Draft of Drafts

[tpmazembe]

t, wouldn't it be slightl unfair for any team to be able to take 3 players in one go? It seems to be a bit extreme a jump considering how we've built this thing with one pick a week to all of a sudden be taking 3 in a go?

Just a thought.I just wanted to make sure we a) kept to our original goal of picking the top 55, b) didn't burden the active participants with more work than we had planned.

These extra subs are sort of a "supplementary" pool by which to round out the squads and honour some players who didn't make the 55.

Plus it gives Teams E,D the chance to offset the natural advantage A,B had at the start. [although as this thing has gone on, I'd say A & E by virtue of being able to pick back-to-back may have been most favored]

If the majority of the selectors would like to continue on a player per week basis I'm cool. Choose your preferred approach on the planning and logistics thread, and we'll go with majority rule. http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2307914#post2307914

No matter which approach we take, lets definetly limit it to 3 players. Any more and we defeat the purpose of the excercise.

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As follow-up on the story, I saw picture of the friend today and she is slamming. Ombak, you may have to come to Fla to take care of that, cause I'm close to engaged at this point. I have told my colleague that I expect her to produce the goods --- the signed flag that is!

[argentine soccer fan]

I wonder if you're reffering to Set plays with Passarella or about daring to have him go forward in open play? I was making my statement in regards to open play because I think it would be one hell of a rish to have your CB go forward and vacate the defence when you have a Eusebio, Pelem Ronaldo, Puskas etc, etc eager to exploit the situation. So from open play (for me) it still stands at 4..but again you know how you'll play your team (D.S awaits team B's masterstroke :) )


I watched Passarella all the time when I was a kid. (He was a player I loved to hate because he played for River). Let me tell you something. You don't tell Passarella if he can join the attack. He WILL join the attack. He was a player who had the opponent's goal at heart and he always wanted to score. Plus, he was a stubborn player who had a strong character (still does as a coach) and if a coach wanted to limit that aspect of his game they would have problems.

Of course, he wasn't wreckless. He was a very intelligent player and knew when to attack and when to stay back. But in River they had a strong DM called 'Mostaza' Merlo who would cover for him, and in the national team they had Americo Gallego for that role. That is one reason why Deschamps was a good pick, with Passarella and Maradona in the team. He'll have to cover for Passarella. And of course, team B will have to be smart with their last defensive pick.

Also, Passarella is the best free kick specialist they have on the team, and he will demand to take most free kicks.

Anyway, Team A's pick coming up. Based on some of your comments, I don't think we'll surprise too many people this time.

[comme]

Plus it gives Teams E,D the chance to offset the natural advantage A,B had at the start. [although as this thing has gone on, I'd say A & E by virtue of being able to pick back-to-back may have been most favored]




Personally I wouldn't really consider it an advantage as Team D have been able to take so many of the players I wanted. Of our early picks there are loads that I felt forced on us as the best playerswere gone.

In many ways I think Team C are in an ideal position as they pick the same time every week.

[argentine soccer fan]

TEAM A:

Members: Ombak, Skipshady, C-towner, Argentine soccer fan

Round: 8 (Week 8)
Selection: 5
Total picks: 40

Player: Francisco 'Paco' 'El Supersonico' Gento Lopez

Position: Outside left/left wing

Career Span: 1947-1972
Born: 21 October 1933, Guarnizo, Cantabria, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Caps/goals: 43/4
Clubs: Nueva Montana, Astillero, Rayo Cantabria, RC Racing Santander, Real Madrid (761 appearances and 253 goals for Real Madrid)

Career Highlights:
12 Liga Primera titles
6 European cups
2 Copas del Rey
1 Intercontinental Cup
1 Youth World Cup

One of the finest left wingers in the game's history, Paco Gento is the only man to have won six European Cups, a record which will likely never be broken. Already a profesional at the tender age of fourteen, he burst into the Spanish soccer stage when he signed with his beloved local team Racing Santander at the age of twenty. Gento only played one season with Racing, however - Real Madrid vice-president Alvaro Bustamante was so taken with his play that he offered him a five-year contract after only seeing him in one match.

Once at Real Madrid, he quickly became an integral part of the famous side which won five successive European cups, starring alongside the likes of Hector Rial, Luis del Sol, and the legendary striking duo of Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano. Many years later, he was one of the few members of that side that remained when Real Madrid collected their sixth European Cup in 1966.

While Gento had fine technique, the most standout aspect of his game was his unbelievable speed. Known throughout Spain as 'El Supersonico', Gento was capable of sprinting 100 meters with the ball at his feet in 10.9 seconds, a record which placed him as the fastest player of the age and one of the fastest in the history of the game. While his primary duty was not as a goal scorer - indeed, he didn't manage to score a single goal in his first season at Real Madrid - he nevertheless tallied an impressive 253 goals in 761 appearances in the white shirt, averaging just under a goal every three games.


Our team so far: Pele, Moore, Eusebio, Didi, Rijkaard, Mattews, Bergomi, Gento.

[comme]

He is a very good pick, I presume this was the other player that tpmazembe was referring to. His record is impeccable and he will offer a superb balance to Matthews. I do fear a bit for your wingbacks, as they will be doing alot of work.

One question (to anyone that knows), why did Gento miss Spain's 1964 European Championship triumph? Was he injured or simply not picked?

[Ombak]

Our team rocks, no question about it. It was impossible to get Garrincha but we have arguably the best left-winger and the next-best right winger in my opinion.

Thanks asf for taking over Team A's duties on this thread as I have been busier lately.

Everyone knows what two positions we need to fill ahead of goalkeeper - the question is who will fit in those two spots. You will only have to wait 2 days to find out the first... but two weeks for the next.

[tpmazembe]

He is a very good pick, I presume this was the other player that tpmazembe was referring to.
Yes.

Being deadlocked, we went with my opinion on Czibor (and we'll go with MCutler's opinion on one of our next picks0. No doubt a great player; I felt Czibor gave you the same set-up capabilities with more scoring punch.

[Dark Savante]

Yes.

Being deadlocked, we went with my opinion on Czibor (and we'll go with MCutler's opinion on one of our next picks0. No doubt a great player; I felt Czibor gave you the same set-up capabilities with more scoring punch.

Both of you (A&C) are presented with the same problem. I'll be interested to see if you hve the same players in mind for the remaining outfield spots..

This week has been the best one of the draft so far imo. More of the same next week I'm sure, well actually, it should be a lot more complex..the only selection I did not forsee was Tardelli, the rest went to plan, I'm sure next week will be a different story so await it with baited breath..

Is everyone happy with their teams so far?

[comme]

I'm pretty happy so far. I have got on my team 3 players (Beckenbauer, Best and Zidane) people who I did not for a second think before the draft that I would have. I like my team in that I feel we have immense versatility, we could pick any player in the world next and they could easily fit into our team, I don't think the others have that.

[argentine soccer fan]

Obviously all teams have great talent. But I wouldn't trade Team A for any other at this point.

[tpmazembe]

I'm pretty happy so far. I have got on my team 3 players (Beckenbauer, Best and Zidane) people who I did not for a second think before the draft that I would have. You wanted Zidane before the draft began? Is this comme, or has someone got hold of his BS password? I'm assuming then that you have had a change of heart vis-a-vis Zizou....

Or, am I to read that these were 3 players that you initially did not necessarily covet, but like them now as part of a broader team?

[comme]

No I'm saying they were players I did not initally covet at least in terms of where I expected them to go in the draft. I always argue with people about how Zidane and Best are overrated, but that is when they are placed as top 5 players ever. At 15 and 16 they were steals.

In my opinion the biggest mistake of the draft was people jumping in to get their CBs too early. Once we took Beckenbauer, people rushed and Baresi, Pasarella and Moore all went quickly. I think people could easily have waited and still got them.

[Dark Savante]

.

In my opinion the biggest mistake of the draft was people jumping in to get their CBs too early. Once we took Beckenbauer, people rushed and Baresi, Pasarella and Moore all went quickly. I think people could easily have waited and still got them.

I doubt that. Everyone here has the common sense to build a spine for their teams and having a premier libero is basically ensuring your team has a solid foundation, our pick was not influenced in any manner by your selecting Becks and I'm sure no one else 'panic-drafted' either.

Imagine the sucker that woulda had no spine!! :D he'd be the invertabrate bast*rd child of the draft....lol

[comme]

Well you say they would have had no spine but what round did Krol, Desailly and Varela go in? There are still absolutely world class defenders available.

[Dark Savante]

Well you say they would have had no spine but what round did Krol, Desailly and Varela go in? There are still absolutely world class defenders available.

I would say there are some great all time CB's still available, not that there are any players of the standing of

Passarella
Beckenbauer
Baresi
Moore

for that pseudo libero role.. there is no way any of those four were going to not be taken almost immediately, they're essential to the foundations of a team coming up against these kinds of threats, I wouldn't even be surprised if Team C slide Fachetti into the middle thinking about it, you need that cleaner... There are not that many supremo libero's in the histroy of the game, it's a sparse position I can think of probably 5more that wouldn't look out of place in this draft but they aren't on par with those guys up above. Only team C deviated from taking one..so I guess we should ask them their thoughts on this. If I haven't already put together there intentions regarding that position..

[skipshady]

there is no way any of those four were going to not be taken almost immediately, they're essential to the foundations of a team coming up against these kinds of threatsIf I remember correctly, that was Team A's thinking too. We had to get the obvious #1, Pele, but after him, we realized the list of great defenders was much shorter than the list of great attackers (partly because attackers get all the glory and a defender's work often goes unnoticed).

There was no panic on our part - we had a short list of CBs that we were going to take very early.

[comme]

Well then in my opinion whether you were rushed or not, you picked too early. For me Krol is easily comparable to Moore or Pasarella, and there are still other top drawer defenders available.

Perhaps the problem with a draft of this kind is that every position has too much depth and so it is dificult to know who to pick first. I just feel that some people have gone too soon, and there are still top 20 players sitting and waiting to be taken.

[Dark Savante]

If I remember correctly, that was Team A's thinking too. We had to get the obvious #1, Pele, but after him, we realized the list of great defenders was much shorter than the list of great attackers (partly because attackers get all the glory and a defender's work often goes unnoticed).

There was no panic on our part - we had a short list of CBs that we were going to take very early.

Team D had the same thoughts.Team B, C care to comment? What was your thought process regarding a libero type defender?

[Dark Savante]

Well then in my opinion whether you were rushed or not, you picked too early. For me Krol is easily comparable to Moore or Pasarella, and there are still other top drawer defenders available.

Perhaps the problem with a draft of this kind is that every position has too much depth and so it is dificult to know who to pick first. I just feel that some people have gone too soon, and there are still top 20 players sitting and waiting to be taken.

I see it like this: There are alot of great centrebacks left, but there are not many great libero's left. The way the draft has gone nearly every backline has defenders with defined roles. In most cases the libero type player will sit slightly behind his partner and clean up after him and be that last line of defence. I want the most precise and composed guy for this job and not a 'hurlier burlier' type CB. How many precision tackling libero types can you think of that you would pick ahead of the guys taken? or even on par with these guys for that particular job they have in this draft? The numbers are tiny in comparison to the other positions... so I think it makes perfect sense they were taken almost off the bat.

[tpmazembe]

Team D had the same thoughts.Team B, C care to comment? What was your thought process regarding a libero type defender?I don't think we had a specific strategy vis-a-vis CB/Libs in mind. Our first 3 selections were strictly "best available" player regardless of position. We may have indeed gone with Fachetti with out 4th as a slight reaction to the high number of defenders chosen at that point; but we made sure to pick one that could play in multiple areas of the back line in order to allow for flexibility in the later rounds when we returned to defense. We'd be satisfied with Fachetti at the spot along with Varela.

To comme's point, we could have waited until the last 5 picks and been just as satisfied, given that the supremo Beckenbauer was gone (as well as my fav Pasarella). I would not have satisfied with the reverse - choosing my forwards and O-Mids with the last five choices....so although there are indeed more renown striker types, the difference between the "greatest of the greats" and the "greats" is more significant at the offensive positions (IMO).