Activate Another Lever and Still Lose to a Madrid Remontada - The Small Teams Thread

I don't get or agree with the whole play at the top level thing.
I want them to stay because I love watching very good footballers. But unless you are an all time great and maybe Rafael could get there, it's effectively a job at this point for often underprivileged people. None of you would reject tripling your salaries because the company is less known and you will be a bigger fish. I am all for breaking records and glory but I don't begrudge them or hate on them.

I also laugh at the media and clubs who attack them for getting players. Bitch you wanted to pay 30 million for a player if the Saudi pays 35 or 40, did the player you just wanted become shit or did the club that got paid more get less benefit. People that play football managers are in love with the Saudi offers

 

Leao is earning millions already. He's not underprivileged these days. Tons of good players in their prime rejected Saudi and Chinese mega deals in the past. So "if you are in this position, you'd do the same" example doesn't work for vast majority of good players. Footballers are driven by more than working for a company. Only a minority in their prime are going there.

Many of our players in fact rejected top level clubs like City, PSG because money is not their sole motivation. Just say players who went to newly rich second tier leagues wanna cash in. Vast majority young stars still don't. Why haven't any of our young stars gone to Saudi?

And those who get offended when people mention top level thing are driven by patriotism towards the region mostly. Just like the crowd who booed Kroos during Super Copa because he criticized Viega going there. We also said the same about players chasing money in China few years ago. But guess we don't have members from that region and no one defended players like Oscar moving to China from Chelsea.

 

Also there are only a handful of all time level talent. If it was just a job for others, biggest clubs in Europe wouldn't have good players left with all of them going for Saudi mega offers. But that's not the case at all.

Viega went there for money but there are top talents like Nico staying at Athletic Bilbao who haven't played in CL for long. Players like Viega are still the exception at this point. And Leao is far more talented than him and can earn very good wages moving to a big PL club itself.

Buyout clause is excessive figure and I reckon he set it at 175 ME because he was in love with Milan during renewal.

 

Saudi League could be ideal for Felix. Failed to shine at Atlético, Chelsea and Barca while he's on high wages. Don't see where he could go next in Europe. Leao could actually start for Arsenal and Milan themselves are 2nd in Serie A.

 

Facts. I'm calm about this due to the fact that we have Carlo....he has seen it ALL. You need the utmost seriousness and intensity for a final.

 

I m not offended by it and I wasn't offended when beckham went to USA or Oscar and all of them to China.

I just don't get the insult. For me personally, I would value the experience as well as the money and would probably go to the biggest club I could. But even if they are no longer poor, getting generational wealth after your family lived once in poverty. I don't hate them for it, it's their career and choice. I won't call them going after glory but after as much cash in their career as they can but wouldn't most people do that in every job.

That's my point.i get no point either way and I don't watch the Saudi League but I don't see it as evil or bad or any player that goes there as anything bad. Oscar said it best, I have covered my family and so many families that depend on me for many generations.

You get kroos and modric in life and you get Neymar. I just don't get the hate. I think leao should go to biggest club he can and move there when he is 30 something and a legend but if he gets triple his salary and says screw it, good for his bank account.

 

So you are basically agreeing with me now. All I said was Milan should use that money with good players who are motivated to play at the top level. If Leao goes to Saudi, it's for money. Why should I sugarcoat it? He's still in the minority of good players in their physical prime going there.

Good for Oscar that he made a lot of money. He wasn't good enough for Chelsea though so would have ended up at lower level than that had he stayed in Europe. Leao can be starter for many top clubs in Europe like Arsenal, Inter, Liverpool. I don't think a player like that in his age group has gone to Saudi yet. Viega wasn't proven like that.

Beckham, Messi, Ronaldo etc went to those leagues as old players. Neymar can barely stay healthy. Benzema was also old and injured.

 

I never disagreed with you specifically. I just said I don't get the hate, especially from media.
Its the I will take your money and your business but if you get something that I don't want you to get or don't think you should get I will bash you.
I m calling out the hypocrisy of media and fans. Who bitch and moan if a player they wanted goes there or they think shouldn't go there but are more than happy when they get overvalue for an old player and player they don't mind getting rid off.

 

Lucas Paquetá charged with spot-fixing over four ‘deliberate’ bookings. A single breach if proven carries ban of between 6 months and lifetime. https://t.co/7gISBXBNn9

— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) May 23, 2024

£130,000 a week but still feels the need to gamble on himself to get booked, then intentionally get the booking so as to win the bet.

 

Wow. Pretty serious allegation where he deliberately picked up yellow cards in 4 games so that his friends who bet could benifit. Will get long term ban if found guilty.

 

Yeah very different to the Tonali & Toney cases where they were not betting on themselves and so have been treated with quite a bit of sympathy as they were just doing what a lot of football fans do.

Paqueta's actions, if true, seem like gambling purely to fix the win

 

Oh yeah, great post.

 

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There was a big scandal in cricket where few players did spot fixing while on tour in England. Those players ended up serving jail time in UK and two senior players got lifetime bans and the youngest player who got influenced by seniors got a 5 year ban after jail term. Lucas case could be heading to criminal prosecution in UK going by that precedent.

 

Carlo had this phase last season when he decided we don't need to play a DM after converting Camavinga to LB and benching Tchouameni. Pep did that for one game in CL final vs Chelsea and got punished. I am glad we got pragmatic Carlo this season.

 

considering his experience as a coach I get it and I also think he'll learn from it

 

Always felt quite sorry for Mohamed Amir in that. A teenager from a poor background (in a poor country), considered a future possible star of the game, who was seen to have been talked into spot fixing by a couple of older players. Is selected by his country to play cricket and travels to England for a game, all of which ends up with him serving time in Feltham Young Offenders Institute, a fairly notorious prison for those aged up to 21.

Your head would be spinning for sure

 

The Guardian says City pulled their interest last summer when these allegations came to light. And that City were showing interest again for this summer, but that chance has ended because FA decided to charge him after investigation.

 

Yea. I think his career is done. He did spot fixing 4 times.

West Ham fear Lucas Paqueta's career may be over if he's found guilty of alleged betting breaches #whufc https://t.co/WtzIuto8WA

— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) May 23, 2024