European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

[Sanguine]

It's going to be a long season for Darmstadt, isn't it.

[bakerlou]

It's going to be a long season for Darmstadt, isn't it.

They're at home to Supercalifragilisticborussiamönchengladbach on Sunday week, so we'll get a view on whether or not they're going to get any points at all this season after that one.

[Winston Biscuit]

Interesting early things in europe:

Boavista sit top of the Portuguese league after 4 games, having beaten Benfica on the opening weekend with 2 injury time goals

Leverkusen top in Germany. Heard a journalist tip them for 2nd place in the summer and said Xavi Alonso is doing a brilliant job

Hertha Berlin and Schalke, both relegated from the top division last season have both won just 1 of their opening 5 games in the 2nd tier

Lens, runners up in France last year are joint bottom alongside lyon after 4 games

1 draw and 2 losses leaves Roma 3rd from bottom in Serie A.

Sampdoria, relegated from Serie A last season, are 15th in Serie B. US Catanzaro lead the way in Serie B having come up from Serie C last season and having only spent 2 seasons above Serie C since the 1980's

Girona in 2nd place in La Liga with Sevilla bottom of the table

[From Despair To Where?]

Schalke have been a bit shit for about 5 years, haven't they?

It always goes to shit for Mourinho in Season 3 and he's started clashing with the owners. He just can't help himself.

[Winston Biscuit]

Listened to a thing about Turkish football last week. I don't remember all the detail but it basically said they see Saudi as a big threat to their league as they typically took big name players looking for a last payday. In response the big 2 have started spending more than usual this summer (fee's and wages) to try and get players in, switched to paying salaries in Euro's as its more stable and attractive, the tax rate there for footballers is low, 20% I think which helps. Also they said as Galatasaray are in the CL group stage, and Fenerbahce only in the Europe Conference League, the former are spending money as they have a clear plan to use this season as an opportunity to try and pull away from their rival and establish a clear gap between them.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Went to Sporting KC v St Louis on Saturday, and was really impressed with the match quality and atmosphere. Was a sell out crowd, for what's essentially a derby. KC came from behind to win 2-1, with Alan Pulido getting both goals, and a man of the match display from KC captain and Derby County legend Johnny Russell. I also liked the look of their left back, Logan Ndenbe.

Things to note:
You can have a beer in your seat, but it'll cost you $10 a drink.
A lot of the songs are based on English songs, with a shit American twist. I got to listen to a rendition of "we believe that we will win" which was nice. And another favorite was "let's score another one, just like the other one."
HT entertainment was gr8, with dogs catching frisbees.

All in all was a great day out and really made me miss watching the mighty ding

[From Despair To Where?]

[quote="Pepe the Horseman"]
A lot of the songs are based on English songs, with a shit American twist. I got to listen to a rendition of "we believe that we will win" which was nice. And another favorite was "let's score another one, just like the other one."

Was it on par with this absolutely legendary performance?

https://youtu.be/GG-jMjvnua8?si=y5HkH0MLSsay0fQq

[Pepe the Horseman]

A lot of the songs are based on English songs, with a shit American twist. I got to listen to a rendition of "we believe that we will win" which was nice. And another favorite was "let's score another one, just like the other one."

Was it on par with this absolutely legendary performance?

https://youtu.be/GG-jMjvnua8?si=y5HkH0MLSsay0fQq

Not quite, but we did have this guy who had his own little cage and stood with his back to the pitch the whole game.

[From Despair To Where?]

Every time I see that Seattle clip, I just think "Americans don't really get it, do they?"

[Pepe the Horseman]

Every time I see that Seattle clip, I just think "Americans don't really get it, do they?"

Yeh, tbf do the KC lot, they were much better than I was expecting. Not sure if that's a good representation of the MLS as a whole though.

[6ft Kerplunk]

was really impressed with the match quality and atmosphere.

really made me miss watching the mighty ding

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that but how on earth did a quality match and atmosphere make you miss watching us at the moment?

[Pepe the Horseman]

was really impressed with the match quality and atmosphere.

really made me miss watching the mighty ding

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that but how on earth did a quality match and atmosphere make you miss watching us at the moment?

Ha. Good point!

[Sanguine]

Hertha Berlin and Schalke, both relegated from the top division last season have both won just 1 of their opening 5 games in the 2nd tier

The top of the table has an unfamiliar look about it after five games. Holsten Kiel in second, in their history they have spent only the last six seasons higher than the third tier. FC Magdeburg in third place, they were the only East German side ever to win a European competition (Cup Winners' Cup in 1974), but they fell apart after reunification and were only promoted back to the third tier in 2015. Hansa Rostock are fifth, they have spent only one of the last 20 years in the Bundesliga.

Top of the division is Hamburger SV - the club affectionately known as 'Dinosaur', because until their relegation in 2017/18, they were the only club to have appeared in the top flight continuously since its inception in the 1960s.

[Loafer]

Hertha Berlin and Schalke, both relegated from the top division last season have both won just 1 of their opening 5 games in the 2nd tier

The top of the table has an unfamiliar look about it after five games. Holsten Kiel in second, in their history they have spent only the last six seasons higher than the third tier. FC Magdeburg in third place, they were the only East German side ever to win a European competition (Cup Winners' Cup in 1974), but they fell apart after reunification and were only promoted back to the third tier in 2015. Hansa Rostock are fifth, they have spent only one of the last 20 years in the Bundesliga.

Top of the division is Hamburger SV - the club affectionately known as 'Dinosaur', because until their relegation in 2017/18, they were the only club to have appeared in the top flight continuously since its inception in the 1960s.

Do you want to know who the best sorare players in that league are?

Wanitzek from Karlshruche is one of the best in the entire game!!!! Can you believe it?!

[Stranded]

Hertha Berlin and Schalke, both relegated from the top division last season have both won just 1 of their opening 5 games in the 2nd tier

The top of the table has an unfamiliar look about it after five games. Holsten Kiel in second, in their history they have spent only the last six seasons higher than the third tier. FC Magdeburg in third place, they were the only East German side ever to win a European competition (Cup Winners' Cup in 1974), but they fell apart after reunification and were only promoted back to the third tier in 2015. Hansa Rostock are fifth, they have spent only one of the last 20 years in the Bundesliga.

Top of the division is Hamburger SV - the club affectionately known as 'Dinosaur', because until their relegation in 2017/18, they were the only club to have appeared in the top flight continuously since its inception in the 1960s.

Hamburg starting like a train, which if they keep true to form over the last few years will peter out over time and they'll finish 3rd.

Kiel were very unlucky not to get to the Bundesliga a few years back, were in the top 2 for most of the season but faltered at the end losing the play-offs. Not sure if it is still the case but their stadium did not meet the minimum criteria to be used in the Bundesliga so they had agreed a deal to play at Hamburg if they had been promoted then.

[From Despair To Where?]

Kiel's stadium has gone from this



To this



in the past 15 years. Apparently it was the terracing that was the problem. It was basically fcuked and crumbling away.

[Franchise FC]

Kiel's stadium has gone from this



To this



in the past 15 years. Apparently it was the terracing that was the problem. It was basically fcuked and crumbling away.

Presumably a football school funded by the UKG

[Winston Biscuit]

Listened to a euro pod earlier discussing the transfer window and they said its known in Italy that Kvaratskhelia is on a 4 year €1.2m per year (£19k a week) contract and Napoli are now publicly stating they won't offer him a new deal. During the summer they told him they would let him go but were asking interested clubs for £150M for him.

They basically find themselves in a position of having one of the best attacking players in europe on their hands, he is costing them relatively very little, and have decided that's too good to give up so are just going to force him to stay and be one of the very lowest earners in the squad.

[Orion1871]

In the Spanish Segunda Division, Real Zaragoza have won their first 5 games of the season for the first time in history.

[Sanguine]

Listened to a euro pod earlier discussing the transfer window and they said its known in Italy that Kvaratskhelia is on a 4 year €1.2m per year (£19k a week) contract and Napoli are now publicly stating they won't offer him a new deal. During the summer they told him they would let him go but were asking interested clubs for £150M for him.

They basically find themselves in a position of having one of the best attacking players in europe on their hands, he is costing them relatively very little, and have decided that's too good to give up so are just going to force him to stay and be one of the very lowest earners in the squad.

Hard to feel sorry for someone earning £20k a week, but that's a bit shit of Napoli.

This does go some way to answering my recent wondering as to 'what happened to Kvaratskhelia?', he disappeared off the radar from halfway through last season.