Barcelona Thread

[aliyid]

Do wonder why Arthur doesn’t get given more opportunities.

Was very impressive against us in CL but from what I understand they don’t rate him too highly over there (no idea why ?‍)

The club is in a big mess at the moment and will be interesting to see how they plan on getting out of it.

Best thing would probably be to allow Messi to leave and allow others to emerge from their deep pool of talented players who’ve been in Messi’s shadow (Griezemann, Dembele, Coutinho, etc...) it’s not as if they don’t have good quality back-up

 

[Spurs' Pipe Dreams]

Where's the Messi transfer thread...surely we're going to enter the race

 

[Stedt]

Of course Messi isn't happy leaving Barcelona. He has all there, his family, his friends, his story, the kid's school/friends/life.
But he's 33, times goes on and he wants to win more trophies; 0 UCL in five years is bad for a player like him. He cannot still wasting time just for his love of the Club and the city.

I said in another thread, the problem is the Club's board, they have the philosophy of not spending money because "they have all they need in La Masia" and that's 100% wrong. If you want to be one of the greatest Clubs in the whole world, you need to spend money and do it smart. And not just in players, Setién was an stupid and wrong decision as Koeman is too. You are one of the biggest Clubs, you have to sign the best managers, not improvised and cheaper coaches. And Messi knows it, for that he's leaving the Club. Apart from this, when they spend money on players, they did it stupidly: Dembélé and Griezmann for example.

He endured his degradation the last year (remember the Barça Gate) and remained at the Club despite all of this things; but Bartomeu continued in the same position so it was expected his decision of leaving the Club.

 

[fridgemagnet]

I can't see how the Messi talk is anything but an idle threat to their board (however their politics work) assuming it's true that his clause to leave has passed Barca have a ridiculous buyout clause on him or even if he's able to leave on a free, how the heck is it good optics at the moment to be splashing that amount of cash or asking that kind of wage?

I struggle to see it TBH but I'm no expert on anything let alone La Liga, however if out of this mess we could get De Jong or Lenglet somehow then I won't complain.

 

[nailsy]

I can't see how the Messi talk is anything but an idle threat to their board (however their politics work) assuming it's true that his clause to leave has passed Barca have a ridiculous buyout clause on him or even if he's able to leave on a free, how the heck is it good optics at the moment to be splashing that amount of cash or asking that kind of wage?

I struggle to see it TBH but I'm no expert on anything let alone La Liga, however if out of this mess we could get De Jong or Lenglet somehow then I won't complain.

I don't think anyone that tries to sign him will care about those optics. And it doesn't seem to just be a bid to change the president as the guy who would come in had already said that he expects Messi to leave.

 

[fridgemagnet]

I don't think anyone that tries to sign him will care about those optics. And it doesn't seem to just be a bid to change the president as the guy who would come in had already said that he expects Messi to leave.

The first bit is true enough I suppose (then again I'm one of those that was laughingly taken in that FFP was going be effective and strictly enforced)

The bit is an eye opener to me wow I hadn't realised that.

 

[Hakkz]

 

[worcestersauce]

Barcelona have lost their first game of the season to Getafe.
BBC referring to it as a shock result but since Getafe are now sitting 2nd us it really a shock?

 

[Chris Finch]

Barcelona have lost their first game of the season to Getafe.
BBC referring to it as a shock result but since Getafe are now sitting 2nd us it really a shock?

Did you just ask if Getafe beating Barcelona was a shock?

 

[Marty]

Barcelona have lost their first game of the season to Getafe.
BBC referring to it as a shock result but since Getafe are now sitting 2nd us it really a shock?

Getafe are a historically nothing club only founded in 1983 on the doorsteps of two giants in Madrid. They've never ever finished higher than 5th and that was two seasons ago.

Yes it's a shock.

 

[worcestersauce]

I'm not saying it was expected and I know you'd put your money on Barca but maybe it's more telling than shocking.
I get that anyone but Real Madrid beating Barcelona is shocking but Getafe are second in the league so if this is a shock then every single time Barcelona lose must be a shock.
Is that what people are saying? Barcelona should never lose therefore if they do it must be a shock? That's a pretty crappy league if it's true.

 

[Darth Vega]

I'm not saying it was expected and I know you'd put your money on Barca but maybe it's more telling than shocking.
I get that anyone but Real Madrid beating Barcelona is shocking but Getafe are second in the league so if this is a shock then every single time Barcelona lose must be a shock.
Is that what people are saying? Barcelona should never lose therefore if they do it must be a shock? That's a pretty crappy league if it's true.

Getafe are joint third I believe, but this early in the season it doesn't matter anyway. They're only 3 points ahead of 12th placed Elche, who also happen to have a game in hand.

 

[Chris Finch]

Bartomeu resigns. Messi wins

 

[JeremyPaxton]

Apparently he signed up to the euro super league before he left.... if Barca have agreed to a big “break fee” (ie payment to the organisers if they don’t follow through) then the he might have railroaded the new president into backing this daft idea

 

[C0YS]

Apparently he signed up to the euro super league before he left.... if Barca have agreed to a big “break fee” (ie payment to the organisers if they don’t follow through) then the he might have railroaded the new president into backing this daft idea

I'm worried that the super league might actually have a chance of happening. If it does I hope we stay well away. It'll mess up football, and I don't even believe it'll work, and if it does, not in the European markets.

 

[JeremyPaxton]

I'm worried that the super league might actually have a chance of happening. If it does I hope we stay well away. It'll mess up football, and I don't even believe it'll work, and if it does, not in the European markets.

Why do you want us to stay well away? It'll suck TV money out of each country's leagues and will kill off the UCL. Do you want us to lose hundreds of millions of revenue and play Burnley and Stoke every week in the "new PL" (with minimal TV money) or do you want to watch Harry smash goals past Madrid? If it really does happen, that's the choice.

The idea we can "stay well away" and still keep our best players is nonsense.

Our only hope here is UEFA. The new 'super league' is a FIFA project - FIFA are corrupt, inept and cash poor so are desperate to find a way to lever UEFA off their self-made golden goose (the CL). UEFA won't give it up without a fight, so will hopefully offer big clubs more changes to the CL to stop the FIFA plan.

 

[C0YS]

Why do you want us to stay well away? It'll suck TV money out of each country's leagues and will kill off the UCL. Do you want us to lose hundreds of millions of revenue and play Burnley and Stoke every week in the "new PL" (with minimal TV money) or do you want to watch Harry smash goals past Madrid? If it really does happen, that's the choice.

The idea we can "stay well away" and still keep our best players is nonsense.

Our only hope here is UEFA. The new 'super league' is a FIFA project - FIFA are corrupt, inept and cash poor so are desperate to find a way to lever UEFA off their self-made golden goose (the CL). UEFA won't give it up without a fight, so will hopefully offer big clubs more changes to the CL to stop the FIFA plan.

Mate, I'd rather lose all our best players and play a pub team than support an event that for me marks end of any little soul remaining in football. Either we stay away or I'm no longer a Spurs fan. Really that simple. Obviously it depends on how the league is structured, but.

Players come and go, there is something much more important than who is playing for your team, or even how well you are doing. Clubs are still situated it community and identity and all that. To create a closed league, will be very boring, but more than that, there is no sense any more, and will really end any pretence that clubs somehow, symbolically at least, belong to the fans.

In any case, I don't think it will be a financial success as you suggest. Any closed league system is likely to be a colossal commercial failure, particularly as the novelty wears of. There isn't the market for it, no one is asking for this. This is Icarus getting too close to the sun. Even if there were a market, without the ability to dream, and the jeopardy that comes with football, I'm personally out and will support either a Phoenix club or Leyton Orient or something.

 

[JeremyPaxton]

To create a closed league, will be very boring, but more than that, there is no sense any more, and will really end any pretence that clubs somehow, symbolically at least, belong to the fans.

In any case, I don't think it will be a financial success as you suggest. Any closed league system is likely to be a colossal commercial failure, particularly as the novelty wears of. There isn't the market for it

The fans don’t own any of the big PL teams - they’re already all owned by billionaires, Private Equity and petrostates.

the NFL & NBA are cast-iron proof that there is commercial demand for closed shop sport.

Do I want to see it? Absolutely not. But let’s be clear amongst ourselves that the sellout of clubs has already happened and club owners will have a bunch of PowerPoint presentations telling them how much more their “franchise” (I hate that word) will be worth in a super league.

 

[C0YS]

The fans don’t own any of the big PL teams - they’re already all owned by billionaires, Private Equity and petrostates.

the NFL & NBA are cast-iron proof that there is commercial demand for closed shop sport.

Do I want to see it? Absolutely not. But let’s be clear amongst ourselves that the sellout of clubs has already happened and club owners will have a bunch of PowerPoint presentations telling them how much more their “franchise” (I hate that word) will be worth in a super league.

I know mate. That is not actually what I'm saying. Though fan ownership should really be a priority to try and push towards.

Their 'franchise' won't be worth a lot in a super league, that's the thing. Europe is special, it is special because it's something you work very hard towards and it creates an aura, that you are at the top reaches of football playing the biggest teams. A super league won't do that. It'll be watching Bayern vs Atletico, a clash of what might be two lower midtable teams with nothing to play for. The point is these clubs are only big because they win stuff they do well, but them in a superleague where they are struggling (and without any risk of relegation) they wont be considered big teams, but the Burnley equivalents right.

There is also to much of a good thing, which football doesn't get. The world cup is special because it only happens every 4 years, but the expansion of it, while initially quite fun, also risks creating issues for the tournament, because it risks becoming a slog. The creation of new tournaments etc. Football has an issue that they basically thing more games = more money, more games against big teams = more and more money. But it's not really like that. The latter is sort of true though risks undermining the product that it creates too much football and people stop engaging with it as much.

While big team fixtures actually rely on scarcity, and what a 'big team' is, is fundamentally changed thanks to performance, which is why even the suggested teams people have for the super league, are not the same teams people would have suggested 10 years ago. If we played Arsenal every other week, it'll quite quickly stop feeling like a derby but just another game. It's the same with all big teams or fixtures, they are exciting because it's not an everyday occurrence. UEFA have publicly said that the Super League isn't going to work in the way that these clubs think it is, and I tend to agree with them.

 

[DJS]

I can’t believe what a state Barcelona‘s squad is currently in and that Martin Braithwaite is their current number 9. I’m not even sure if they have another established centre forward there, Fati has been playing but wasn’t sure if he was more of a winger?

Although personally I’d prefer Messi to stay there as he just seems to fit there and hope they get some decent players in (not Kane though!).

Spanish clubs really are on a different planet to over here with some of the crazy shit that goes on with them, Real Madrid and Barcelona seem a little light of superstars in recent times though given Madrid’s ‘galactico’ period and Barcalona have had some pretty tasty players up until recently when the quality has definitely taken a massive drop.