1-3. Cracking goal and it looks like about 300 Barca fans with a few England flags.
It's the Cross of St George, patron saint of Catalonia...as well as Aragon, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia...got around a wee bit did George
All turned against Madrid after Ronaldo missed the header at 1-1. Barca ahead then within a few minutes. Usual stuff...some nice touches, but way too many actors and hate the way they all wave imaginary cards after they've been "fouled". Ref bottled it with Messi, but should have done Ronaldo as well for diving!
Watched in the hope of a great game, but they're rare and nothing on seeing us play this season.
All in all a pretty poor match in the circumstances but great skill by Messi leading to the equalizer. Loved the look on Ronaldo's face when he missed that header. Maybe Kermy should give him lessons. Barca took 500 fans.
Find it hard to understand the negative comments regarding the game. Agreed it was not a classic " El Classico" but the passing, movement, first touch and skill on show was simply light years ahead of pretty much anything on show in The Premiership ever. I believe it is the inability of British coaches and supporters to recognise that our skill levels and coaching methods are so inferior is the singular reason why we cannot compete at international level and are struggling to think of a decent nominee for England manager that is not foreign. Our top clubs were embarrassed this week by teams that could not hope to lace the boots of either Barcalona or Real Madrid.
Morinho seems to be imitating Barca's pressing & short passing but hasn't got there yet. CP please note how defence push into oppo half. Pulyol getting porky but what a player!
Find it hard to understand the negative comments regarding the game. Agreed it was not a classic " El Classico" but the passing, movement, first touch and skill on show was simply light years ahead of pretty much anything on show in The Premiership ever. I believe it is the inability of British coaches and supporters to recognise that our skill levels and coaching methods are so inferior is the singular reason why we cannot compete at international level and are struggling to think of a decent nominee for England manager that is not foreign. Our top clubs were embarrassed this week by teams that could not hope to lace the boots of either Barcalona or Real Madrid.
Hear this argument a lot. Also used to hear it a lot about Brazillian coaching methods back when they were the best team in the world by a country mile.
Sometimes you're blessed with an amazing generation of players. That's about it, for me.
Players like Iniesta, Torres, Villa.. Their ability doesn't come from coaching, it's natural. That's what's so brilliant about them. The sixth sense that they have.
Do we really think that we'd be the best team in the world if we'd copied their coaching methods for the last 20 years. Would that have turned Glen Johnson into Sergio Ramos? Or Crouch into Florente? Or Stewart Downing into Xavi?
Find it hard to understand the negative comments regarding the game. Agreed it was not a classic " El Classico" but the passing, movement, first touch and skill on show was simply light years ahead of pretty much anything on show in The Premiership ever. I believe it is the inability of British coaches and supporters to recognise that our skill levels and coaching methods are so inferior is the singular reason why we cannot compete at international level and are struggling to think of a decent nominee for England manager that is not foreign. Our top clubs were embarrassed this week by teams that could not hope to lace the boots of either Barcalona or Real Madrid.
Hear this argument a lot. Also used to hear it a lot about Brazillian coaching methods back when they were the best team in the world by a country mile.
Sometimes you're blessed with an amazing generation of players. That's about it, for me.
Players like Iniesta, Torres, Villa.. Their ability doesn't come from coaching, it's natural. That's what's so brilliant about them. The sixth sense that they have.
Do we really think that we'd be the best team in the world if we'd copied their coaching methods for the last 20 years. Would that have turned Glen Johnson into Sergio Ramos? Or Crouch into Florente? Or Stewart Downing into Xavi?
No chance
Look at Wenger at Arsenal. It can be coached no doubt but we don't have the coaches to do it.
I'm pretty sure Arsenal have an Under 11's team who must be almost entirely English. How many of them will make it to the first team, even with Wenger's genius youth coaching programs? How many actually have?
And why are Brazil crap now? I doubt it's because they've changed their coaching methods! It's because they simply haven't had the players come through.
I'm pretty sure Arsenal have an Under 11's team who must be almost entirely English. How many of them will make it to the first team, even with Wenger's genius youth coaching programs? How many actually have?
And why are Brazil crap now? I doubt it's because they've changed their coaching methods! It's because they simply haven't had the players come through.
So by definition you are saying that England havn't had any players of real quality come through since 1966 ?
Question - How have we generated players of real quality if our coaching system is miles behind everyone elses?
Problem is, we've never had enough to pose a real threat to consecutive international competitions.
Or maybe we HAVE, but they have unfortunately been a bunch of complete twats who are more concerned with Bentley's, superinjunctions and garms than playing for England.
The training methods of kids at early ages in numerous European countries are better than those employed in the UK. This leads to more players getting through.Stewart Downing might not even be a top flight footballer if we had the facilities and approaches of say, the Dutch, whose population is a sixth of ours. Funny how their best 11 players are consistently up there with the best in the world.
We can only expect to churn out world class defenders, if we insist on our kids learning on boggy marshes. To assume it's a fluke that some countries randomly produce world class footballers will only lead to more disappointment. That's not an argument, that's a fact. The quality of training in Spain, Germany, the way kids learn to play in South America, it's so different from how it happens here. We're catching up a little, but we're a long way off. When I see Defoe and Parker, I still notice the little touches of technique that they learned at Lilleshall. Not sure about the politics of how that place got shut down, but always seemed like the wrong move to me.
Anyone who even seriously doubts that English coaching methods are light years behind Dutch, Spanish, French and even Italian ones needs only to go to any park on a Sunday morning where kids' football is played. It will be full of puce-faced fat blokes screaming abuse at children under the age of ten, exhorting them to 'GET INTO 'IM', 'KICK 'IM UP IN THE AIR' and berating them for 'LETTIN' 'IM DO THAT TO YA'. And that's just the coaches - not even starting with the parents. There will be about 45 seconds of 'football' played - and any even kid even remotely talented with the ball at his feet will be battered to bits before he heven has a chance to look up and play a pass. The 'game' will be played on a full-size pitch (despite most of the kids needing about 30 seconds to run from one end of it to the other) with a full size ball that most of them can punt about ten yards forward at full strength. The 'officiating' will invariably be shared between the parents of each side, thus teaching the children that cheating is rife as one dodgy offside/foul/penalty after another is given/not given.
I stopped going to watch my nephew's team (who are very good and walking their league) because it just became too depressing to watch.
Anyone who even seriously doubts that English coaching methods are light years behind Dutch, Spanish, French and even Italian ones needs only to go to any park on a Sunday morning where kids' football is played. It will be full of puce-faced fat blokes screaming abuse at children under the age of ten, exhorting them to 'GET INTO 'IM', 'KICK 'IM UP IN THE AIR' and berating them for 'LETTIN' 'IM DO THAT TO YA'. And that's just the coaches - not even starting with the parents. There will be about 45 seconds of 'football' played - and any even kid even remotely talented with the ball at his feet will be battered to bits before he heven has a chance to look up and play a pass. The 'game' will be played on a full-size pitch (despite most of the kids needing about 30 seconds to run from one end of it to the other) with a full size ball that most of them can punt about ten yards forward at full strength. The 'officiating' will invariably be shared between the parents of each side, thus teaching the children that cheating is rife as one dodgy offside/foul/penalty after another is given/not given.
I stopped going to watch my nephew's team (who are very good and walking their league) because it just became too depressing to watch.
Spot on, added to the fact that kids play competetive football too early. I'm all for a few tournaments throughout the season but on the whole it should be friendlies whilst they are young to encourage playing the game the right way. There's fair too much emphasis on finding a big lump at the back who can kick the ball a long way for his age and a quick lad up front to run on to the long balls. Any decent midfielders are just passed by. It's very sad.
Comments
2-1 Barca, deflected goal off Marcelo!
got a mate there i've asked no repsonse yet , he's just having a count up...
they don't travel do they
1-2 to barca now
ronaldos not shown up ...
pathetic header he missed
in spain they don't have the tradition of travelling in numbers hence we're called athletic charlton
It's the Cross of St George, patron saint of Catalonia...as well as Aragon, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia...got around a wee bit did George
Watched in the hope of a great game, but they're rare and nothing on seeing us play this season.
Barca will bring 3000 to Chelsea but only take a few hundred to their biggest rivals. Whats all that about.
Must be the old all living in London excuse again...
Didnt watch the game, clashed with West Brom v Wigan.
Ten times ? Or like ten times ?
Look at Wenger at Arsenal. It can be coached no doubt but we don't have the coaches to do it.
So by definition you are saying that England havn't had any players of real quality come through since 1966 ?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/28/fa-england-holland-grassroots-football
We can only expect to churn out world class defenders, if we insist on our kids learning on boggy marshes. To assume it's a fluke that some countries randomly produce world class footballers will only lead to more disappointment. That's not an argument, that's a fact. The quality of training in Spain, Germany, the way kids learn to play in South America, it's so different from how it happens here. We're catching up a little, but we're a long way off. When I see Defoe and Parker, I still notice the little touches of technique that they learned at Lilleshall. Not sure about the politics of how that place got shut down, but always seemed like the wrong move to me.
I stopped going to watch my nephew's team (who are very good and walking their league) because it just became too depressing to watch.