This, it's a bit of light hearted fun, nothing more, nothing less. Let the man enjoy himself without being bashed with negativity.
Usain Bolt
- Thread starter cesc's_mullet
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What the feck is it with all the criticism of comments saying he’s not very good at football? Talking about whether or not people are good at football is what 99% of this forum is all about. Surely it’s ok to say he’s not very good? Nobody is suggesting we send the guy hatemail ffs. Weird thread.
I’ve got much more respect for him for trying his hand in another sport. It’s a sign of a truly gifted and determined athlete to do it and make a real go of it. I don’t care if he ends up being not all that good. Michael Jordan wasn’t too great at baseball but people look back fondly on him for trying it and he can say he did it at least, and never went the rest of his life wondering ‘what if’
It’s never too late to follow your dreams right?
It’s never too late to follow your dreams right?
How do you know that for sure? Lots of American football players would beat 100 metre sprinters over a short distance. I'm not saying your wrong, just wondering why you came to that conclusion. Purely from eye test?
I think we all know he's not very good and its just him trying to achieve his dream. It's a bit of fun. He will probably play a couple of games in the league, get 'injured' and retire saying he achieved his dream.
To me this marketing thing.But glad he had sth he is doingl he is passionate about.
I’d take him over lukaka any day 
Pleased for him. He never ducked a challenge and really wanted to give football a go.
I wouldn't expect it to come to much but with Usain Bolt you never know.
I wouldn't expect it to come to much but with Usain Bolt you never know.
Bolt’s best times over 40m are quicker than what any non-sprinter has recorded. Even when the best NFL 40m times are converted to the same timing as track athletes, they fall short of what Bolt and others have done.
Yes but don't you get faster in stride, the reason for example why athletes run the 200 faster than the 100.
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He's not. I've seen him twice already in the flesh (to be honest, grown men going out to see this guy play not even for your home team is more worthy of taking the piss out of) and he's not very good in general. I love that he's having a crack though and I'm proud to be able to see him in the flesh have a dig in my home league.
Pleased for him and think he thoroughly deserves it. Nice to see someone participate in passion not for the money but for the sheer joy of game. A couple of dodgy moments that he could have done better. Showed his power for the first goal when the defender was trying to block him with his arm, although the second goal was a defensive error, he showed that he has football intelligence to capitalise on the mistake. Well done Usain, glad to see he is enjoying himself.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...d-european-professional-football-deal-reports
Usain Bolt offered professional football deal by Maltese champions
Usain Bolt offered professional football deal by Maltese champions
Maybe for the 150, definitely not for the 200m.
To be honest its impressive that he can even score at that level of football. What surprises me though is how slow he looks on a football pitch, is that age-related or is sprint speed in 100m really different to speed on a football pitch. I knew acceleration is much more important in football than pure sprint speed but it is weird looking at how slow his reaction time to 50/50 chasing the ball down situations.
Wouldn't mind him as a backup to Lukaku!
Wouldn't mind him as a backup to Lukaku!
What? No he's not.
Bolt was one of the slowest over 40-50 yards in his record breaking 100m sprints. He's so tall it takes him ages to get into his stride.
Smaller players have much quicker acceleration, which is key for beating a man in football.
Source you say? Ronaldinho, Messi, Hazard, Neymar, Sterling..etc
So no, Bolt wouldn't be faster over a short distance where it counts. I'd wager he's the slowest player on the team over 10 yards.
Nah, that's a myth based on the fact he was sometimes a sluggish starter when he wasn't on top form. In his record-breaking runs he was ahead of everyone by 20m. Obviously he eats up the distance from there on. This is the analysis below of his world record from 2009:
That's a field of the top 8 100m sprinters in the world and he's ahead of them all by just 20m. While the margins of difference between the fastest football player and a sprinter will be much less at 0-30m, fundamentally I don't think anyone outwith track and field could live with those figures.
Isn't that the old 'first two yards are in your head' thing they used to say about Kenny Dalglish. He was slow, but read the game better than anyone he came up against. Same for Baresi (who was quicker in fairness, but the point stands).
Yeah knowing when and exactly where to run is just as important I'd say. It's all well and good running fast in one direction, but a smart defender will stop you before you can get away.Nah, that's a myth based on the fact he was sometimes a sluggish starter when he wasn't on top form. In his record-breaking runs he was ahead of everyone by 20m. Obviously he eats up the distance from there on. This is the analysis below of his world record from 2009:
That's a field of the top 8 100m sprinters in the world and he's ahead of them all by just 20m. While the margins of difference between the fastest football player and a sprinter will be much less at 0-30m, fundamentally I don't think anyone outwith track and field could live with those figures.
Isn't that the old 'first two yards are in your head' thing they used to say about Kenny Dalglish. He was slow, but read the game better than anyone he came up against. Same for Baresi (who was quicker in fairness, but the point stands).
After making this thread the other day I went and re-watched all of his gold medals. What a legend. I still get chills watch him dominate everyone.
I can't fault the lad, he's hands down the greatest ever athlete in his own discipline and at 32 is following his dream and also transitioning to another sport at professional level that takes a whole different set of technique and physical ability.
It's low level professional but at 32 years old he is doing fine. Probably couldn't cut it in the proper season but that doesn't matter, he has literally nothing to prove other than to himself that he can say 'I done it'.
He's had the chance to train at clubs like United and Dortmund too. Imagine getting to live your dream like that.
It's low level professional but at 32 years old he is doing fine. Probably couldn't cut it in the proper season but that doesn't matter, he has literally nothing to prove other than to himself that he can say 'I done it'.
He's had the chance to train at clubs like United and Dortmund too. Imagine getting to live your dream like that.
I'm not sure where this myth comes from that the quickest players can outrun top sprinters over short distances. It's not even close. On his first goal you can see within about two strides the defender looks like he is standing still. Maybe its players like Bellerin saying they are breaking records whilst recording their times with a stopwatch.Nah, that's a myth based on the fact he was sometimes a sluggish starter when he wasn't on top form. In his record-breaking runs he was ahead of everyone by 20m. Obviously he eats up the distance from there on. This is the analysis below of his world record from 2009:
That's a field of the top 8 100m sprinters in the world and he's ahead of them all by just 20m. While the margins of difference between the fastest football player and a sprinter will be much less at 0-30m, fundamentally I don't think anyone outwith track and field could live with those figures.
Isn't that the old 'first two yards are in your head' thing they used to say about Kenny Dalglish. He was slow, but read the game better than anyone he came up against. Same for Baresi (who was quicker in fairness, but the point stands).
What a lot of people also don't think about is these 40 yard dashes in the NFL are recorded over just 40 yards, and on grippy astro surfaces. Just like Bolt ran faster over 100m than he did over 200m, he would run faster over 40m than he would over 100m.
He's slow to react because he doesn't read the game as well. A seasoned pro would see from how the players jump/shape their body to pass etc where the ball is likely to go and start running in anticipation. It's a big problem I have with Lukaku actually, he doesn't move until after the ball has already been played. Someone like Aguero is brilliant at reading it.
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I'm also not sure how you are comparing the quickest players to a random amateur CB in Australia who isn't even a professional.
Cristiano Ronaldo absolutely destroying the fastest sprinter in Portugal on anything that wasn't a straight line is probably where the idea comes from. They are faster in the context of football most of the time compared to a sprinter.
I can’t understand the bashing he’s getting from some on here. He’s one of the greatest athletes in history and if he can use his popularity and status to have a bit of fun fulfilling his dream of playing pro football good for him. I’d definitely do the same if I were him
Who is saying he shouldn't play football? I haven't seen anyone say as such. Just that he is absolute dogshit at football, which he is.
He also hasn't played a second of professional football.
Oh really? I don't know anything about Australian football, i assumed that guy was a full time pro.
Still, Bolt is significantly faster than any footballer, at least in a straight line. Doesn't make him any good at football though.
Think the defender was wearing #12, which according to ESPN was Joshua Symons.
He plays for these normally - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APIA_Leichhardt_Tigers_FC
He plays for these normally - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APIA_Leichhardt_Tigers_FC
I thought he was playing some low level pro football... my bad. Makes this thread even more unnecessary, discussing the performances of someone we know is bad at football
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45931496
Usain Bolt offered Central Coast Mariners contract - agent
Usain Bolt offered Central Coast Mariners contract - agent
Dude.
I would sign him up in fm2019
I'm looking forward to Conor McGregor as United DM.
Khabib to AM for us then, maybe we'll finally beat you
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Bolt situation pretty messy now: - Mariners coach makes it pretty clear he doesn't want Bolt and knows nothing of a deal - Mariners refuse to comment on whether a deal has been offered - FFA confirms a deal has been offered
Sounds like a fact to me. He is terrible. The coach has said he doesn't want him and none of the players like him. And he then has the gall to demand $3m/year.
From what I understand they offered him 100k or something but he wanted more like 3 million.
Kind of a joke tbh if he really wanted to play he should have taken 100k not like he needs the money.
Also a joke as he would be taking the spot if a real player and not just a PR stunt. All in all I think he ends up somewhere bizzare in the end. He’s clearly not even good enough for the a league so imo he wouldn’t even be a conference player in England.
Kind of a joke tbh if he really wanted to play he should have taken 100k not like he needs the money.
Also a joke as he would be taking the spot if a real player and not just a PR stunt. All in all I think he ends up somewhere bizzare in the end. He’s clearly not even good enough for the a league so imo he wouldn’t even be a conference player in England.
He's nowhere near the standard at all. Loads of talented players in the NPL as well that have worked their entire careers and never got anywhere near the opportunities Bolt did, theres a lot of resentment towards him and understandably so.
Also, the utter cheek of him to ask for 3 million when hes massively out his depth is incredible. There's not a single top league across the World where he wouldn't look out of his depth, his technique is shocking. Even La Fioreta in San Marino have players miles better technically than him.
But while he may not be worth 3 million for his footballing ability it can be argued that as a marketable asset he probaly is, he's one of the most famous athletes on the planet and has already brought plenty intrest to a Leauge that no one cares about on a global level. I
The reason reason a lot of the talented players didn't get the opportunities he did ( and without being overly disrespectful, I'm suspicious as how talented they're using Keogh who's the one complaining as a barometer) is because they didn't achieve what he did in another avenue making himself a worldwide superstar who generates mass interest, something these clubs desperately want as the likes of Keogh don't bring it.
While I don't think he could hack it at a high level, I wouldn't be surprised if he could do something it at this level, because there is a reasonable chance that his athletic ability and mindset could offset any technical deficiencies.
He wouldn't create much marketing at all because he'd never play a competitive game. The coach doesn't want him and is sick of having to pander to him. If they forced he had to play then the marketing wouldn't outweigh losing their manager and players because no one wants to play with someone so fecking garbage at football and is demanding to be the highest paid player in the league. Everyone is already tired of seeing his shit.
You clearly haven't a clue if you think Bolt is even close to A-League level. Keogh is easily 10x the player Bolt is. He is fecking garbage. There is no reasonable chance because he is fecking garbage. He'd struggle in a high level amateur league let alone a professional one.
Purveyors of elite football might look down at the A-League, but it's still miles ahead of where somebody like Bolt would hold his own. The athleticism is valuable, but if you read the game a lot slower than everyone else on the park, it's almost useless. And it's almost impossible for him to read the game as quickly as the others as he's got about 15-20,000 hours of development and hundreds of games to catch up on. It's not just the professional game where he'd be out of his depth, the majority of your better amateur players will have put in 10,000 hours or more of training over their lifetimes. That's the most likely level where his athleticism could overcome his technical and decision-making abilities. Any higher and I think he would struggle, unless he took a longer-term view of building himself up as a player over a number of years.