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Player James Maddison

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Maddison as captain for me. Yes, the captain should be in a position to be playing more often than not but there can be numerous reasons why that doesn't happen.

It doesn't translate into giving the armband to someone like Romero, who in my opinion has made a mockery of the honour, and palpably failed in his duties, mostly because he is unsuited. A really poor choice.

Your captain needs to be a figurehead, accept ownership for on-team performances and provide the team with leadership. Someone who embodies what a club stands for. It's got to be someone who can be trusted.

And yes, sometimes the captain might make comments that other players should shy away from, but those comments should not serve to detract from failings which are less about the club and more about personal or team incompetence.

It’s him or Danso and Maddison will probably get it being the mix better player.
 
Either way, I think the point made by Brian Fantana is fair ... that our training at times (including now) absolutely should not be contact training.
It's a tough one.
We need to be ready for the weekly dose of gbh from the opposition that the refs allow.
Likewise, it would be nice if we could find a way to take the ball off the opposition without conceding a free kick.

But no, we don't want to do it to the extent anyone else goes down with in injury.
 
I wouldn’t like to see him have a setback but at the same time, we might have to risk it. I mean he could prove to be the difference between us being relegated and us to staying up. If we get relegated, he might be one of the first players on the way out. If he’s available to be on the bench, he should be available to play. With Xavi gone, who else do we have? Time to throw him in - we should be throwing everything we have at these next 4 games
 
I wouldn’t like to see him have a setback but at the same time, we might have to risk it. I mean he could prove to be the difference between us being relegated and us to staying up. If we get relegated, he might be one of the first players on the way out. If he’s available to be on the bench, he should be available to play. With Xavi gone, who else do we have? Time to throw him in - we should be throwing everything we have at these next 4 games
Think it depends on the degree of risk and how he's looking in training. If he's not properly fit is he really gonna be that much use anyway? Especially given how demanding and physical the league is these days.

If he's like 80-90% fit, we're desperate for a spark in the last 10 minutes of a game then maybe we take a punt and throw him on - especially if we've won a free kick in a dangerous area. But beyond that we need to be careful. The last thing we need is another player breaking down and the most common time for reinjury, especially with an ACL, is when a player first comes back.

As for 'if he's available for the bench he should be available to play' - De Zerbi's literally said he's not fit enough to play yet and he's only on the bench for his leadership and personality, so I don't think that really means anything. I highly doubt we'll see him get any minutes until final couple of games at the absolute earliest.
 
Shin pads were actually invented in a time when toe punting players in the shins was a popular tactic believe it or not.
In the modern era, with so much outlawed they're not stopping much outside of utter GBH of tackles.
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shin pads in the 90s........shin pads in 2026
 
You have to simulate a match or there's no point training. What's the use in practicing an attacking sequence if you know you're never getting tackled?

That's just silliness.
They often just do walk through with the likes of youth team players just standing in defensive positions. So players get to realise where they Shoukd be during attacking moves.
Apparently Conte was well into that.
 
Tackles in the 90s

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'Tackles' in the 2020s
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have heard of the The incident between Lucien Favre and Gabet Chapuisat on September 13, 1985, is considered one of the most brutal fouls in Swiss football history

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwR9ILMQ50A

there is also one from the Bundesliga which had the players thigh cut open so bad you could seen the bones

View: https://www.facebook.com/100067987301739/videos/shocking-moment-for-ewald-lienen-and-his-fans-after-he-suffers-a-gruesome-leg-in/1699660063651656/
he still was walking after that
today the player would be in a coma for a year
ps: im not sure but i think the other player didn't even got a card for that :palhinhashock:
 
have heard of the The incident between Lucien Favre and Gabet Chapuisat on September 13, 1985, is considered one of the most brutal fouls in Swiss football history

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwR9ILMQ50A


there is also one from the Bundesliga which had the players thigh cut open so bad you could seen the bones

View: https://www.facebook.com/100067987301739/videos/shocking-moment-for-ewald-lienen-and-his-fans-after-he-suffers-a-gruesome-leg-in/1699660063651656/
he still was walking after that
today the player would be in a coma for a year
ps: im not sure but i think the other player didn't even got a card for that :palhinhashock:


I for one am happy this sort of thing doesn't really exist anymore.
If only we still had to skillful players that were usually on the end of this brutality.
If you want to watch this thuggery, go and watch a sunday league match full of fat, red faced 42 years olds who want to hurt people and not get arrested (somehow)
 
there is also one from the Bundesliga which had the players thigh cut open so bad you could seen the bones

View: https://www.facebook.com/100067987301739/videos/shocking-moment-for-ewald-lienen-and-his-fans-after-he-suffers-a-gruesome-leg-in/1699660063651656/
he still was walking after that
today the player would be in a coma for a year
ps: im not sure but i think the other player didn't even got a card for that :palhinhashock:

Looks a bit like that blokes been sharpening his studs....

The Mountain Sparks GIF by Kino Lorber
 
I for one am happy this sort of thing doesn't really exist anymore.
If only we still had to skillful players that were usually on the end of this brutality.
If you want to watch this thuggery, go and watch a sunday league match full of fat, red faced 42 years olds who want to hurt people and not get arrested (somehow)
yeh true , i wasn't fat or red faced or 42 year old:)
but it was from 2019 till about 2022 2023 i played in the second lowest league in switzerland
and what was amazing to me ( i started muay-thai about 2015-2016 ) how confident these wanna be tough guys are that play football around all leagues
luckily i only had 2 incidents( 1 with a player of my own team after training and 1 with the 5 players from a other team( Albanian
team)who were on the bench and tried to fight me/pushing me ) were i both times just laugh in there face when they tried to square up to me
 
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yeh true , i wasn't fat or red faced or 42 year old:)
but it was from 2019 till about 2022 2023 i played in the second lowest league in switzerland
and what was amazing to me ( i started muay-thai about 2015-2016 ) how confident these wanna be tough guys are that play football around all leagues
luckily i only had 2 incidents( 1 with a player of my own team after training and 1 with the 5 players from a other team( Albanian
team)who were on the bench and tried to fight me/pushing me ) were i both times just laugh in there face when they tried to square up to me
I did a bit of Sunday league but hated it and everyone in it.
Ended up just training with the team and not having anything to do with game day.
Think I uttered something like "fuck sake, some of us have to get up and go to work tomorrow" in my game.

Edit, I was also shit.
 
I did a bit of Sunday league but hated it and everyone in it.
Ended up just training with the team and not having anything to do with game day.
Think I uttered something like "fuck sake, some of us have to get up and go to work tomorrow" in my game.

Edit, I was also shit.
yeh i did have kinda same experience
i only started doing it in 2019 because as a favour for my neighbours wife which he was the club president
i think the only was that were "normal was 1 player that played also for fc zürich when he was younger ( he was 2 years older then me ) i disliked almost everyone as well from fans to the other teams ( i still surprised that there are still ppl that refs football matches )

ps : whats the most funny thing is in muay thai ( which alot of ppl think is full of bully's and thugs) i only meet the most chilled and encouraging ppl and in football it was very the opposite( which the swiss and many other government's use as tool to "bring ppl 2ghter" )

ps ps : iam now back in muay thai ( only training 3x a week , i wanted to do one last fight but then i pussyed out )
 
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Sunday league football is a thinly disguised vehicle for thugs to thug.
They're not fit enough to box usually. Or actually hard enough to fight rather than just wipe someone out who isn't expecting it.

5-a-side among friends is a much more fun way to play football.
 
yeh true , i wasn't fat or red faced or 42 year old:)
but it was from 2019 till about 2022 2023 i played in the second lowest league in switzerland
and what was amazing to me ( i started muay-thai about 2015-2016 ) how confident these wanna be tough guys are that play football around all leagues
luckily i only had 2 incidents( 1 with a player of my own team after training and 1 with the 5 players from a other team( Albanian
team)who were on the bench and tried to fight me/pushing me ) were i both times just laugh in there face when they tried to square up to me
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