What is the fascination with Real Madrid?!

(26-03-2010 14:19 )whothat Wrote:  If you were a player Why would you choose Manchester over Madrid ?
besides the obvious of the weather,the midlands isnt exactly the centre of culture

Oh dear. Expect the usual recriminations for suggesting that Manchester is in the Midlands.

You mean it's not in the Midlands?

Shows how little i know, i thought Old Trafford was in Surrey, that's where most of their fans come from

I think its hilarious that you think that all our teams would lose to those. I'm not actually sure what were arguing about. The fact we always have more teams than any other country in the latter stages of the champs league, year in, year out proves it. I'm not going to waste my time, barca are the only team in spain who could beat any of our top 4. Real madrid couldn't even beat a faltering lyon side. There is 1 stand out team in spain and we all know who they are. I have to say that I don't agree with any of those match results anyway. The fact we have so many quality teams fighting for a champions league space and for a uefa cup game, the fact our top 4 teams have lost so many games and yet still so dominant in europe proves our league is more competetive and better.

Although it means dragging the thread further off topic (sorry jimbo ), I think a lot of people's devotion to all things Spanish in football is tied into a general feeling of inferiority where English football against our continental neighbours is concerned. I've never quite figured out why, but for a long time now English fans have felt that the game in this country is somehow lacking, or in some way endemically inferior to football played by foreigners. This has always confused me, since history backs up the fact that once English clubs get to grips with European competition, we have a tendency to do very well indeed.

English clubs have reached the final of the big tournament 17 times, compared with 21 times for Spanish clubs. Five more finals than English entries. This is when compared with seven more entries into the competition for Spanish clubs thanks to first British diffidence to the European Cup, then years later the ban after the Heysel disaster. However, our percentage of finals won per appearance is significantly better - 65% for English clubs, 57% for Spanish - and our percentage of wins per entry is a shade better, at 23% for English clubs and 22% for Spanish clubs. Historically there is certainly nothing in Spain's favour and currently Spanish football is not significantly stronger than English football. For every Everton vs Benfica, there's a Fulham vs Juventus example to point at. There's also the fact that six different English clubs have reached the final over the years, compared with only four Spanish ones.

As for international football, Spain are historically a quarter-final team with one notable exception two years ago. England are historically a quarter-final team with one notable exception 44 years ago. Neither country is the international powerhouse they like to think they are. Man for man, Spain aren't significantly better than England. They edge it terms of goalkeepers, but that's about all. Torres and Rooney are about on a par for quality, as are Gerrard and Iniesta, Xavi and Lampard, Johnson and Sergio Ramos, Terry and Ferdinand are both better than Puyol and I'd argue that a fit Defoe playing in a side in decent form will get as many goals as Villa.

English fans just get bewitched by the pretty, pretty football and allow that to cloud their judgement when you look at the bare facts about which clubs do best in Europe. History, and indeed recent results, show that English football is stronger overall at club level and both countries are about on a level internationally. Spain won the Euros last time out, but Greece won it the time before that and no-one fell over themselves to proclaim Greece to be an unbeatable international force, but then again... Greece won playing ugly football.

That's really interesting, I'd imagine it would be even better than that if we didn't have our lengthy ban from european competition as well. Thanks Mr G, you are a very intelligent fellow.

just realised how awesome my spelling was in the title of this thread facination ha.

D'oh, I missed that, it's correct now mate

(26-03-2010 15:30 )jimbo5030 Wrote:  the fact our top 4 teams have lost so many games and yet still so dominant in europe proves our league is more competetive and better.

Dominant, really? I thought Liverpool and Chelsea had been knocked out of the Champions League.

The nearest you can get to an objective assessment of this question is a computer analysis carried out on behalf of The Times newspaper at the beginning of this season which came to the conclusion that the Spanish League was the strongest in the world with the English League a close second. In fact the English League was reckoned to be 94% as strong as the Spanish League, so very little difference.

the first post was about why ribery would move to Madrid/barca and not Manchester,Madrid a far nicer city,shops,cafes,restaurant,weather
and that has nothing to do with the competitiiveness of the leauge
from a football point of veiw.
Spannish football is alot nicer to watch,english football is boring with one team deciding they dont want to play and just siting back and put up a brick wall.

id watch la liga anyday over the premiership