Association Football 2023/2024 Discussion Thread

[NewYorkExpress]

Utter carnage in Nice-Marseille. The worst fan violence I’ve seen in a while, not to mention some of the players going at it and Jorge Sampaoli going totally berserk. There have surely got to be hefty sanctions for both teams, but Nice in particular.

Given this appears to be Nice fans, forced relegation for Nice has to be the minimum here. Forced relegation multiple divisions should be considered.

No one on the planet will ever embrace the draconian punishments you have suggested for all variety of sporting misbehavior.

Tom Brady should have been imprisoned for 10-25 years and Bill Belichick executed for secretly filming Eagles' practices in 2005.

Imprisonment and execution for deflating footballs and filming practices of other teams is going too far, especially since I don't think either of those things should be against the NFL rules to begin with.

Utter carnage in Nice-Marseille. The worst fan violence I’ve seen in a while, not to mention some of the players going at it and Jorge Sampaoli going totally berserk. There have surely got to be hefty sanctions for both teams, but Nice in particular.

Given this appears to be Nice fans, forced relegation for Nice has to be the minimum here. Forced relegation multiple divisions should be considered.

No one on the planet will ever embrace the draconian punishments you have suggested for all variety of sporting misbehavior.

Tom Brady should have been imprisoned for 10-25 years and Bill Belichick executed for secretly filming Eagles' practices in 2005.

UNC basketball should've been given the death penalty.

Given the number of academic violations across North Carolina's athletic program, multiple sports at UNC should have gotten the NCAA's Death Penalty.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Utter carnage in Nice-Marseille. The worst fan violence I’ve seen in a while, not to mention some of the players going at it and Jorge Sampaoli going totally berserk. There have surely got to be hefty sanctions for both teams, but Nice in particular.

Given this appears to be Nice fans, forced relegation for Nice has to be the minimum here. Forced relegation multiple divisions should be considered.

No one on the planet will ever embrace the draconian punishments you have suggested for all variety of sporting misbehavior.

Tom Brady should have been imprisoned for 10-25 years and Bill Belichick executed for secretly filming Eagles' practices in 2005.

UNC basketball should've been given the death penalty.

The school itself should have been disaccredited and the buildings auctioned off to more reputable institutions like the University of Phoenix and Everest Institute.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

In the past few days two prominent British footballers of decades past have confirmed they are suffering from dementia, part of a growing pattern and one known to be linked to heading. A recent report suggests/confirms that there's little reason to suspect that the problem will go away once retired players from after the age of the leather ball start moving into the danger zone, largely because as balls got lighter the amount of heading increased as did the numbers of areas on the head that the ball can realistically be headed using.

[NewYorkExpress]

In the past few days two prominent British footballers of decades past have confirmed they are suffering from dementia, part of a growing pattern and one known to be linked to heading. A recent report suggests/confirms that there's little reason to suspect that the problem with go away once retired players from after the age of the leather ball start moving into the danger zone, largely because as balls got lighter the amount of heading increased as did the numbers of areas on the head that the ball can realistically be headed using.

Modifying the laws of the game to ban heading the ball probably should be up for future discussion.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I hope I'm wrong, but the growing pains with Osimhen aren't getting better to start Year 2. I know I have to be patient, but the team is usually better without him despite a few memorable plays he was responsible for - including one or two before being sent off today (yet rarely with a finish, especially when it was a goal that mattered for the outcome). Hard to blame a 22 year old but doubt he makes us any closer to competing for scudetti when it should be wide open the next 2-3 years. He needs to start rising to the occasion.

At least, we can laugh at Juve. Big wow. Downright pathetic that the stars were brought on to protect a lead and failed. Inter dynasty (despite significant turnover) in the making

[NewYorkExpress]

Utter carnage in Nice-Marseille. The worst fan violence I’ve seen in a while, not to mention some of the players going at it and Jorge Sampaoli going totally berserk. There have surely got to be hefty sanctions for both teams, but Nice in particular.

Given this appears to be Nice fans, forced relegation for Nice has to be the minimum here. Forced relegation multiple divisions should be considered.

No one on the planet will ever embrace the draconian punishments you have suggested for all variety of sporting misbehavior.

Tom Brady should have been imprisoned for 10-25 years and Bill Belichick executed for secretly filming Eagles' practices in 2005.

UNC basketball should've been given the death penalty.

The school itself should have been disaccredited and the buildings auctioned off to more reputable institutions like the University of Phoenix and Everest Institute.

That's overkill, given the problems with UNC athletics don't seem to have anything to do with UNC as an institution, unlike say...SMU Football in the 1980's.

[Santander]

Utter carnage in Nice-Marseille. The worst fan violence I’ve seen in a while, not to mention some of the players going at it and Jorge Sampaoli going totally berserk. There have surely got to be hefty sanctions for both teams, but Nice in particular.

Given this appears to be Nice fans, forced relegation for Nice has to be the minimum here. Forced relegation multiple divisions should be considered.

No one on the planet will ever embrace the draconian punishments you have suggested for all variety of sporting misbehavior.

Tom Brady should have been imprisoned for 10-25 years and Bill Belichick executed for secretly filming Eagles' practices in 2005.

UNC basketball should've been given the death penalty.

The school itself should have been disaccredited and the buildings auctioned off to more reputable institutions like the University of Phoenix and Everest Institute.

That's overkill, given the problems with UNC athletics don't seem to have anything to do with UNC as an institution, unlike say...SMU Football in the 1980's.

What are you even talking about?... You literally know nothing about anything.

[NewYorkExpress]

Utter carnage in Nice-Marseille. The worst fan violence I’ve seen in a while, not to mention some of the players going at it and Jorge Sampaoli going totally berserk. There have surely got to be hefty sanctions for both teams, but Nice in particular.

Given this appears to be Nice fans, forced relegation for Nice has to be the minimum here. Forced relegation multiple divisions should be considered.

No one on the planet will ever embrace the draconian punishments you have suggested for all variety of sporting misbehavior.

Tom Brady should have been imprisoned for 10-25 years and Bill Belichick executed for secretly filming Eagles' practices in 2005.

UNC basketball should've been given the death penalty.

The school itself should have been disaccredited and the buildings auctioned off to more reputable institutions like the University of Phoenix and Everest Institute.

That's overkill, given the problems with UNC athletics don't seem to have anything to do with UNC as an institution, unlike say...SMU Football in the 1980's.

What are you even talking about?... You literally know nothing about anything.

You could have left off the second half of that statement, avoided the personal attack against me, and gotten the exact same message across, you know.

[Dr. MB]

If my 5th grade rec soccer team allowed heading the pros can allow it too.

[NewYorkExpress]

If my 5th grade rec soccer team allowed heading the pros can allow it too.

Your fifth grade rec soccer team was how many years ago?

Chances are they don't allow heading the ball anymore.

[afleitch]

Celtic on good form so far. Not just winning but scoring and enjoying the game. Which is nice to see again!

[Suburbia]

One of the greatest athletes of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Juventus, Italy and go to another team.

Some think Ronaldo could come to Manchester City's already super-talented roster of Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish....

Can MC afford Kane and Ronaldo? Imagine that lineup? That would top 1998-99 Manchester United and 2003-04 Arsenal as the top superteams of all time!!! Won't that run the risk of too much egos? Think the 2011 Boston Red Sox collapse....


https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/08/23/cristiano-ronaldo-juventus-transfer-future-market

[Santander]

That would top 1998-99 Manchester United and 2003-04 Arsenal as the top superteams of all time!!!

These were not superteams by any stretch of the imagination. Late 80s-to-early 90s Milan, early-to-mid 2000s Milan, both Galacticos teams, PSG right now, Barcelona of the late 00s... those are superteams.

Man City is just a very good team. Their current transfer policy does not involve buying Galactico-type players, and neither did the other teams you mentioned. Of all the English clubs, it's probably Manchester United that come closest to adopting a superteam strategy, and look where that's taken them.

[Suburbia]

That would top 1998-99 Manchester United and 2003-04 Arsenal as the top superteams of all time!!!

These were not superteams by any stretch of the imagination. Late 80s-to-early 90s Milan, early-to-mid 2000s Milan, both Galacticos teams, PSG right now, Barcelona of the late 00s... those are superteams.

Man City is just a very good team. Their current transfer policy does not involve buying Galactico-type players, and neither did the other teams you mentioned. Of all the English clubs, it's probably Manchester United that come closest to adopting a superteam strategy, and look where that's taken them.

2003-04 Arsenal was good....Thierry Henry, Reyes, Ashley Cole, etc. that was a superteam. 2003-04 Arsenal was undefeated, probably the best team in ages...

[Santander]

Spare a thought for Moise Kean, who's been the top prospect at Juventus and the #2 goalscorer at PSG at his young age and is stuck playing for Everton's reserves.

[Santander]

PSV-Benfica is way too glamorous to be a Champions League qualifier. Heroic performance by Benfica, in any case. PSV still has a good team despite losing Donyell Malen and Denzel Dumfries.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

The first round of Serie A 2021-2022 has been pretty sparkling and exciting, with many goals and good games, but most of all it has been... a big show for referees, lol. Seven red cards, seven penalties, and quite a number of VAR interventions to assign (or not) goals.

I am a bit disappointed that Spezia squandered the advantage it had built against Cagliari and only ended with a draw. In any case there's always this:

At least, we can laugh at Juve. Big wow. Downright pathetic that the stars were brought on to protect a lead and failed. Inter dynasty (despite significant turnover) in the making

[Suburbia]

Harry Kane is staying with Tottenham Hotspurs for one more year, probably similar to Aaron Rodgers staying with Green Bay Packers of the NFL...

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/harry-kane-i-will-stay-at-tottenham-this-summer-m2xmdq6v0

His biggest objectives are to win a trophy with them, win the World Cup in '22/26 for the English and the Euros in 2024....

He's a great player, he should have a lot of success.....we'll see....

[Lechasseur]

Harry Kane is staying with Tottenham Hotspurs for one more year, probably similar to Aaron Rodgers staying with Green Bay Packers of the NFL...

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/harry-kane-i-will-stay-at-tottenham-this-summer-m2xmdq6v0

His biggest objectives are to win a trophy with them, win the World Cup in '22/26 for the English and the Euros in 2024....

He's a great player, he should have a lot of success.....we'll see....

It's more because Tottenham won't let him leave than anything. Other than to go on strike and potentially harm his reputation, it's not like he had much of a choice.

[Santander]

Nobody wants Kane at a £150m valuation. We're talking about a guy who isn't even that young and is injured half the time. Lukaku just sold for £97.5m, and Mbappe is reported to be available for £171m, albeit for much higher wages. Haaland enters the market next year for £64m, although his (and fat Mino's) wage demands will be insane and possibly beyond what English clubs other than Man Utd would be willing to pay.

[NewYorkExpress]

Nobody wants Kane at a £150m valuation. We're talking about a guy who isn't even that young and is injured half the time. Lukaku just sold for £97.5m, and Mbappe is reported to be available for £171m, albeit for much higher wages. Haaland enters the market next year for £64m, although his (and fat Mino's) wage demands will be insane and possibly beyond what English clubs other than Man Utd would be willing to pay.

Manchester City probably would be better off waiting until next year and just paying whatever wages Ering Haaland wants rather than breaking both the transfer and wage bank for Harry Kane, in my opinion.

[Suburbia]

Nobody wants Kane at a £150m valuation. We're talking about a guy who isn't even that young and is injured half the time. Lukaku just sold for £97.5m, and Mbappe is reported to be available for £171m, albeit for much higher wages. Haaland enters the market next year for £64m, although his (and fat Mino's) wage demands will be insane and possibly beyond what English clubs other than Man Utd would be willing to pay.

He's 28....he's young, but he is getting up there....and he needs to win trophies....he's one of England's best players, I enjoy watching him play, he needs titles.....

We will see....

[Lechasseur]

Nobody wants Kane at a £150m valuation. We're talking about a guy who isn't even that young and is injured half the time. Lukaku just sold for £97.5m, and Mbappe is reported to be available for £171m, albeit for much higher wages. Haaland enters the market next year for £64m, although his (and fat Mino's) wage demands will be insane and possibly beyond what English clubs other than Man Utd would be willing to pay.

He's 28....he's young, but he is getting up there....and he needs to win trophies....he's one of England's best players, I enjoy watching him play, he needs titles.....

We will see....

I agree that he should be playing for a better team than Tottenham, but it is what it is for him.

I think next year he should try to force a move away though as I think it will basically be his last chance.

I can't see Tottenham winning any trophies for the forseeable future. This is probably their worst squad in over a decade, and they didn't manage to win any while they actually had a good team.

[Suburbia]

Nobody wants Kane at a £150m valuation. We're talking about a guy who isn't even that young and is injured half the time. Lukaku just sold for £97.5m, and Mbappe is reported to be available for £171m, albeit for much higher wages. Haaland enters the market next year for £64m, although his (and fat Mino's) wage demands will be insane and possibly beyond what English clubs other than Man Utd would be willing to pay.

He's 28....he's young, but he is getting up there....and he needs to win trophies....he's one of England's best players, I enjoy watching him play, he needs titles.....

We will see....

I agree that he should be playing for a better team than Tottenham, but it is what it is for him.

I think next year he should try to force a move away though as I think it will basically be his last chance.

I can't see Tottenham winning any trophies for the forseeable future. This is probably their worst squad in over a decade, and they didn't manage to win any while they actually had a good team.

What year in the Kane era do you think they could have won the PL? In 2018-19 when they got to the UEFA final with Son, Eriksen (before his health scare) and Llorente?

[Santander]

Nobody wants Kane at a £150m valuation. We're talking about a guy who isn't even that young and is injured half the time. Lukaku just sold for £97.5m, and Mbappe is reported to be available for £171m, albeit for much higher wages. Haaland enters the market next year for £64m, although his (and fat Mino's) wage demands will be insane and possibly beyond what English clubs other than Man Utd would be willing to pay.

Manchester City probably would be better off waiting until next year and just paying whatever wages Ering Haaland wants rather than breaking both the transfer and wage bank for Harry Kane, in my opinion.

The problem is the wage structure, not the wage budget. Raiola demanded £820k p/w in wages for Haaland from Chelsea, which while may have been an opening offer, represents the kind of challenge it would be to sign him. No player in England earns anywhere near that kind of money, and it would shatter the wage structures of Man City or Chelsea. Players like Lukaku or De Bruyne would not accept earning half the wages of 22 year old Haaland. Man Utd could conceivably do it with their less talented squad and penchant for overpaying players, but even then we'd probably be talking more in the £500k range than the £800k range.

Also, just because the transfer fee would be fixed at €75m next summer, does not mean there won't be huge demands for sign-on fees, bonuses, agent fees, and wages to make up for the reduced fee and how every heavyweight club in Europe is going to try to sign Haaland.

If Mbappe, Ronaldo, or even Lewandowski show up on the market at the same time for "free", good luck finding oxygen in the transfer market for Harry Kane to make a move... he should've gone on strike to force a move now. Nobody on the continent wants him or could afford the fee right now, only 3 clubs in England are suitable destinations for him, and they will all be fighting for Haaland next year, relegating him to a backup plan at best. Players like Jonathan David and Patson Daka are going to become hotter and hotter properties too, and represent much safer investments with upside and sell-on value than Kane.