some growing to do. Can't think of many top level footballers of the stature even of Dennis Wise, who was 5ft 6ins. Xavi 5ft 7ins.

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Hendo » 30 Jan 2020 16:08

Sanguine Dembele is currently 5ft 3ins. Hope for his sake he has some growing to do. Can't think of many top level footballers of the stature even of Dennis Wise, who was 5ft 6ins. Xavi 5ft 7ins.


Just had a quick look and it looks like Ryan Frasier is 5ft 4.

Also, if your name is Dembele, does it automatically make you a professional footballer? There seem to be so many :lol:


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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Sanguine » 30 Jan 2020 16:15

Hendo
Sanguine Dembele is currently 5ft 3ins. Hope for his sake he has some growing to do. Can't think of many top level footballers of the stature even of Dennis Wise, who was 5ft 6ins. Xavi 5ft 7ins.


Just had a quick look and it looks like Ryan Frasier is 5ft 4.

Also, if your name is Dembele, does it automatically make you a professional footballer? There seem to be so many :lol:


Indeed. Moussa, Mousa, Ousmane, Karamoko in the UK. There's a fcukload in France, of which Mali is a former colony. And a bit of googling finds me that in Mali, 1 in 48 people have the last name Dembele. As a reference as to how common that is, 1 in 88 people in the UK have the last name Smith.

Probably the best Dembele stat though is that despite the high incidence of the name, and the number of footballers with the name plying their trade in Europe, there's not a single one in the current Mali squad.

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Winston Biscuit » 30 Jan 2020 17:54

in terms of name, Dembele is to the latter 00's/10's what Cisse was to the 90's/early 00's

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by stealthpapes » 30 Jan 2020 18:50

Winston Biscuit Celtic's Christopher Jullien alongside their 16 year old midfielder Karamoko Dembele




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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by stealthpapes » 30 Jan 2020 18:51

Sanguine
Hendo
Sanguine Dembele is currently 5ft 3ins. Hope for his sake he has some growing to do. Can't think of many top level footballers of the stature even of Dennis Wise, who was 5ft 6ins. Xavi 5ft 7ins.


Just had a quick look and it looks like Ryan Frasier is 5ft 4.

Also, if your name is Dembele, does it automatically make you a professional footballer? There seem to be so many :lol:


Indeed. Moussa, Mousa, Ousmane, Karamoko in the UK. There's a fcukload in France, of which Mali is a former colony. And a bit of googling finds me that in Mali, 1 in 48 people have the last name Dembele. As a reference as to how common that is, 1 in 88 people in the UK have the last name Smith.

Probably the best Dembele stat though is that despite the high incidence of the name, and the number of footballers with the name plying their trade in Europe, there's not a single one in the current Mali squad.


lol


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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by sandman » 31 Jan 2020 10:12

Sanguine Dembele is currently 5ft 3ins. Hope for his sake he has some growing to do. Can't think of many top level footballers of the stature even of Dennis Wise wobbly eyes Nookie Bear, who was 5ft 6ins. Xavi 5ft 7ins.


Corrected.

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Wax Jacket » 31 Jan 2020 11:36

stealthpapes
Sanguine
Hendo
Just had a quick look and it looks like Ryan Frasier is 5ft 4.

Also, if your name is Dembele, does it automatically make you a professional footballer? There seem to be so many :lol:


Indeed. Moussa, Mousa, Ousmane, Karamoko in the UK. There's a fcukload in France, of which Mali is a former colony. And a bit of googling finds me that in Mali, 1 in 48 people have the last name Dembele. As a reference as to how common that is, 1 in 88 people in the UK have the last name Smith.

Probably the best Dembele stat though is that despite the high incidence of the name, and the number of footballers with the name plying their trade in Europe, there's not a single one in the current Mali squad.


lol


yeah I was going to comment on that, nice

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by RFCMod » 03 Feb 2020 13:00

Haaland and Sancho breaking records at the weekend
Munich getting well back on track now though

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Winston Biscuit » 03 Feb 2020 14:27

7 goals in 136 minutes so far for Haaland :lol:

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Winston Biscuit » 03 Feb 2020 14:29

Lazio's incredible run continues. Immobile did this too which is just wonderful https://twitter.com/iamdestinez/status/1223982740393078785

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Winston Biscuit » 04 Feb 2020 23:05

Haaland comes off the bench and scores again tonight

8 goals now in what must amount to about 2 games of football

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Re: European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

by Winston Biscuit » 06 Feb 2020 13:54

Top scorers

Italy - Immobile 25
Spain - Messi 14
Germany - Lewandowski 22
France - Ben Yedder - 15
Portugal - Pizzi 12
Netherlands - Boadu - 13

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