04/19/24
October 01, 2003
Chelsea lose.: "The team that Roman bought" suffers its first loss of the season. Not that remarkable, except that they did it at home and against ten men from Turkey. Veron did his usual disappearing act. Rubbish attacking. Maybe it's because Chelsea is like the United Nations of the EPL? Or maybe money really can't buy success.
posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 04:35 PM - 25 comments
Before today: Five wins and a draw in EPL, three wins in the CL. So that's eight wins and a tie, now one loss in ten games and you're ready to write them off? Puh-leeze!
posted by billsaysthis at 05:07 PM on October 01, 2003
Ah, no schadenfreude from you guys? Such gentlemen. btw, FB, Man U lost today, too. Nice.
posted by worldcup2002 at 05:44 PM on October 01, 2003
I hate Chelsea.
posted by StarFucker at 11:52 PM on October 01, 2003
btw, FB, Man U lost today, too. Nice Not really, traditionally the team that plays Utd after they get beaten in Europe suffers terrible retributive consequences. This week it happens to be us.
posted by Fat Buddha at 02:30 AM on October 02, 2003
Yippee!!!! Less gloating from Blues fans will be a boon round here.
posted by BigCalm at 03:20 AM on October 02, 2003
Nah, it's all down to the Tinkerman. Three at the back against a top Turkish side? Professional suicide ... let's hope he learns a few things about tactics before we lose the England manager to the Russian mafia and Ranieri gets a new pair of concrete boots instead of a P45. Money didn't buy success for Utd. With the arguable exception of Andy Cole, it's only since SAF has rethought his retirement that he's ever spent big money. He bought success to that club with a number of mid-priced, hard-working battlers and a number of cheap youth signings who came through the training structure. It was a long hard slog, taking him seven years to turn them from mediocre also-rans to a club which could dominate domestically and challenge in Europe. It's taken them quite a few premiership titles and a good run of appearances in the CL to get to the stage when they can splash the cash the way they have been recently. I'm no fan of the personality of SAF, and I hate Utd, but he's a footballing genius, and you don't want to underestimate what he did for that club, even if he had quite a bit of luck too. Some would say he's canny, but you have to get offered some luck to take it. As for Real Madrid, they got to where they are (most successful club in Europe) many, many moons ago, but didn't have any serious cash to throw around until three years ago when the Spanish govt effectively bankrolled them by buying one of their training grounds for three hundred million Euros. Otherwise, they were going to go into administration through debt. But for decades they earned their money the same way Utd did: by winning trophies and consistently doing well in the league. Lazio spent big under Sven, it's true, but they're focked now: expect them to "do a Leeds" within the next year or two at most, and sink into obscurity in Serie B. We all know how well Blackburn managed to stay top of the pile, and you only have to look at Leeds and West Ham in recent years to see what a huge steaming pile of failure money can buy for you instead of success. At the end of the day, success is earned through hard training, careful tactical planning, superlative man-management and a generous helping of luck. Money can buy you most of these ingredients, but not all, and it's all too easy to waste your money instead. Just have to look at Veron and Rio Ferdinand (esp. last night) to see that even the best managers can throw away the best part of sixty million pounds on a careless whim now and then.
posted by walrus at 07:06 AM on October 02, 2003
Wow, what a post!
posted by StarFucker at 10:21 AM on October 02, 2003
I'm with walrus.
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:40 AM on October 02, 2003
btw, FB: Kudos to Bruce and Birmingham for their current success. It's good to see the Blues up there mixing it up with the prawn sandwich crowd. Hopefully, Liverpool will also be up there soon. Beat ManU!
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:52 AM on October 02, 2003
prawn sandwich crowd Translation please!
posted by billsaysthis at 01:09 PM on October 02, 2003
Man United spending big money: Man U were the most expensive team in England in 1990 (finishing 13th), with some of the most expensive players in the country - Gary Pallister was the most expensive defender in the country at the time. A couple of years later they bought Roy Keane for £4.5million, an english record at the time. Andy Cole cost £7million, Dwight Yorke £12million, Jaap Stam £11million (again a british record for a defender at the time), and obviously in the last two seasons they've spent £19million on Ruud van Nistelrooy, £29million on Veron, £30 million on Ferdinand, and even £13million this summer on Ronaldo - thats some pretty impressive spending. And that doesn't even include the ability to spend £7million on players like Forlan to warm their bench. This isn't to say they haven't been well-managed too - they quite obviously have - but they have outspent everyone in England since Ferguson came to the club, and before that too. (the prawn sandwich brigade comes from Roy Keane's comment/complaint about too many upper class and corporate fans at Old Trafford, who were more interested in eating their prawn sandwiches - the most upper class food in the world, obviously - than cheering the team on.
posted by dng at 01:32 PM on October 02, 2003
posted by StarFucker at 01:47 PM on October 02, 2003
prawn sandwiches - the most upper class food in the world That disgusting bit is the most upper class food in the world? Explains a lot about British cuisine! Damn, does any single component of the sandwich actually have any taste?
posted by billsaysthis at 04:47 PM on October 02, 2003
The plastic? Hahahahahaha.
posted by worldcup2002 at 05:13 PM on October 02, 2003
So which is it? Man U bought their team throughout the 90's on a lavish spree, or farmed it fresh at home with a few trips to the corner store?
posted by garfield at 05:21 PM on October 02, 2003
They farmed it fresh with a lavish spree...
posted by StarFucker at 06:42 PM on October 02, 2003
Apparently, Chelsea will be starting an academy. Although starting one, and having a successful one are two different things. With the money problems that West Ham are having, one could see that they'd have potential to pip away some of their potential attendees and sources.
posted by GoDizzGo at 11:32 PM on October 02, 2003
Seems that I have committed the error of thinking of those prices in todays terms. When you look at what other clubs were spending at that time, Utd did spend more. Thanks for the correction.
posted by walrus at 05:48 AM on October 03, 2003
I don't know, that prawn sandwich looks pretty good... Anyone know what the white spread is?
posted by StarFucker at 08:39 AM on October 03, 2003
Ubiquitous.
posted by walrus at 09:40 AM on October 03, 2003
SF: Anyone know what the white spread is? You must be kidding. Everyone knows that's cake frosting.
posted by worldcup2002 at 10:10 AM on October 03, 2003
Well, it LOOKS like cake frosting...but my guess is its mayonnaise...a really THICK mayonnaise...
posted by StarFucker at 10:18 AM on October 03, 2003
SF, since you live in Chicago do your tast buds a favor and go out for some serious Polish sausage fast just to make up for that crack.
posted by billsaysthis at 02:38 PM on October 03, 2003
Heh heh...oh man, we have the best Polish's and hot dogs in the world... I know this, because i have been almost everywhere in the world, boys...and no one does it like Chicago.
posted by StarFucker at 03:35 PM on October 03, 2003
Money can buy success though, look at Man U; look at Real Madrid; look at Lazio in the time of Sven; look at Blackburn winning the title a few years back. Look anywhere, the evidence will look you stolidly in the eye. Chelsea are made up a bunch of guys who are barely on nodding terms; to have only lost one match is remarkable. If you saw tonights game you will have seen Chelsea dominate, at least in the second half. It was a bad game, a bad night for Cheles, all teams have them. They may have won nothing yet, but they have lost nothing either.