What the hell Bilbao? How they'd get that far. I only know Munian, and the rest and just average players, damn, both Manchesters losing today, didn't expect that.
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Wouldn't call Llorente or Martinez average.
Kinda slipped my mind that all the players who play for Bilbao are either Basque natives or came through the Bilbao academy. Think we'll see a top-flight English club any time soon who can boast that kind of team?
What the hell Bilbao? How they'd get that far. I only know Munian, and the rest and just average players, damn, both Manchesters losing today, didn't expect that.
Average players? you really dont know Bilbao then. They're a fantastic team that field only homegrown players (Basque region of Spain) and they play super attacking football all the time similar to Barcelona. San Mames is the toughest stadium outside of Nou Camp to play at.
Marcelo Bielsa is a amazing manager and if Guardiola leaves Barcelona, he will replace him 100%.
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what a game last night, United were given a lesson.
I dont united played too badly either, some sloppiness at the back, Ferdinand on the bench surprised me, but Bilbao what a team. Llorente was too much for the inexperienced centre backs, Smalling did well at times though.
The match in Spain is going to be interesting, I wonder how Bilbao will play it, will they sit back and try to play the counter attack? or will they play the quick short pass game and constant attack game they did at old trafford?
I remember first playing championship manager , a long time ago. Giving it a try as Bilbao manager, then found out you cant buy foreign players, not even non basque if i remember correctly, god I soon made a new game...would be cool if more british clubs took this approach, not going to happen though is it.
Do Basque players often play for Spain or is there bit of an issue there? As in Basque being bit of a region that considers not as Spain... sorry cant think of a better way of putting it.
They play for Spain as do Catalans. The only issue with Bilbao/Barcelona fans & Spain is that during big games they boo the national anthem IE Copa Del Rey a few years ago. Catalans & Basque players kinda make up the majority of the Spanish NT also haha so they cant really make a huge issue out of it.
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They have their own teams too, which feature players who also feature for Spain (and maybe France for the Basque team?), but rarely play and aren't recognised by FIFA or UEFA, obviously, so only play the odd friendly once or twice a year. I think Johan Cruyff coaches the Catalan team, last I remember. They've both got pretty neat kits too.
D'you live in Spain flitcroft, r just follow the league closely from Britain?
Raised in Cyprus on La Liga, I almost exclusively watch La Liga. I sometimes feel like the only one, everybody here (England, not this forum) has their head so far up EPL's arse so all I hear is "LA LIGA BLOWS" "LA LIGA ONLY HAS TWO TEAMS"
Lets face it... Madrid & Barcelona would turn any league into a two horse race.
Raised in Cyprus on La Liga, I almost exclusively watch La Liga. I sometimes feel like the only one, everybody here (England, not this forum) has their head so far up EPL's arse so all I hear is "LA LIGA BLOWS" "LA LIGA ONLY HAS TWO TEAMS"
Thank you, it seems I'm not the only one to acknowledge that. I've said that once here, and I was whipped back into line.
Didn't Dzeko say he didn't know any Sporting players? I guess he does now.
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Not necessarily true; you won't see the regulars in this thread spouting crap like that. I personally have some passing interest in Spanish football. We have a show on Sky Sports in the UK called Revista De La Liga that not only shows highlights of each game (a bit like Match of the Day) but also does periodic reports on the inner-club politics of clubs like Barca and Madrid. They also do smaller documentaries on what's going on at the other clubs like Valencia, At. Madrid and Bilbao; only a few months ago Graham Hunter (an English football writer based in Spain) went on a tour of Bilbao's stadium and said a little about the history of the club, meeting the fans and such. Was what had me thinking last night's game wouldn't be so straight forward.
Interested to see what will happen at Valencia once they move in to their new stadium. If they can keep their best players and build up from there, they might finally put to bed that myth of it being a two-club league. And I seriously cannot believe that a league where a club like Levante, with the smallest budget in the league (think Blackpool last year), are up in fourth place can be told their football is not quality and unpredictable.
So yeah, anyone who likes football in the UK and has Sky Sports ought to be watching it, great show.
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Joined: Apr 9, 2006
I think I've mentioned it before, and I reckon there's a good few listeners in this thread, but The Football Ramble podcast is a good way of keeping up to date with overseas football too. They concentrate on the English league for the first bit of the podcast before later moving on to around the world. Also, they do pretty good profile section called the Dean Windass Hall of Fame, including this entry on Bilbao.
Granted, most people on this thread aren't so narrow-minded, but I think a lot of football fans in the country have a bit too EPL-centric view of world football, best summed up by David Gold a couple years ago:
QUOTE (David Gold)
But the Premier League is the most exciting league that the world has ever known and no one is looking to damage that.
I agree that games of La Liga probably have the highest quality. Real and Barca are the two greatest teams in Europe right now and other top teams (like Valencia, Sevilla, Atletico or Bilbao) play some outstanding football. So if you want to see "Joga Bonito", La Liga - games are the ones to watch. But if I want to see more than two teams fighting for the league-title, I'd rather watch the Premier League than La Liga. So quality-wise, La Liga is the most entertaining, competition-wise, it's not.
I agree that games of La Liga probably have the highest quality.
I also agree. When I watch the odd game when Barcelona or Real Madrid are playing, some of the play is fantastic. The goals they score require a lot more skill and talent than we see in the PL. (imo)
Even though I'd rather watch games in the PL, I think the passing, movement and goals are phenomenal in La Liga.
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'salright I'm sure - there's a fair few posts betwen that and the previous one so no big problem.
I've always had a bit of a soft spot for QPR for some reason - someone I knew when I was younger was a fan, so I've sort of followed them since, and always used to pick 'em for games of FM and FIFA. Anyway, it's a bit disappointing how their season's gone. It's looking like a scrap between the bottom five now, with seven points between Bolton and Villa. Villa have a game in hand over some of the bottom five too. Out of that five, I'd quite like QPR to stay despite their poor play and season. I think there's equally unentertaining/far less entertaining teams that have overstayed their welcome in the league. I'm a bit fed up of Wolves and Wigan scraping their way to 16th/17th places.
Some may not agree, but when you look at Dalglish's Liverpool record, it may be time for him to go. I think his legendary status at Liverpool is what's saving him. His league record in 27 games is now almost identical to what Hodgson's was after about 18 games, and he was sacked for it. I don't think he was ever going to make it at Liverpool, but it's clear that he went because he had no connection to the club.
It's not the position they're in; it's the position they should've been in. Dalglish was given more than £100m to spend. If he had spent it right, then Liverpool would be challenging for the title. He bought the wrong players though.
Carroll has been garbage, Henderson may have potential but he's been poor nevertheless, Downing offers nothing and Adam cannot pass water. Thinking about it, they could have had world class players like Mata and Cavani for similar money instead. Dalglish, though, is stuck in the 90s attitude of buying physical British players. He doesn't see that the game has changed since then though. His managerial game hasn't adapted properly.
His Carling Cup success will keep him safe for a while though. I've already seen plenty of Liverpool fans clinging onto it, and saying that's they've made forward progress because of it.
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Its funny because Liverpool need new players and they have to let the sh*t ones go...the ones who would have to go are the ones who just havent cut it at Anfield, Adams, Carroll and Henderson to name 3...all Kennys signings. He is a tosh manager, and Roy was gone way before LFC got this bad. Rafa atleast kept them in the top 4 but the fans still thinks hes a great manager, hes not. If he was any good at all he wouldhave been linked with other jobs etc. I hope he stays!! Big game Tuesday!
so all I hear is "LA LIGA BLOWS" "LA LIGA ONLY HAS TWO TEAMS" 
