The Official Barcelona FC Thread

[MrMagoo]

Anyone watching tonight's game? The one touch football they play is breathtaking at times. Seems to me there better now then they ever have been. Scary.

[essexplumber]

In a nothing league with only one genuine opponent. I'd like to see them do that week in week out in the EPL.

[Black can man]

essexplumber said:

In a nothing league with only one genuine opponent. I'd like to see them do that week in week out in the EPL.

Didn't do them much good against a side that finished 6th in the prem last season , over two legs too

[hornetrider]

Indeed EP. I'd like to see those cheeky motherfkers try that poncy st at the Britannia. Shawcross would kick st out of Iniesta - FACT.

[essexplumber]

Black can man said:

Didn't do them much good against a side that finished 6th in the prem last season , over two legs too

I'm being deliberately unfair there BCM and they are outstanding but I do think the competition they have in their domestic league flatters them.

[Black can man]

They are a delight to watch of that there is no question, would be interesting to see how pep goes with an EPL team ?

[MrMagoo]

essexplumber said:

In a nothing league with only one genuine opponent. I'd like to see them do that week in week out in the EPL.

I had the same way of thinking too only last season, but having been watching it a lot recently thanks to a Spanish house mate (supports Athletico Madrid) I'd have to say that the teams appear worst then they actually are thanks to the level Real and Barca are at, (although this season a number of teams have given Real a fight and got a result)

I've seen some of the most technical football I've ever seen by watching La Liga. It's hardly a 'nothing league'. The lower teams in la Liga would give a footballing lesson to most of the bottom teams in the prem IMHO.

[MrMagoo]

Black can man said:

They are a delight to watch of that there is no question, would be interesting to see how pep goes with an EPL team ?

I don't see the fascination with pep. Tito (the new Barca manager) has come in and there even better then when pep left so I guess he's the next god like manager. The players they have mean that no matter what team they go up against, man for man they'll be better then them.

I truly think it would be more of an achievement if a manager came in and managed NOT to win a trophy with these players.

[im]

Just registering an interest in a thread where all of the talk will e about football

[DocJock]

essexplumber said:

In a nothing league with only one genuine opponent. I'd like to see them do that week in week out in the EPL.

Err, tonights opponents (Malaga) topped their ECL group beating Milan and Zenit.

Athletico Madrid stuffed the ECL champions in the SuperCup.

[DukeDickson]

essexplumber said:

In a nothing league with only one genuine opponent. I'd like to see them do that week in week out in the EPL.

As pointed out in another thread, the rest don't stand an earthly. Like it or not, football in all major European leagues tends to be money dominated & when the smaller teams are getting maybe 10% of the decent TV income, what else is going to happen?


Think about it in reverse - What would happen in Spain (or indeed in England, for that matter) if the teams near the bottom got 120 million Euros/£100m and the likes of Barca/RM or Man Utd got only 10-15?
Also, the top league package in England is worth anything up to 4-5 times what it is in Spain (parachute payments only started recently in Spain and aren't anything like what they are here)

Look what's happened to Malaga over the past few years, for example. A decent wedge of slightly 'interesting' oil money & they're transformed.

[simoid]

essexplumber said:

In a nothing league with only one genuine opponent.

To which one of the Madrid teams do you refer?

[Chuck328]

Bit like the SPL when Rangers where in (who'd have thought you would ever say that!).

What else would you expect?

[DukeDickson]

simoid said:

essexplumber said:

In a nothing league with only one genuine opponent.

To which one of the Madrid teams do you refer?

Getafe, surely.



Doing ok for a club that has something like a twentieth of the turnover of the 250m+ bunch of slackers from the nicer part of town (managed by the somewhat slipping halo). Diego must manage the occasional smirk as well.

[Haggleburyfinius]

As the Duke has alluded to, it's all about the money.

The Spanish league's money is polarised towards the top two so you get a league that reflects that.

The English league's money is more evenly distributed and the league reflects that.

[robmlufc]

Haggleburyfinius said:

The Spanish league's money is polarised towards the top two so you get a league that reflects that.

The English league's money is more evenly distributed and the league reflects that.

How does the league reflect that? There is still only two teams who have a chance of winning it.

[im]

robmlufc said:

Haggleburyfinius said:

The Spanish league's money is polarised towards the top two so you get a league that reflects that.

The English league's money is more evenly distributed and the league reflects that.

How does the league reflect that? There is still only two teams who have a chance of winning it.

Perhaps BUT....

1. Those 2 teams could possibly change...Arsenal dominated for years as did Liverpool and Chelsea now look at Arsenal/Liverpool today - not even in the top 4 - can you EVER see that happening to Barca or Real? I'm sure we all can perceive a time when (say) City are once again a team outside of the Top 4 and United too if Liverpool are any example.

2. When you look at a fixture like Wigan v Man City you can at least acknowledge the possibility of an upset. Before yesterdays 2 games most pundits (and the bookies odds) would have said that ANY result was possible - can you say the same for the equivalent Barca & Real fixtures? Sure they lose once in while to lower teams but its always the same 2 teams at the top reflecting the unlikely nature of shock results during a season.

Frankly La Liga has become a more entertaining version of the Scottish league.

However, there are now the first rumblings of change in Spain with a more equitable distribution of TV income being spoken about in the corridors of power. Whether this actually comes about is another thing entirely as Turkeys don't vote for Christmas but....this would be extremely bad news for the English Premier League.

At the moment, because of the dire financial circumstances in the La Liga, only Real and Barca can afford to spend big transfer fees and pay superstar wages. The knock-on effect is that 'good' Spanish players (or even non-Spanish players) currently plying there trade at the likes of Getafe/Malaga even Valencia etc have no option but to seek their fortune elsewhere in the world should they become good players and RM and Barca do not come knocking.

When they cast their eyes around there is only 1 league able to offer them the chance of fame and the fortune they seek and thats here.

Michu is a case in point and Negredo is currently being pimped around EPL clubs as I type this. We are sucking in all of the talent currently just below the level of the 2 spanish clubs. This will change should the TV revenues make the La Liga clubs more financially equitable/secure and able to pay the wages of these players as their first choice will always be their home country if all else is equal and likewise the vast majority of Latin players worldwide will opt for the Spanish League.

Here's the current ratio of the split of TV revenues between the Top and Bottom clubs in the big european leagues:



Fingers crossed Real and Barca continue to be greedy fkers.

[London424]

im said:

robmlufc said:

Haggleburyfinius said:

The Spanish league's money is polarised towards the top two so you get a league that reflects that.

The English league's money is more evenly distributed and the league reflects that.

How does the league reflect that? There is still only two teams who have a chance of winning it.

Perhaps BUT....

1. Those 2 teams could possibly change...Arsenal dominated for years as did Liverpool and Chelsea now look at Arsenal/Liverpool today - not even in the top 4 - can you EVER see that happening to Barca or Real? I'm sure we all can perceive a time when (say) City are once again a team outside of the Top 4 and United too if Liverpool are any example.

2. When you look at a fixture like Wigan v Man City you can at least acknowledge the possibility of an upset. Before yesterdays 2 games most pundits (and the bookies odds) would have said that ANY result was possible - can you say the same for the equivalent Barca & Real fixtures? Sure they lose once in while to lower teams but its always the same 2 teams at the top reflecting the unlikely nature of shock results during a season.

Frankly La Liga has become a more entertaining version of the Scottish league.

However, there are now the first rumblings of change in Spain with a more equitable distribution of TV income being spoken about in the corridors of power. Whether this actually comes about is another thing entirely as Turkeys don't vote for Christmas but....this would be extremely bad news for the English Premier League.

At the moment, because of the dire financial circumstances in the La Liga, only Real and Barca can afford to spend big transfer fees and pay superstar wages. The knock-on effect is that 'good' Spanish players (or even non-Spanish players) currently plying there trade at the likes of Getafe/Malaga even Valencia etc have no option but to seek their fortune elsewhere in the world should they become good players and RM and Barca do not come knocking.

When they cast their eyes around there is only 1 league able to offer them the chance of fame and the fortune they seek and thats here.

Michu is a case in point and Negredo is currently being pimped around EPL clubs as I type this. We are sucking in all of the talent currently just below the level of the 2 spanish clubs. This will change should the TV revenues make the La Liga clubs more financially equitable/secure and able to pay the wages of these players as their first choice will always be their home country if all else is equal and likewise the vast majority of Latin players worldwide will opt for the Spanish League.

Here's the current ratio of the split of TV revenues between the Top and Bottom clubs in the big european leagues:



Fingers crossed Real and Barca continue to be greedy fkers.

I was watching some show or other and they were talking about the salaries of players outside the top couple of clubs and they were saying they'd be lucky to be on £5k a week. That's probably the average for league 1 big boys/Championship level.

Some real bargains around if the scouts are doing there jobs properly.

[robmlufc]

im said:

Perhaps BUT....

1. Those 2 teams could possibly change...Arsenal dominated for years as did Liverpool and Chelsea now look at Arsenal/Liverpool today - not even in the top 4 - can you EVER see that happening to Barca or Real? I'm sure we all can perceive a time when (say) City are once again a team outside of the Top 4 and United too if Liverpool are any example.

2. When you look at a fixture like Wigan v Man City you can at least acknowledge the possibility of an upset. Before yesterdays 2 games most pundits (and the bookies odds) would have said that ANY result was possible - can you say the same for the equivalent Barca & Real fixtures? Sure they lose once in while to lower teams but its always the same 2 teams at the top reflecting the unlikely nature of shock results during a season.

Well... City are only top 2 because they have spent a stupid amount of money, probably more than Barca and maybe Madrid?

An impressive fact about Barcelona is that they can field a first 11 made up players from their own academy, so while I'm sure the wages are pretty good you can not say they buy the league like Chelsea and City have done in recent years.

At the moment, evertime Real play you have to expect an upset! They are currently sat 3rd, 7 points behind Athletico.

[simoid]

It is wrong to assume that RM and FCB are rich simply because of TV income distribution.

90,000 fans per week helps too, plus involvement to the latter stages of the Champions League and a global brand.