Barcelona - a lot of moaning about them and some praise

Pogue Mahone

The Bale angle is really odd, seeing as lovable "Arry Redknapp never bleeding shuts up about who he might or might not want to sign. When did Samuels last take a pop at him?

Lance Uppercut

'Arry's an invalid, you brute.

Pogue Mahone

Now I feel bad

Gio

Samuel already had the article written before the Bale story. He just needed something topical to hang it on.

Agree with the sentiment though.

Randall Flagg

Wonder where Bale will end up? He has started the season well again. He certainly has a lot about him. People went overboard about him last season but IMO he is top side material.

A large bid in the summer from Chelsea or City would not surprise me at all

7even

Barcelona reminds me about our own close life long arch enemy. The one and only Liverpool Football Club. They are both, in their own opinion, a little bit better then the rest of us. They aren't just a simple club who tries to win trophies. No no they are so much more... Supporting such a holy grail is a lifestyle, the rest of us is just JCL glory hunters and whining losers. When these two clubs win/lose they celebrate/fall with grace, at least in their own minds.

When I read and search a little bit deeper about the rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid it's appear to me that they more often then is reported in the newspapers are two sides of the same coin.

There was a time, not long ago, when I also was a little fan boy. Who couldn't resist the charm of Ronaldinho and how he single handed ripped Madrid apart in Bernabeu. People stood up and gave him a standing ovation. Why don't they do the same for the new wonder boy Messi? Just a question.

The political aspects of how Laporta used the historical bitterness of a whole region against Madrid and the Spanish government and enabled them to compete in the transfer market with Les Merenges, and buy everything under the sun, is well documented. How they took huge advantage of their global popularity when they negotiated the new TV deals, and left the rest of La Liga with peanuts money. That's dirty biz in it's finest way. No mercy. Me me me me.

The new word on the street is "secret shopping lists". We want //add the hottest flavor the year// but we will not pay, for our unwelcome approach, what the (selling) club wants.

Hell no. Why should you? Continue your daylight robbery and then ask yourself why your popularity will sooner or later drop. Make no mistake. It will.

Fuck the duck! I agree with Martin Samuel. What's next..

Danny1982

Barcelona didn't sign any "established stars" until they achieved their sextuple.

They bought Ronaldinho from PSG.
They bought Eto'o from Mallorca.
They bought Deco from Porto.
They bought Yaya Toure and Giuly from Monaco.
Besides, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Valdes, Pedro, Thiago, Busquets, and even Pique and Fabregas are all products of their academy.

If you think that's similar to the way Real Madrid have been buying players in the last decade you are clearly in delusion..

Besides, Barcelona were on the verge of bankruptcy when Laporta came to the club, and he managed to get them back to the top with very limited resources, unlike the way Chelsea and Man City have gotten to the top. And if his work doesn't deserve respect for you, then at least don't twist the facts just to taint the club or the man's work, because you are completely losing objectivity here..

KM

Danny Alves was an established star. So was Henry, Abidal and Zambrotta.

Before that there were the likes of Overmars, Saviola, Rivaldo, Kluivert etc

Oh and Ronaldinho and Deco were established "stars", both had proved themselves on the highest stage i.e world cup and champions league.

adexkola

Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Deco and Guily were stars in their respective sides.

Ronaldinho was the lynchpin of that PSG side.
Deco won the Champions League with Porto prior to moving to Barcelona. Guily reached the final with Monaco, where he lost to Mourinho and Deco's side.
Eto'o was Mallorca's top scorer for a few seasons.

You're also ignoring the purchases of Ibrahimovic, Alves, Villa, and that Chrysganily guy from Ukraine. Not to add the disgusting way they pursued Fabregas for years, and the punitive TV deal they and Real have, to the detriment of the league as a whole. They have an impressive youth academy that is now bearing fruit. However they're not the saints you want them to be.

Edit: Damn you KM!

UnofficialDevil

Yeah you just forgot

Cesc Fàbregas
Alexis Sánchez
David Villa
Javier Mascherano
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Dani Alves

Danny1982

Henry was the only established star of those they bought before they achieved success (please pay attention to this important part of my point before making your list). And even Henry was almost finished when they bought him, which explains why they got him for a mere 24 million euro).

(Overmars? I thought we were talking about Laporta, and how they achieved success.)

An established star is the one who stars in a big club. E.g. Zidane, Ronaldo, C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Michael Owen, Cassano, Robben ...etc.

Also even after their success in 2009, you neglect the fact that they have been generating money through selling players, some of them are youth products (like Dos Santos) and some are players they signed earlier (like Yaya Toure).

However they did have two bad deals in Ibrahimovic and Chygrnsky, although that was just a case of a club losing money, rather than buying success..

Anyway, all clubs try to sign good players when they have money to maintain their success, however you have to admit, it's a very rare occurrence in football (especially nowadays) that a club grows his own core of players and win everything with them (including the world cup)..

I think what Barcelona did was something special (love them or hate them), and the closest I have seen any club come close to is Manchester United, although we are not that innocent either when it comes to big spending..

Snow

More than 2 bad deals amigo. Keirrison, Saviola, Cacares. They three cost about 50m in euros.

I don't see your point here. They've always bought big and sold for way less than they bought for. Yes they have great players from the academy. Spanish players from Barcelona or other parts of Spain where they bought them or from abroad. They trained them well.

You're trying too much to fit players into your agenda. Stars like Cassano and Robben? You mean Real Madrid buys? Are they bigger stars than Overmars, Petit, Henry or Deco were? Ermm no.

I seriously thought you were a Barcelona fan

Danny1982

1- I thought I made it clear, but for some reason I find myself forced to repeat myself. I'm talking here about the current Barcelona squad, and the way Laporta managed Barcelona. Barcelona's dream team is nothing special for me. Just like any other club who buys established players and achieve success with them.. What's up for discussion here is the Laporta era and the current Barcelona squad. (=2003-2011) (So, once again, Petit and Overmars are being dragged into a discussion to which they don't belong. Does that fall too into the category of "trying too much to fit players into your agenda"?).

2- Saviola? Why did you pick this one out? Nearly all of Barcelona's signings in this period were bad, hence they were on the brink of bankruptcy. Kierrison and Caceres were bad signings but not ones that stick in the memory.. Clubs have such bad deals every year, but Ibra's and Chygrnsky's deals were really really bad.. Anyway, this isn't really my point. My point is did they BUY their success? In these cases, obviously, they didn't..

3- "Yes they have great players from the academy". They don't just have great players from the academy, the core of their (and Spain's) success IS their own academy players. And as I said, the closest a club has come to achieving success using youth is Manchester United, and we are proud of that. Why can't we appreciate it when another club does it, with even greater success!

4- You thought I'm a Barcelona fan? On how many posts did your base your assumption? However that doesn't surprise me here, in which the default argument in any debate is "You are just a ..... fanboy".

5- My point in short is that Barcelona's great success wasn't based on a multi-hundred million dollar revolution, unlike the likes of Chelsea, Man City, and even Real Madrid.. And you can look at their signings in the period 2003-2008 to see the difference.

B19

Sergi, Ferrer, Amor, Guardiola were all local.

Spanish Players like Abelardo, Bakero, Nadal, Zubizaretta all stayed there for 8+ years. Begiristain, Goikoetxea and Salinas for 6+. Most made their names at barca.

The dream team was very much a team with identity.

Danny1982

Agree, but it wasn't to the extent we see now with Barcelona. The dream team is still no Chelsea or Man City, but there are other clubs who achieved same degree of success with similar mix of players (us for example in the 1990s). However, in my opinion, today's Barcelona have gone many steps further, depending more on local products, and achieving more success already.

Sam

Diving, card waving, surrounding the referee after every decision.

If United ever, ever acted in such a way, no matter how many trophies were being won, I'd be disgusted.

evra

Yawn

kouroux

The 2 teams are as bad as each other tbh

KM

The diving is done equally by both the teams in this match.

Decotron

what planet are you on?

Sam

We dont surround the referee after every foul or every decision he makes. Ala Barcelona. Which is what pisses me off so much. Its not just bad decions they react too, its any decion that goes against them.

I'm guessing that above picture is from the Newcastle match? After an awful decision. Barcelona react like that after any decision, good, bad or otherwise. Just as long as it's a decison that hasn't gone their way.

Randall Flagg

I was waiting for this to be bumped. They are an incredible side. Best in my lifetime. That is the only way I view them

Ole's_toe_poke

You are being blinkered.

Ole's_toe_poke

Its so apparent. Best side of my football watching lifetime.

Godfather

Treble

...and probably the best team the world has ever seen

Cold_Boy

I agree with all of this but they are not worse than many Spanish,Latin,etc sides.

Real are not that better too.

moses

olesmyhero

Which makes it all the more annoying because they don't need to do it to help them get results.

moses

Maybe they do. It's part of the way football is played in Spain. So as they have intensified every part of the game, the tempo of passing, the technical level and especially the hive of activity when they lose possession, maybe this is almost an inevitable bi-product?

UnofficialDevil

B19

they are though.

ArmchairCritic

I'd shit myself if I had Stam and Keane screaming their heads off at me, Busquets and Alves however I'd just laugh at them.

moses

Aye even Nicky Butt looks a bit fey in comparison.

evra

I don't know, Alves looks like he's probably carrying.

moses

Totally, you just know Alves would break whatever rules you settled on at the off.

ArmchairCritic

Yeah but he doesn't show it does he, Stam and Keane however...

ArmchairCritic

Stam needed about 5 people to hold him back from killing Viera, I wouldn't stand a chance unless I had Craig David nearby.

moses

I still think that Keane - Viera thing at Highbury was the best TV ever.

Snow

He thinks diving, fouling without getting booked, arguing with the ref and feigning injuries is an art.