Football

[longboard]

2 hours ago, jayemm said:

Claudio Ranieri has been sacked by Leicester City. Just nine months after winning the title.

 

Mmm. I'm a bit foxed about the timing of this.

[Mister Ting]

14 minutes ago, Johnoco said:

Football today is ludicrous. 

I agree, but this is beyond ludicrous.

They say you're only as good as your last result. 

[Trojan]

Do football clubs learn nothing?  Look at Man U, they kept the same manager for nearly 30 years and are one of the most successful clubs in the world.  Same goes for Arsenal (although there are rumblings)

On the other hand look at Leeds U.  The number of managers they've had since O'Leary's demise seems infinite and look where they are.  A club from the 3rd biggest city in the land.  A club from the biggest city in the land to only have one football club and yet they've been out of the top flight for 12 years.  And bankrupt twice.  Surely there's a lesson there.

[Mister Ting]

40 minutes ago, Trojan said:

Do football clubs learn nothing?  Look at Man U, they kept the same manager for nearly 30 years and are one of the most successful clubs in the world.  Same goes for Arsenal (although there are rumblings)

On the other hand look at Leeds U.  The number of managers they've had since O'Leary's demise seems infinite and look where they are.  A club from the 3rd biggest city in the land.  A club from the biggest city in the land to only have one football club and yet they've been out of the top flight for 12 years.  And bankrupt twice.  Surely there's a lesson there.

That stability is a mixture of the right board and coach/manager, development structures. This should apply to all sports.

Leeds' excuse used to be that the reason they couldn't attract the biggest crowds was that they were from a rugby town. Apart from the Revie era, Leeds United are one of the biggest failures in world soccer.

[Trojan]

1 minute ago, Mister Ting said:

That stability is a mixture of the right board and coach/manager, development structures. This should apply to all sports.

Leeds' excuse used to be that the reason they couldn't attract the biggest crowds was that they were from a rugby town. Apart from the Revie era, Leeds United are one of the biggest failures in world soccer.

That's not quite true/  They were the last winners of the Championship and under O'Leary qualified for the Champions League, and in season 2001/2 missed qualification on a disputed penalty call by a ref.  They were there or thereabouts.  Someone pulled the rug.  And O'Leary was sacked followed by any number of managers/coaches of decreasing stature.  But even through all the adversity their crowd have by and large stuck with them.    Anything like success and Leeds's crowds would be up there with most of the Premiership.  But success is not built on permanent change.

The Rhinos have taken advantage of United's dismal performances and increased their crowds through (for Leeds Rugby) an unprecedented run of success.  But even back in the Revie days there were plenty of dual fans who followed both teams.  I think the team most to suffer from Leeds U's success in the sixties was Hunslet.  Championship runners up in 1959 and Challenge Cup runners up in 1965, nowhere near since.

[Mister Ting]

3 minutes ago, Trojan said:

That's not quite true/  They were the last winners of the Championship and under O'Leary qualified for the Champions League, and in season 2001/2 missed qualification on a disputed penalty call by a ref.  They were there or thereabouts.  Someone pulled the rug.  And O'Leary was sacked followed by any number of managers/coaches of decreasing stature.  But even through all the adversity their crowd have by and large stuck with them.    Anything like success and Leeds's crowds would be up there with most of the Premiership.  But success is not built on permanent change.

The Rhinos have taken advantage of United's dismal performances and increased their crowds through (for Leeds Rugby) an unprecedented run of success.  But even back in the Revie days there were plenty of dual fans who followed both teams.  I think the team most to suffer from Leeds U's success in the sixties was Hunslet.  Championship runners up in 1959 and Challenge Cup runners up in 1965, nowhere near since.

Take Revie out of the equation and I doubt they'd be as big as they are now. The support that Leeds now enjoy is largely based on the strong side they had from the mid 1960's through the mid 70's. Great clubs are built on a certain culture. Leeds have lost whatever culture they might have had.

[Wolford6]

Ranieri got £3million when Chelsea sacked him.

Leicester have been ruthless in sacking him but his cloud has probably got a silver lining.

[Trojan]

1 hour ago, Mister Ting said:

Take Revie out of the equation and I doubt they'd be as big as they are now. The support that Leeds now enjoy is largely based on the strong side they had from the mid 1960's through the mid 70's. Great clubs are built on a certain culture. Leeds have lost whatever culture they might have had.

Obviously one of the many pathological Leeds haters.  Wait and see.  The potential in Leeds is tremendous.  They just need someone to push the right buttons.  If Leicester had been Leeds I'm sure the revival wouldn't have petered out.  BTW I write this as a dyed in the wool RL fan.  I watched Leeds a few times in the 70's and it was ok but it doesn't do for me what RL does.

[Mister Ting]

44 minutes ago, Trojan said:

Obviously one of the many pathological Leeds haters.  Wait and see.  The potential in Leeds is tremendous.  They just need someone to push the right buttons.  If Leicester had been Leeds I'm sure the revival wouldn't have petered out.  BTW I write this as a dyed in the wool RL fan.  I watched Leeds a few times in the 70's and it was ok but it doesn't do for me what RL does.

Nothing pathological about stating Leeds' failings over the decades. Like you, I much prefer other RL over the round ball game.

[Trojan]

On ‎2‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 0:37 PM, Mister Ting said:

Nothing pathological about stating Leeds' failings over the decades. Like you, I much prefer other RL over the round ball game.

Forth biggest crowd in the country on Saturday. 

[longboard]

5 hours ago, Trojan said:

Forth biggest crowd in the country on Saturday. 

Some enjoyable footer. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViTtyBmrnNE

[Wiltshire Rhino]

On 24/02/2017 at 10:37 AM, Wolford6 said:

Ranieri got £3million when Chelsea sacked him.

Leicester have been ruthless in sacking him but his cloud has probably got a silver lining.

Rumour has it, and I repeat it's only a rumour, that he gave £1.5M of his payoff to the Foxes Foundation Charity. If this is actually true legend status within Leicester is secured forever. 

 

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.101greatgoals.com/news/brilliant-rumour-claudio-ranieri-leicester-severance-pay/amp/

 

[Niels]

It was a great win for Leicester tonight. Especially against Liverpool.

[Mister Ting]

5 hours ago, Johnoco said:

Leeds were never historically a big club, Don Revie had a vision of taking them to bigger things and did so. IIRC his first thing was to make them wear an all white strip to try and emulate Real Madrid, which can't be easy in Beeston. They do have some very dedicated fans though, but I'll never understand why so many people from Bradford support 'em.

It was a massive bandwagon in the late sixties and early seventies. In some ways, a good period (the advent of regular televised soccer) to build up a fan base for a club that had, hitherto, never achieved much.

[Wolford6]

7 hours ago, Johnoco said:

Leeds .... do have some very dedicated fans though, but I'll never understand why so many people from Bradford support 'em.

One major reason is because many Bradford Park Avenue fans left for Leeds when their club was relegated after finishing at the bottom of the old Fourth Division in 1970.. Bradford City was commonly rumoured not to have voted for the  Avenue under the re-election process that was then in place.

The Avenue has done a fantastic job of resurrection.

[Bob8]

On 24/2/2017 at 9:29 AM, Johnoco said:

That's true in all walks of life but as you say, this is extra stupid. Would the owners have preferred seasons of mid table survival like numerous other teams have done, which ultimately counts for nothing, or one season achieving what they've never done before even if it means relegation? 

You ask that rhetorically, but the answer is "Yes, their financial best case scenario was two seasons of escaping relegation".

Here is a thought for you, increasingly players are the expensive assets and have more power than the manager.  A few weeks ago, Ranieri had the vote of confidence and Ranieri said that he had been too soft with certain players and he could have no more patience with them.  A couple of the players hear this, get nervous and run to the board like spoilt children saying they cannot work with Ranieri anymore, then Ranieri gets the boot.

[longboard]

9 hours ago, Johnoco said:

Leeds were never historically a big club, Don Revie had a vision of taking them to bigger things and did so. IIRC his first thing was to make them wear an all white strip to try and emulate Real Madrid, which can't be easy in Beeston. They do have some very dedicated fans though, but I'll never understand why so many people from Bradford support 'em.

I think that the historic blue and white stripes was Leeds' best shirt. 

[Wolford6]

My Mam's brother died in WW2. For many years, I have held his collection of photos of 1930's footballers, obtained from the collection of coupons in each week's Topical Times. There are loads of photos because his auntie kept a pub that took several copies and one or two locals gave him their coupons.

In the photos, Leeds played in blue and amber stripes. Unless, of course the colour reproduction wasn't very good in those days.

One thing that is noticeable is how weedy many footballers were in those days. Modern footballers show the benefit of improvements in diet and training.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Wolford6

[longboard]

1 minute ago, Wolford6 said:

My Mam's brother died in WW2. For many years, I have held his collection of photos of 1930's footballers, obtained from the collection of coupons in each week's Topical Times.

Leeds played in blue and yellow stripes.

Whilst respecting your great age Wolf, that Leeds strip, which was like the RL colours, came after the blue and white stripes.

I used to have a couple of posters of old football strips which included the Leeds one as the blue and white stripes. The posters also included the strips of the likes of Middlesborough Ironopolis. I think my ex burnt them when we split up. 

[Wolford6]

4 minutes ago, longboard said:

Whilst respecting your great age Wolf, that Leeds strip, which was like the RL colours, came after the blue and white stripes.

I used to have a couple of posters of old football strips which included the Leeds one as the blue and white stripes. The posters also included the strips of the likes of Middlesborough Ironopolis. I think my ex burnt them when we split up. 

Fair enough. I used to work with a bloke whose Dad wrote the programme notes for Billingham Synthonia FC. The club was originally formed by ICI workers and Synthonia is a contraction of Synthetic Ammonia.

[longboard]

2 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

Fair enough. I used to work with a bloke whose Dad wrote the programme notes for Billingham Synthonia FC. The club was originally formed by ICI workers and Synthonia is a contraction of Synthetic Ammonia.

I think they are still going.

[Wolford6]

Yes, third in Northern League, Division 2.

I remember my friend saying that they have a fantastic pitch and Middlesbrough played reserve games on it.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Wolford6

[longboard]

That'll be one of the more beautiful buildings in Billingham.

[Bob8]

59 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

Fair enough. I used to work with a bloke whose Dad wrote the programme notes for Billingham Synthonia FC. The club was originally formed by ICI workers and Synthonia is a contraction of Synthetic Ammonia.

I had wondered where that name came from for years.  As I heard it pre -Wikipedia, it had never occured to me to check.  Thanks!

[Moose]

1 hour ago, longboard said:

Whilst respecting your great age Wolf, that Leeds strip, which was like the RL colours, came after the blue and white stripes.

I used to have a couple of posters of old football strips which included the Leeds one as the blue and white stripes. The posters also included the strips of the likes of Middlesborough Ironopolis. I think my ex burnt them when we split up. 

Leeds United changed their blue and white stripe kit in favour of a blue and yellow halved shirt in 1934.

http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/misc/kits.htm