FromBelgium

Hi everyone!

For those of you who understand French, Big Mo is now live on Belgian TV. ca. 15 mins interview Available on the net. www.rtfb.be/sport. then click on "studio 1". I think they re-run it for a week (if you catch it post live streaming, it's around min 25). Regards.

great result, lads! congrats!

lack of top level fitness imo. it was like an FA Cup game where the prem side emerges in the last 10 mins against lower opposition however valiant they may have been. gallant effort, deserve credit, but left empty-handed.

15000? you mean sclessin? I pretty sure it's about 28 000.

only 4 or 5 stadiums in belgium can host more than 15,000

Hi FromBelgium - shame about the result.. I'm starting to quite like Standard now.

 

How come your youth academy is so good? You've had many players come through recently who could make the grade in some of the biggest clubs in the world. What's your secret?

Ajax- French type of academy. All kids are taught to play 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 from the age of 8 so anyone who makes the grade can rather easily fit in. Plus excellent regional (well, national, considering the size of the country) scouting. I think that the academy was set up in earnest after we lost several very promising youngsters to neighbouring France / Holland. So we copied them. The kids go to school every day until they're 18, they are encouraged to further their curriculum because in football you never know but they are all cultured footballers. In the end, talent speaks and gets you in the 1st team but there are many former Standard youth players who play semi-pro footie in the lower leagues. There are even late developers.

i don't think so. standard played well until minute 60, then they started to get tired ( my impression) and fall to far back in defense.

 

Arsenal wasn't playing very well, and were lucky with the set piece goals, one of them involved a handball btw. If standard play this well against az and olympiakos i think they got a chance on the second place in the group.

exactly my feeling. the thing is we can create some sort of hostile atmosphere at home, but can we handle a hostile atmosphere away from home? A packed house here is about 15,000. The trip to Athens will be a major test, methinks.

Obviously the better side won. 70 % possession finally pays. But it was just fitness won it in the last 10 mins. You can raise up your game up to a certain point, then lack of top, top level fitness makes you lose your concentration. It finally told. Here's the difference between a good team and a big team. Standard played above their usual level (a bit like when they scared the crap out of LFC) against the Arse who were appaling at times, hence making it an interesting contest. Two players stood out and are great promises: Carcela and Mananga. Both teens and absolutely fantastic on the night. We'd probably be decent contenders for UEFA Cup (or whatever they call it these days) if there wasn't any reprieve from the Champions' League. quarter final and above with a bit of luck type of thing.

Witsel now serves an 8 match ban and Defour broke his foot in an innocuous challenge last weekend. He's out for 3 months at least.

For those who can't watch at home, here's an internet link: http://www.atdhe.net/index.html

Hi lads!

Haven't turned up for a while, but still checking on the Toffees' and big Mo's situation. We gave the Arse a lovely ride for their money yesterday night, but it's not my point. After all, a defeat, however brilliant you may have been, leaves you with fuck all. Just wanted to tell you I joined an Arse forum and dropped a line and got absolutely no effin' reply. Nothing to compare with the warm welcome you gave me a year ago. I wish you an excellent season, however wobbly the start may have been. Regards.

HANDS OFF!

He is not just a goal scorer, he has alot more than that to his game, like cahill he has great positioning and timing in the box, but he also has fast feet a good pass and he's also gettting good at tackling.

 

I belive a fair few teams will want him in a few years so lets hope he likes it here.

Extremely useful with 7-10 goals a season, but not a natural striker imo. We did miss his physical impact on a couple of occasions this season, we'd have had the title secured much earlier (bloody play-offs, thought my heart was going to burst) with him in the side. From what I saw on MOTD, he has vastly improved. He had hardly anything left to learn here, so fair play to him. And David Moyes was certainly the best manager (bar Wenger? No, don't shoot me!) for him

However disappointing the result may be, take pride boys! You had a difficult Cup run and going into the final does Everton a lot of credit. A couple of adjustments to the side and you should give the Big 4 some hard times in the years to come. I do sincerely wish you all the best.

And I certainly am one of them. Bring that Cup home, lads!

Sickening, TBH.

We didn't really turn up in Stuttgart, poor performance after an extremely convincing match in Bruges a few days before (1-4). We made up for that last w-e with a sweet game against Ghent (2-1). The reception to our former manager - now in Ghent -, the one who gave us the title back after 25 years last season, was nothing short of fanstastic with the four stands chanting his name. Goose pimples and sore throat.

My girl is from Portugal. Bring on Braga. Full bj at stake, lads! (no you won't know what I'm up to if we lose)

And a very happy Xmas to you all!

Three good first half goals and Sampdoria fly home wondering what's hit them. Second half was about controlling the game and make sure nothing stupid happened. Standard-Sampdoria 3-0.

I'll never, ever shed on tear for the Skates.

We won 0-1 (De Camargo, 36') in Belgrade yesterday night and top our group with 6 pts from 2 games. A draw next Wednesday against Sampdoria would see us mathematically qualified for the last 32.

Surely a decent team will come in for him? I'd hate to see a player of his quality go to shite like Bolton.

The Arse, both Mans, Juventus and Real Madrid sent their top scouts last week. Big, big money in the pipeline. Just hope he sees the season through and doesn't jumps ships in January. Squad stretched. Can't see a last minute replacement.

Fantastic finish! Well done!

Hmm...should beat both Sampdoria and Belgrade, and you've proven that you can beat Sevilla. With that confidence you could do like we did. Go away to AZ, who haden't lost in 32 home UEFA matches and bounce them 3-2. If you go into the game with the right mentallity - i.e confidence, calmness, determination - then you will come out on top.

 

Back up Mark. Would love it if Liege won the cup. When I see you play I'll be rooting for you. After all Defour's our's soon

And Bolton are after Witsel.

Cologne after Dante.

Marseilles after Jovanovic.

Exodus looming

I went to liege and I can Honestly say it was the best atmosphere I have seen and heard inside a stadium. I was sitting in their equivelent to the main stand shitting myself a bit but buzzing. Couldnt believe it only holds about 28000

 

When each end on the ground were singing to each other I thought "Oh my fooking god that is awsome" Think they were singing Alie (sp) la rouge

 

I suppose thinking your gonna be murdered make you appreciate these moments haha

Allons les Rouges (equivalent to "Go Reds go!")

So would I, mate, so would I . But going through the group stages would already be an achievement when you see we've been drawn with Sevilla, Sampdoria, Stuttgart and Belgrade.

Good result....be good to see you go a long way.

Game highlights http://www.rtlinfo.be/sport/news/article/1...urop%C3%A9ennes

Next appointment: Belgrade on Nov 27. I'll be 45 on the 28th. Guess what the icing on my birthday cake would be