March 2008 - Posts

• Should Ronaldinho be treated harsher

  It has been public knowledge that Ronaldinho has always enjoyed the nightlife but when it is not affecting his game then no one complains, the question though now is that if he continues to miss training and go out partying should he be punished. Last season it was claimed that the Brazilian missed half the Barca training sessions and it was a running joke that he was always in the gym. This season he looks to be doing the same and surely it is time that someone puts him in his place. The idea from the start that certain players should be treated differently to others is wrong and this is a clear example why as when he is the star the other players cannot say anything but now they can and it causes friction in the camp. Earlier in the season Edmilson talked about a black sheep in the team who was obviously Ronaldinho and that he was not pulling his weight. It doesn't look like he has learnt his lesson either as he was out two nights on the trot last week and as a punishment missed last weekend's game. What do you think they should do with Ronaldinho. Should he be fined or at the very least be made to take part in all the training sessions until the end of the season. It is definitely looking now as though he will be on his bike in the summer but where too is the big question.    Posted Mar 18 2008, 04:25 PM by Tim with 3 comment(s)

• Mourinho set for Inter Milan

  It appears as though Jose Mourinho has finally decided upon his next club and he will replace Roberto Mancini as the new coach of Inter Milan. Barca certainly have been closely linked to Mourinho and he has been in negotiations with the club but no deal was made. He has talked about wanting to go to a club which really wants him and will give him all the power he needs and it looks as though Barca were not prepared to do that or at least they were not ready to make a commitment until the end of the season. Rijkaard is more than likely to leave Barca at the end of the season and there is a good chance that it will be his own choice and he will not be pushed. Of course though the club cannot arrange for a new coach though at the moment because if Rijkaard does win the Champions League then he has to be given the chance to stay. The debate is open on how good a coach Mourinho would be for Barcelona in any case as he has always shown a preference for defensive football whether at Porto or Chelsea. At Chelsea he had money and top players and still preferred a defensive approach so maybe he is better suited to Italian football. Posted Mar 15 2008, 05:35 AM by Tim with 2 comment(s)

• Henry - a waste of money?

  When Henry signed last summer more than 30,000 faithful cules turned up to watch the presentation. Everyone was waiting to watch him line-up alongside Ronnie, Eto'o and Messi but lets face it he's not cut the mustard. It's true that he has been struggling with injury this season and it should not be forgotten that he missed a lot of the last campaign as well through this but what is most worrying is that he doesn't really appear to be trying his hardest out there. It's almost as though he doesn't want to be there. It's understandable that he is irritated by the constant comparisons with Arsenal but it is inevitable that people are going to be looking for a similar style player but where is he. Pires his ex-team-mate says it's because he is depressed and it is down to problems with the break-up with his wife. He also says that he is not happy about being played out of position on the wing. After the Villarreal match he is supposed to have stormed off after being substituted and not waited behind to see the players. Then he didn't train on Monday apparently due to a headache. It all sounds a bit strange to me but one thing is for sure ex-vice president Sandro Rosell seems to be right in his judgement that it was money wasted on a player past his best.   Posted Mar 11 2008, 11:47 AM by Tim with 2 comment(s)

• Sorry Barca slip eight points off the lead

  It was not so long ago that we were celebrating a two point difference at the top of the table but Barca have not taken advantage of Madrid dropping points and the performance on Sunday against Villarreal was desperate. There are no excuses with the quality of players out there as they struggled against a well organised Villarreal side who lets face it are nothing special. Where has it all gone wrong since the team won the Champions League, maybe it is the loss of Ten Cate who was the hardman alongside Rijkaard's softer approach. Rijkaard certainly seems to be taking it too easy and so do the players accordingly. Interestingly the new players have gradually got worse as the season has progressed, apart that is from Henry who has never got going, and maybe that is down to the training as some players themselves have said that they are not being pushed enough and have done their own private training. Franco battling away caused far too many problems for Barca's defence who gave away the penalty and then with no one in the forward line capable of scoring it was Xavi again who had to make the difference. This time though he was not able to save the day as sloppy defending allowed Villarreal to score again. It was a sorry performance and Madrid now look a long way away. Even Laporta said after the game that they have allowed the league to escape them but Rijkaard has kept faith saying that no league title is decided in March. One thing is for sure though that if they are going to put the pressure on Madrid they are going to have to improve dramatically. At the moment it is difficult to see where that could happen as Ronaldinho does not appear to be returning to his former glory and Henry lets face it doesn't care.  Posted Mar 10 2008, 04:17 AM by Tim with no comments