F.C. BARCELONA Thread [Season 2007/08]

[Xifio]

I dont know wats up with Barca, i was rootin for you guys to take out Madrid and cut that lead. Obviously you guys need to change things, My man Mourinho prolly goin to Ac Milan where i really wish he succeeds, I dont kno why you some of you guys hating on Mourinho, he was at Barca under Robson when you guys had Ronaldo tearin it up, so he has a lil Barca blood in him, he also expressed his liking of managing Barca and Madrid.

As for the trash talking, Mourinho talks to keep the pressure off team, and if Mourinho were to come with Ronaldhino still on ship, Mourinho would definitely return him back to shape 100% positive, every club hes managed no player has had any problems with thier fitness level, because his training style works the body hard and gets the players fit at the top level.

I think you'll find that Carlos and I, and even Arnau have Mourinho as our first choice for the job ... and that second paragraph is spot on why we want him!

Good coach but don't know if us La Liga fans need or want the circus that accompanies him. I can see him now trash talking everyone and blaming everyone for every little thing...oh geez please go to italy! Barca are fine. Get rid of Deco, Dinho and that's that. Players like Iniesta , Messi, and the kids are their future.

genuine and smart post! but to be honest, you've always been one of the smarter and more composed of the Real Madrid fans at SG -- not without the odd gloat, which I think you are entitled to due to our rivalry ...

anyway, I mentioned something similar earlier about Mourinho, though I termed his antics a bit more kindly:

I really fancy Mourinho ... I really do ... I mean, I think he'd be amazing in Italy (his footballing style and his personal swagger will allow him to fit in superbly), and if he got a chance with Inter or Milan (or even Roma?), I'd tell him to go there ... but if we could get him, that would be great!

and I'll stick by what I said then ... Mourinho's "circus", as OV calls, will roll into town with him, but I for one would be happy to put up with it if it results in the best coming out of the squad we have, and if we see the best talent of Europe choosing to come (back) here -- thinking Phillip Lahm, Ricardo Quaresma, Rio Mavuba, Raffie van der Vaart, Vincent Kompany, etc.

as for Ronnie and Deco, I am still divided in opinion on them ... I'd like to think that Deco can be the old head on strong shoulders that we can call on from the bench to control the midfield, and who will also groom in his mold the youth players coming through ... having said that, I wouldn't mind him leaving if it means space in the squad for vdV to come ... 10R, on the other hand, has lost his fitness, and as a result his confidence ... he lacks that burst of speed that allowed him to execute his tricks and create space with such aplomb; if he can get himself back into shape, I don't see why he can't return to the top of his game ...


EDIT: thought I'd add a reply to this post as well:

I'm not, i am most certainly sure that most Barcelona fans respect Ronaldinho, i was responding to that act in particular. It came out a bit wrong but you know what i mean.

alright, fair enough ... it's just that a couple of posts before your's, I had put up the video you are referring to, along with my comments on how bad it was ... from reading what you wrote it felt like you hadn't seen what I had posted, and were commenting without looking ... but, if that wasn't the case, then sorry to jump on you like that ... I am, like most Barcelona fans are right now, a bit on the edge when it comes to that topic, so please bear with me (us) -- I (we) mean no offence ....

 

[big al]

man i say wow to all the posts in this thread and the madrid one... you all people talk like the season is already over.... we cant talk about changes until the season is closed, then we can make an opinion of whats going on.... i think both dinho and rijkaard have done alot for his team and they deserve the benefit of the doubt.... i need you guys to get this into your skulls, this is not the first or the last we are going to loose to madrid or viceversa it was one freaking game and madrid were the better team that day and still nobody has won nothing yet , our problem its that we have lost our pace, the presure has finally got to this team and this is only mentally i still think we have the best team in europe overall in we are going to show this in the CL.... about the league i would like somebody to tell me how many games have we played with our complete roster... i really think barca is going to turn itself around once we can play with messi, etoo and dinho together constantly ; and i mean itself cause i cant really say if madrid is going to stumble or not, i hope so but we never now.

i dont know guys... i just ask my self what would everybody would say if we would have one that game.... are we still in crisis? do we need to get rid of rijkaard and dinho?, in my experience i seen how people changes theirs mines so fast by seeing the table every single week.

 

[Sevillista]

You guys need to SLOW down (except for Al).

Ronnie should sit on the bench, like any other player that's out of form. There's no need to sell him. Maybe some time off the pitch will motivate him.

Rijkaard should at least finish out the season; It's 38 matches long, not 17. Whoever suggested Mourinho for head coach is ignorant. Mourinho's style is super conservative; the Catalans would never stand for it and the players would never fit his style. Creative players like Xavi, Iniesta, Messi would suffer.

Some of you are starting to sound like you read the Madrid papers.

 

[Xifio]

both Al and the Sevillista: I know it looks like I (and some others) might be saying things as a knee-jerk reaction to the Real Madrid match; but nothing could be further from the truth ... personally, I am calling for Frankie's sack due to over a year's worth of dwindling standards ... I am certainly not calling for Ronnie's head, nor any of the playing personnel -- that, as you rightly alluded, can be discussed during the transfer period in the summer (or in Jan for the fringe players) ...

the reason I believe Rijkaard should be 'let-go' is not due to the results this season, but rather the consistent dwindling of the quality of football at the club since our last trophy success:

2006 saw favourites FC Barcelona win both La Liga and the Champions League with some dazzling, free-flowing, attacking football that captured the imaginations of fans world over ... 2006-07 started with team and management boasting the prospect of not just a possible treble, but 7 trophies in one season ... for all the promises, the team and certain individuals failed to keep up the previous seasons' level in the 2006-07 season ... those glittering moments became sparse and intermittent ...

but people said that everyone goes through difficult times, and sometimes even the best need to resort to "winning ugly" to get through those times ... and for a while, while the results were coming, we identified the dip in our own swagger, but gave Rijkaard the benefit of doubt ...

we lost the European Super Cup in spectacular fashion, and the succumbed in the World Club Cup too ... but while we were alive in the three main competitions (League, Cup, Europe), there was every reason to remain patient ...

there were some special performances that indicated the power to thrill lie just under the surface, and whose explosion into the full would be imminent ... but throughout the season, we were never managed to get all guns blazing ...

Rafa B. out-thought Rijkaard tactically to eliminate us from Europe in the first knockout round, we were dumped unceremoniously from the Copa in the semis, and Real Madrid stole the League from right under our noses ... we were so close yet so far ... but Rijkaard was again given the benefit of the doubt, and his big transfer request of Titi Henry was adhered to, along with two new defensive buys (Yaya Toure, I maintain, was a master-stoke purchase) ...

yet again though, the first half of 2007/08 has seen last season's pattern of waning football quality continue, and our away form has compounded that feeling all the more...

how much more benefit do we give Rijkaard? well, that question could only really be answered once we had faced quality opposition that would show where we are with respect to our competitors for the three trophies ... we beat Koeman's Valencia away from home, but so did Rosenborg, so that really isn't the litmus test ... Real Madrid was ... and we never looked like winning that game ... don't get me wrong; I don't think Real Madrid played special or anything ... I am merely looking at the fact that Rijkaard's tactics under pressure seemed closer to insipid than to anything inspired ...

Rijkaard proved he was the man for the job when Laporta took over -- Carlos put it best when he called it "Rijkaard's laid-back approach" ... but now is the time for a new chapter ...


alright, let's address some specific points from your posts:

i think ... rijkaard [has] done alot for his team and ... deserve the benefit of the doubt ....

please refer above to what my opinion is on that

our problem its that we have lost our pace, the presure has finally got to this team and this is only mentally i still think we have the best team in europe overall in we are going to show this in the CL.... about the league i would like somebody to tell me how many games have we played with our complete roster... i really think barca is going to turn itself around once we can play with messi, etoo and dinho together constantly ; and i mean itself cause i cant really say if madrid is going to stumble or not, i hope so but we never now.

I agree that our squad is Europe's envy (I mentioned it a couple of posts ago), but I don't see Rijkaard as the man the rejuvenate this team ... he does not have that quality: his efforts to get Ronnie to train more in the gym has lead more to spats than to inspiration ...

i dont know guys... i just ask my self what would everybody would say if we would have one that game.... are we still in crisis? do we need to get rid of rijkaard and dinho?, in my experience i seen how people changes theirs mines so fast by seeing the table every single week.

Carlos suggested that this loss could be a blessing in disguise, because otherwise we would have had to put up with Rijkaard some more purely as a result of a win against Real ... I said something similar before the Valencia match too:

Rijkaard is in serious need of some popularity points

...

on that note, I would like to refer back to something I had mentioned earlier ... I said that as long as Barça does well in the Champions League, Frankie's going to be alright ... but, like most others, I'm beginning to believe that the Clásico will be decisive as far as Rijkaard's future is concerned, especially as it follows the crucial Valencia fixture ...

now on the one hand, I hope that we win (both games), and win well ... on the other hand, I know that losing one or more of those (significant) battles might mean we have a much better chance of winning the war -- namely by hiring Jose Mourinho while he's available, equipping him with a small transfer kitty for one or two winter signings (and sales), and then let him work his magic ... the ambivalence I'm feeling over this matter makes for quite some contemplation!

moving on:

Ronnie should sit on the bench, like any other player that's out of form. There's no need to sell him. Maybe some time off the pitch will motivate him.

someone is out of form when they are trying their best, but it just won't click ... Ronnie is out of shape, not out of form ... he's been benched, and that doesn't seem to have helped ... he needs to hit get fit; simple as that ...

Rijkaard should at least finish out the season; It's 38 matches long, not 17.

and watch again as the league, cup, and ucl are won by someone else, and our stars guzzle down big salaries while becoming a year older? I think not ....

Some of you are starting to sound like you read the Madrid papers.

es verdad que hablo castellano con un accento madrileño, pero estoy en Zambia ... and Zambia is, thankfully, still free of any Madrid tabloids ....

 

[CarlosDanger]

Al and Sevillista make good points, but at the same time, this isn't a knee-jerk reaction.

You guys have both known me on here for a few years, and I never post anything against Rijkaard or Dinho. I love both of them.

I just think that there is need for a shakeup. I don't see any changes from last season and the uninspiring play of the team hasn't changed. Have they had good performances? Yes. But I don't see the spark anymore that made them champions and smiling and laughing while they did it.

I put that down to the manager. I don't want to see Dinho go and I truly appreciate Frank for everything he's done, but I think Frank's cycle at Barca is complete.

If he proves me wrong, I will be delighted and freely admit it...

 

[OrgulloVikingo]

You guys need to SLOW down (except for Al).

Ronnie should sit on the bench, like any other player that's out of form. There's no need to sell him. Maybe some time off the pitch will motivate him.

Rijkaard should at least finish out the season; It's 38 matches long, not 17. Whoever suggested Mourinho for head coach is ignorant. Mourinho's style is super conservative; the Catalans would never stand for it and the players would never fit his style. Creative players like Xavi, Iniesta, Messi would suffer.

Some of you are starting to sound like you read the Madrid papers.

You are right about Mourinho...exactly my thoughts. About Ronnie, do you think sitting on the bench further will motivate him more than making him angry and unsettling the locker room? He's not used to sitting, benching in place of teenagers is taking a big toll on his ego, plus, so many barca fans are against him now. I think it's the perfect time for him to move on. You can get some decent money for him and fill in the gaps with that money next year...if need be. Let Rijkaard finish the season is the smartest thing. Nobody has the title in the bag yet, not by a long shot. 7 points is nothing and we have tough tough games coming up. Bringing in someone new will most likely end the season. I don't know why some of you think the seasons over....far from it. In the end, it all depends what stuff you guys are made of. How badly do you want to win it, how much work and determination is the team willing to put in. It's all about spirit and we'll see how much barca have from now on.

 

[OrgulloVikingo]

I agree that our squad is Europe's envy

Ummm...with all due respect, many people would beg to differ. That statement is better accompanied with a league, champions league trophy! No sense having a ferrari in the garage if it never runs.

 

[big al]

Ummm...with all due respect, many people would beg to differ. That statement is better accompanied with a league, champions league trophy! No sense having a ferrari in the garage if it never runs.

well yeah, its practicly the same ferrari from then to today so i guess 2 leagues and CL ...... its a fact that most europe would love to have our roster.... that we are not doing as well as in the past , well thats another story.

 

[OrgulloVikingo]

well yeah, its practicly the same ferrari from then to today so i guess 2 leagues and CL ...... its a fact that most europe would love to have our roster.... that we are not doing as well as in the past , well thats another story.

Well, in that sense, technically speaking, most clubs in the world would also love to have Romas, Evertons, Atletico Madrid roster too since most clubs are way beneath these teams in talent. I'm pretty sure Chhelsea, Inter, Man Utd., Real Madrid, Arsenal, etc, fans are very very happy with their rosters. Anyway, current form and recent success is all that matters. No disrespect Al...

 

[Xifio]

Ummm...with all due respect, many people would beg to differ. That statement is better accompanied with a league, champions league trophy! No sense having a ferrari in the garage if it never runs.

well, it's a GT car, and it's been winning GT car ... it's still racing, but the powertrain isn't doing too great -- the driveshaft needs some work ... and we probably need a new race driver too ...

 

[MaestroZidane]

^^^ great post hahaha

No offense, just found it very funny how you have managed to compared a racing car to the current Barca situation..

 

[Socrates]

Nope, Mourihno is coming to Milan! And Ronaldinho is coming to Milan seeing you guys don't respect him really seems a bit ungrateful i mean even at his lowest he's better than 99% of all the other players in the world. Maybe he doesn't have motivation because you people put him down all the time, i just watched a clip on goal.com and it was really sad how barca(don't jump at me right away arnau i don't have that c/s letter on my keyboard) fans treat ronaldinho. No player deserves this, i mean you're all acting like he's satan not a football player! RONNIE come to where you're appreciated, where every player is appreciated, AC MILAN!

You know it's funny, people said that about Ronaldo while he was at Madrid than he moved to AC Milan and now where is he? ******* around with Adriano in Brazil. Right now he is not at his lowest and there are kids that are playing above him, it's not anyone's fault other than his own. He needs to lose 25-30 pounds and get some motivaiton to play, **** it is what he gets paid to do afterall not just party the whole time. You also have to wonder how much of a cancer he is in the locker rooom, much like Ronaldo was.

It's kind of funny how simliar Dinho and Ronaldo's cases are, seems to be the new Brazilian trend. Hopefully Robinho does not follow.

 

[CarlosDanger]

Anyway, there has been no disrespect of Ronaldinho on my part, I still think very highly of him, but if you watch him on the pitch, you can see the total lack of a spark.

As to Mourinho, one thing he does is take the heat off the players and put it on himself, which is what I think would be a good solution for Ronnie.

As to the change at half-season, well, I hope something changes, because uninspiring play and lack of effort are symptoms of a problem. Rijkaard has not shown yet that he has the fortitude of Capello who can win ugly. Last year Madrid was in turmoil, but they ended with the dressing room united and a great effort by the players.

I mean, I know it's only one game, but it's the fucking Clasico! This game means the pride of Barcelona and the players that really believe in the shield on the front and not the name on the back (and the $$$ on the paycheque) are the ones who give their all. I mean, look at Puyol! I'll even say it, look at Sergio Ramos... the guy was hurt early and played the whole game and had a hell of a game against (sub-standard) Ronaldinho.

That's why the young guys are getting their chance; they show hunger and drive when they play. Messi does it, Iniesta does, but Dinho and Deco don't lately (and Deco had an alright clasico).

I mean, the team spirit and drive and sacrifice on Madrid was palpable, and on Barca it was conspicuous in it's absence.

That's why I think we need a change.

 

[Num Lock]

i told you this like millions of years ago, Rijkaard is no tactical genious he only pleases his players by letting them play however they like but this backfires every time he faces a good coach with decent players.

Ronaldinho should be benched, he doesn't even try anymore, he's fat, so he's just wasting the spot of some other player who would really want to play.

 

[Mr.Crosas]

1.thanks not for me,for ronnie.
2.Ronnie and Puyol before the clasico:
if Ronaldinho start at the 11,and Barça lose,puyol will shave his hair.
if Ronaldinho start at the bench,and Barça lose,ronnie will shave his hair.

Ronnie shave to puyol his hair,and said bye bye for Barça.

 

[Mr.Crosas]

I think ronnie didn't play good because of this.
Bye Bye Ronnie!
i don't want that Puyol will be like him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson
His hair was the power.

 

[Arnau]

FAKE... today is the inocent day in spain, this is valdes hair

 

[Mr.Crosas]

xD
it's only in spain,so over the world all the people didn't know this.

 

[jimorrizon]

xD
it's only in spain,so over the world all the people didn't know this.

actually also celebrated in Mexico....:amika:

 

[Vedran-10]

Thank God it's fake!

That pic is scary