It still boggles my mind that his top flight debut was a Champions League final, being asked to man mark Philip Lahm. 

The pinnacle of his footballing career was his debut. 😂

On 18/06/2024 at 15:52, Sconnie Blue said:

It still boggles my mind that his top flight debut was a Champions League final, being asked to man mark Philip Lahm. 

The pinnacle of his footballing career was his debut. 😂

Reminds me of Khalid Bouhlarouz keeping Ronaldinho quiet and then never being seen again.

In checking my memory see they had not just Ronaldino yet Messi, Xavi and Deco and we won.

On 18/06/2024 at 15:52, Sconnie Blue said:

It still boggles my mind that his top flight debut was a Champions League final, being asked to man mark Philip Lahm. 

The pinnacle of his footballing career was his debut. 😂

It was a brilliant story, imagine sitting in a training session before that cup final as a kid then being told you were playing, the emotions must have been insane.

https://youtu.be/BtTYFx7JZPI?si=DB3HxfCpsG9plh4k

First time for me seeing all of Franks goals for West Ham, damn he was good even then. 

Not sure anyone will ever top this guy for pure theatrics. Even adapting to new technology:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/sep/30/jose-mourinho-booked-for-bizarre-laptop-var-protest-in-fenerbahce-match

20 minutes ago, PloKoon13 said:

Not sure anyone will ever top this guy for pure theatrics. Even adapting to new technology:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/sep/30/jose-mourinho-booked-for-bizarre-laptop-var-protest-in-fenerbahce-match

I suppose it beats waiting in the underground car park to hurl abuse at the ref after a Roma loss.

Once a twat, etc.

22 minutes ago, dermott said:

I suppose it beats waiting in the underground car park to hurl abuse at the ref after a Roma loss.

Once a twat, etc.

Do you not like Jose?

This article is a real tease. "The most iconoclastic development in football transfer regulation since the Bosman ruling is about to happen... except not really."

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/lassana-diarra-transfer-fifa-bosman-arsenal-b2623216.html

Apparently JT saw this on BBC Breakfast and invited the players to the Chelsea training ground then the Bridge to watch the Real Madrid game last night:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g57w7j9yyo

On 04/10/2024 at 00:36, PloKoon13 said:

This article is a real tease. "The most iconoclastic development in football transfer regulation since the Bosman ruling is about to happen... except not really."

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/lassana-diarra-transfer-fifa-bosman-arsenal-b2623216.html

It's an interesting test case because FIFA do not really define "just cause" in the rules. If Diarra wins it is likely players can effectively no longer be subjected to "bomb squad" treatment without having cause for unilateral contract termination, but on the other hand as the article points out, it would effectively cap transfer fees to the value of a player's contract, thus reducing signing on fees.

8 hours ago, PloKoon13 said:

Apparently JT saw this on BBC Breakfast and invited the players to the Chelsea training ground then the Bridge to watch the Real Madrid game last night:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g57w7j9yyo

At Stamford Bridge last night.

Trust JT to step up 👍

On 09/10/2024 at 07:16, SydneyChelsea said:

It's an interesting test case because FIFA do not really define "just cause" in the rules. If Diarra wins it is likely players can effectively no longer be subjected to "bomb squad" treatment without having cause for unilateral contract termination, but on the other hand as the article points out, it would effectively cap transfer fees to the value of a player's contract, thus reducing signing on fees.

Interesting development:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/04/fifas-transfer-rules-go-against-european-union-law-rules-eus-highest-court-lassana-diarra

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/04/lassana-diarra-fifa-verdict-landmark-day-alter-balance-of-power-analysis

 

I see that Conte is doing a great job at Napoli. Also  great to see the clip where he hugged Billy Gilmour in the game this week - a lot of love there.

A testament to Serie A when a midfield of Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay is top of the league. 

21 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

A testament to Serie A when a midfield of Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay is top of the league. 

Conte getting his usual tune out of Lukaku helps. 

Great games from Livramento and Hall today - kept Arsenal's wingers well in check on both flanks.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cze38j70kyjo

Ranieri ends retirement to become Roma manager

 

Image source,EPA Image caption,

This is Claudio Ranieri's third stint as Roma manager

Alex Brotherton

BBC Sport journalist

 

• Published
  7 hours ago
• 166 Comments

Claudio Ranieri has been appointed head coach of Roma until the end of the season - six months after announcing his retirement.

Ranieri has also taken on a role advising the Italian club's owners and will help in the search for a permanent manager.

At the end of the season the 73-year-old will "transition into a senior executive role", the club said.

Ranieri, who has managed his hometown club twice before including a temporary stint in 2019, retired in May after guiding Cagliari to survival.

His appointment comes after the sacking of Ivan Juric on Sunday.

Croatian Juric lasted just 12 matches after replacing Daniele de Rossi four games into this season. Former Italy midfielder De Rossi was manager for eight months following the departure of Jose Mourinho in January.

Ranieri has coached 18 clubs during his 37-year managerial career, as well as the Greece national team.

The crowning achievement of his career was the Premier League title he won with Leicester City in 2015-16.

Roma were linked with former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, who recently left his position as Saudi Arabia head coach.

Despite spending more than £80m during the summer transfer window, Roma are 12th in Serie A with 13 points after 12 games, and are 20th in the Europa League table with five points after four matches.

Roma's next Serie A match is at Napoli on 24 November.

On 30/06/2024 at 03:26, Scott said:

First time for me seeing all of Franks goals for West Ham, damn he was good even then. 

I think it was the West Ham members that wanted Frank out they thought he was only playing because he was related to Redknapp.

I have an old WHU friend that is a bit older than me and can remember not knowing if Frank was holding back other players and that was the general feeling, admits they found out the hard way. 

On 10/10/2024 at 21:13, PloKoon13 said:

Interesting development:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/04/fifas-transfer-rules-go-against-european-union-law-rules-eus-highest-court-lassana-diarra

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/04/lassana-diarra-fifa-verdict-landmark-day-alter-balance-of-power-analysis

 

This is pretty big. It doesn't really affect the top-tier clubs, as transfers are generally well-managed, but it is potentially a massive win for players in smaller leagues/clubs. While many predicted ECJ to uphold in favour of Diarra, most (including me) did not expect ECJ to go as far as deciding that FIFA's procedure for managing these disputes, and the penalties against potential buying clubs, were also against EU law. This is because CAS has previously upheld the joint liability of buying clubs in transfer disputes eg. Mutu and Juventus.

The main obstacle for players is not FIFA's rules per sere, it's the procedure. The rules as they stand allow a player to terminate their contract unilaterally for 'just cause' - but you have to prove 'just cause', in forced arbitration. The burden of proof is entirely on the player, and an already lengthy-process can be delayed further by unconscionable conduct of the employing club. The player cannot complete an international transfer without clearance, and can't be registered to a new club without one, so essentially FIFA are the final arbiters. The balance of power is therefore with the club not the player, as most players cannot risk 2+ years on ice waiting for arbitration to conclude, just to seal a transfer.

The Rules also penalise the prospective new club; in Diarra's case, Charleroi could not pick up Diarra on a free, because they would not be able to register him and they would be jointly liable for any transfer fee compensation ordered by FIFA. This is the really interesting development - ECJ have ruled that this is potentially illegal, and have referred this back to the Belgian court to determine in accordance with EU law. 

This system has long been criticised by Fifpro as it disproportionately disadvantages less wealthy players taking contracts in less stable leagues, who can't simply break their contract and find a new club.

Should the Belgian courts confirrm ECJ's decision as expected, FIFA will be required to reform their ITC system and develop a faster, fairer process (or scrap it entirely). I expect there might even be pressure internally for different rules for UEFA/EU and the other federations, and I also expect that FIFA will drag their feet in implementing a new system.

However, should a new system come about, it would have huge implications. A quick arbitration process (say 4-6 week process) could mean that 'bomb squads' and managers banishing unwanted players will be a thing of the past, as players could seek release from their contracts within a transfer window. In turn, in combination with the Webster ruling, it would make long-term contracts (eg Clearlake's 8 year contracts) functionally useless. And if fewer restrictions lead to more player movement, then transfer prices will likely plateau or even collapse to prior levels.

In short, Lassana Diarra might well have f**ked Clearlake's entire strategy in the arse.

 

 

Edited November 14, 20241 yr by SydneyChelsea

Possibly posted before.

I'm as skeptical of social media as any old fart, but sometimes you experience a moment which makes you genuinely feel more connected:

Pulisic and Abraham both scored today for Milan.