Futbol Talk

[jesmu84]

As a Spurs fan, I understand the Poch move, but I hate it.

[StillAWarrior]

Don't generally follow soccer, but did see some kid from my HS recently had a pretty noteworthy game winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=NNb6_U3tR5s&feature=emb_logo

[Pakuni]

As a Spurs fan, I understand the Poch move, but I hate it.

Same. Probably necessary, but may mean a step in the wrong direction.
Levy may be able to redeem himself by landing Max Allegri.

[JWags85]

Same. Probably necessary, but may mean a step in the wrong direction.
Levy may be able to redeem himself by landing Max Allegri.

Spent the last decade at AC Milan and Juventus.  With that experience, that honeymoon will last until the summer when he gets pissed for the same reasons Poch did.

[Pakuni]

Spent the last decade at AC Milan and Juventus.  With that experience, that honeymoon will last until the summer when he gets pissed for the same reasons Poch did.

Perhaps.
The irony is, while Poch was absolutely justified in past years for his frustration with Levy's lack of spending, the checkbook opened up this summer and Levy got the guys Poch wanted. And he was willing to spend even more for Dybala.
But I suspect by then the relationship was fractured  beyond the point of repair.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Allegri isnt even on the list.  Mourinho probably is the odds on favorite, but that will just be another dumpster fire in 2 years.

Probably will appoint a caretaker, spend nothing in January, and be further behind on the rebuild for next year.

[Pakuni]

Allegri isnt even on the list.  Mourinho probably is the odds on favorite, but that will just be another dumpster fire in 2 years.

Probably will appoint a caretaker, spend nothing in January, and be further behind on the rebuild for next year.

There's been noise about Allegri and Tottenham for months, and he was quickly installed as the second favorite at British betting sites today.
That said, word has it they're in negotiations with Mourinho tonight.

[Its DJOver]

I continue to be amazed that in 2019 Jose is linked with these big jobs.  You're not getting the Jose from a decade ago.  Granted it wasn't entirely on him, but look at how screwed up his last two clubs are now.  IMO he needs to go rework some goodwill at a smaller club before he should get another shot at a big boy.

I would take a good long look at Eddie Howe if I was Levy.  This is Bournemouth's 5th year up, and he has them sitting in the top half with a shoestring budget.

[The Sultan]

I continue to be amazed that in 2019 Jose is linked with these big jobs.  You're not getting the Jose from a decade ago.  Granted it wasn't entirely on him, but look at how screwed up his last two clubs are now.  IMO he needs to go rework some goodwill at a smaller club before he should get another shot at a big boy.

I would take a good long look at Eddie Howe if I was Levy.  This is Bournemouth's 5th year up, and he has them sitting in the top half with a shoestring budget.

I agree with you about Howe.

But Mourihno won a Premier League title his second go around with Chelsea and finished better (2nd) than anyone else has post Ferguson at United.  (And won a Europa League too.)

It may not end well, but he usually gets results in the short term.

[Its DJOver]

I agree with you about Howe.

But Mourihno won a Premier League title his second go around with Chelsea and finished better (2nd) than anyone else has post Ferguson at United.  (And won a Europa League too.)

It may not end well, but he usually gets results in the short term.

I'm sure that I'm biased about him because I've always seen him as an arrogant @$$hole that tries to gauge players eyes out, but I would hope the Spurs see the long-term harm that he does.  I could very well see negotiations breaking down because he would demand 300+ mil to spend in his first transfer window and Levy just won't guarantee that. 

[JWags85]

I would take a good long look at Eddie Howe if I was Levy.  This is Bournemouth's 5th year up, and he has them sitting in the top half with a shoestring budget.

This is the no brainer candidate IMO. He's not sexy, but he's the solid mid major CBB coach who has been consistent at the top of their conference and made the tourney 3 out of 5 years. Not the guy who made a senior laden Cinderella run.

Mourinho would be amusing, cause I think the EPL is better with him involved. But Spurs just need to know what it is. 2 years and have a plan for when it inevitably goes sideways in 2021/2022. But have him try to make things happen with the roster assembled

[Its DJOver]

This is the no brainer candidate IMO. He's not sexy, but he's the solid mid major CBB coach who has been consistent at the top of their conference and made the tourney 3 out of 5 years. Not the guy who made a senior laden Cinderella run.

Mourinho would be amusing, cause I think the EPL is better with him involved. But Spurs just need to know what it is. 2 years and have a plan for when it inevitably goes sideways in 2021/2022. But have him try to make things happen with the roster assembled

This is why it wouldn't make sense to me.  IMO everyone in England is at least two years away from seriously being able to challenge City or Liverpool.  Unless you're that desperate for a trophy that you're willing to sell the future for a League Cup or Europa League, you need someone that can build long term, and Jose just isn't that kind of manager.

[jesmu84]

Sounds like it will be announced as official in the AM.

Crazy

Although I did read a bunch that Jose was big on a number of Spurs players in his prior stints. So, maybe this will go well....?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Mourinho in.

This will be fun....just not sure it which way....

[The Sultan]

I bet Arsenal fans wish they would have made this move.

[MU82]

Looks like the city of Charlotte is going to spend $110 million to help our newest resident billionaire, Panthers owner David Tepper, bring an MLS expansion franchise here.

I'm neither here nor there on us having a team -- I probably won't go to any games, but I'm not against having a franchise.

Still, with all the needs Charlotte has, and knowing that Tepper soon will be asking for significantly more money than that for a new Panthers stadium, it's pretty hard for me to justify such a giveaway to a billionaire.

[The Sultan]

All 16 of the champions league knockout round qualifiers come from the top five associations. Spain (4), England (4), Germany (3), Italy (3), France (2).  All of them qualified directly to the group stage.

[JWags85]

Looks like the city of Charlotte is going to spend $110 million to help our newest resident billionaire, Panthers owner David Tepper, bring an MLS expansion franchise here.

I'm neither here nor there on us having a team -- I probably won't go to any games, but I'm not against having a franchise.

Still, with all the needs Charlotte has, and knowing that Tepper soon will be asking for significantly more money than that for a new Panthers stadium, it's pretty hard for me to justify such a giveaway to a billionaire.

I thought I saw that they were gonna use the funds to upgrade BoA stadium.  Similar to what Chicago did to update Soldier Field for example.  And that it was hospitality funds, so it wouldn't be some new tax.

As for the soccer aspect, this should be a great fit, given the success of the programs at UNC, Duke, Wake, and others in the area.  Seems even more ripe than other recent expansion markets like St Louis or Sacramento.

[MU82]

I thought I saw that they were gonna use the funds to upgrade BoA stadium.  Similar to what Chicago did to update Soldier Field for example.  And that it was hospitality funds, so it wouldn't be some new tax.

As for the soccer aspect, this should be a great fit, given the success of the programs at UNC, Duke, Wake, and others in the area.  Seems even more ripe than other recent expansion markets like St Louis or Sacramento.

It's not an infinite pool of funds. There isn't anywhere near enough $$$ in the hospitality reserves right now, so they would be promising future hospitality-tax funds toward this. And then, in 5 years, when Tepper asks for $500M or more for the new domed Panthers stadium he wants (and implies that he might move the team if he doesn't get it), where does that money come from to help the rich guy get richer?

Why spend $100M-$200M now to make soccer-specific improvements on BoA now when $1B or more will needed for a new stadium not very far down the line? Seems short-sighted just to get an MLS team.

As you can tell, if they put this on a referendum, I'd vote no. I wouldn't go out and campaign against it -- I'm not that violently opposed, however. I agree folks here probably would give an MLS team decent support. The guys I'll be having a few beers with later today are huge futbol fans and are stoked for the arrival of this team.

I just hope that 5-8 years from now, we don't lose our NFL team because there's no money for a football stadium. "Look at the bright side, though, at least we still have Charlotte FC" ... is something I don't really want to hear.

[brewcity77]

Looks like the city of Charlotte is going to spend $110 million to help our newest resident billionaire, Panthers owner David Tepper, bring an MLS expansion franchise here.

I really feel Milwaukee missed the boat here. They had an ownership group led by Peter Wilt, a Marquette alum and the GM of the Chicago Fire team that won the MLS Cup with Bob Bradley at the helm. When the Harley Museum pulled out of the Park East Corridor, there was a proposal to bring a team here. With Wilt at the helm, we likely would've landed a franchise, but the City wasn't willing to pull the trigger. I suppose it worked out for the Bucks, but the Corridor sat empty for 15 years because of it.

[Its DJOver]

Ehh. Milwaukee has one of, if not the, most successful MASL teams, won the championship last year, and still barely averaged over 4,000 fans a game.  Now that number would probably go up for an MLS team, but I just don't think there'd be enough support for it to be feasible.

[JWags85]

Ehh. Milwaukee has one of, if not the, most successful MASL teams, won the championship last year, and still barely averaged over 4,000 fans a game.  Now that number would probably go up for an MLS team, but I just don't think there'd be enough support for it to be feasible.

Thats not completely fair.  They led the MASL in attendance last year. And have been 1 or 2 for a long while.  Thats just a function of a league with no TV exposure, minimal advertising, and no brand recognition.  The Wave's long term existence and their attendance outpacing stuff like UWM and MU women speak to the strength of Milwaukee as a market.  Milwaukee Kickers was the largest youth soccer organization in the country for awhile. 

The financial/investor support may not be there, but Milwaukee would have no issue supporting an MLS team IMO.  Look at the supporter success of FC Cincinnati.  I see it very similarly.

[Its DJOver]

Might not be fair to compare MASL to MLS, but I also don't think it's fair to look at Cincinnati's one year of data, and say it'd be a success.  It was the new ticket in town, teams always do well in their first year.  They were also the worst team in the league by a considerable margin (although this was expected), if they continue to be terrible, that attendance won't remain high for long.  Minnesota's attendance dropped from '18 to '19, and both Columbus and Chicago have been bottom 5 in attendance for a while now.  Comparing Milwaukee to cities that are actually getting a team (Sacramento, Austin etc.) and the overall level of interest in the sport isn't even close.

[MU82]

I really feel Milwaukee missed the boat here. They had an ownership group led by Peter Wilt, a Marquette alum and the GM of the Chicago Fire team that won the MLS Cup with Bob Bradley at the helm. When the Harley Museum pulled out of the Park East Corridor, there was a proposal to bring a team here. With Wilt at the helm, we likely would've landed a franchise, but the City wasn't willing to pull the trigger. I suppose it worked out for the Bucks, but the Corridor sat empty for 15 years because of it.

Pete was a classmate of mine, a fellow Journalism major and a good friend way back when. A truly unique guy. He owned an Edsel when we were in college; had to put blocks behind the wheels because his parking brake didn't work. He did a fine job helping build (and spreading the word about) the Chicago Fire. I didn't know he was pursuing a franchise for Milwaukee; y'all can have ours - ha!

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Peter Wilt was instrumental in getting the Madson USL club up and running this past year.  The League One side outdrew many USL Championship level teams.