[RedEagle]

You know I like to cruise other teams Forums to see what's going on...and as such I decided to see what you all think of the great European powerhouse teams.

Last year the team I despised the most was MANU. There were many reasons, but mostly it was their fans and the hype not their players or their style of play that made me dislike them. That and I always had a soft spot for Liverpool.

However this year the one team that I want to see fail most miserably is LAZIO...Their fans are for the most part ridiculous in their opinionated statements and are generally glory hunters just like ManU fans. Now I'm not talking about those loyal fans who have followed the team for years but all those wise asses who only recently discovered Lazio because they won the Scuddeto. I am almost sure that these were ManU fans last year! This team is also getting too much hype...

Objectivity is out the window for the most part in the Lazio Forum... That's why I enjoy The Barca Forum, and to an extent the Real, although they have some winners there to. I also enjoy the Milan, Parma and Fiorentina forums as well the Brazillian and Dutch forums. They follow their teams, but are respectful and objective in their opinions for the most part.

 

[gOD]

damn right. they only like lazio because they buy stars. the history or quality of the game is neglected. if you mention maybe just maybe cragnotti is destroying football, the only reply you get is that you're jealous.

 

[Marco]

I agree RedEagle. There are masses of glory-hunters in *certain* forums. Lazio has become in my book a hated club.

 

[PORTISTA 4 LIFE]

Yep 4 me now it's LAZIO the hated team man look wat they did to our fav son CONCEICAO man they could have gaven De La Pena who they wont use at all.... PLZ Fernando Couto get out while it's time ...

 

[Michele]

Perhaps to you, Lazio is a spending machine. However, I see Lazio as trying to keep up with the precedent set by AC Milan, Inter and Juve. In order to have a realistic chance at winning the Champions League and keeping investors at ease, Lazio has no choice but to spend the kind of money necessary to keep up.

I agree that there choices should be examined more carefully.

As far as the most disliked team in Europe, for me it is definitely Juventus. Do not get me wrong, I respect the organization very much and must admit that I am a bit envious. It is their fans that get on my nerves. They are very arrogant and feel that non-Juventus fans like myself should get on our knees and worship their team. I wouldn't do that for anyone's team.

They also have the arrogance to boast when a Juve player does well for the National team, but would never dare give the blame to a Juventino when his mistakes cost us a game. I give, for example, the recent final for Euro 2000 against France. Alex Del Piero missed two golden opportunities in which he should have put the ball in the back of the net and the European Championship would have been ours. He cost us the match, and Juve supporters do not want to admit it. When Inzaghi scored his goals, it was as if Juventus alone saved the republic. Give me a break!!

I don't ask much from Napoli this year, but I would love to beat Juventus at least once. If nothing else, that would make this year beautiful!!

 

[Razor]

ManU is at the top of my list for obvious reasons - they're everything that's wrong with soccer today.

The team I detest most in Serie A is AC Milano (again for obvious reasons - look beneath my username) - but Juventus is a very close second for many of the same reasons Michele just gave.

By the way Michele - you guys just picked up an excellent defensive midfielder in Vidigal. You guys will be very impressed with him. He got the starts over Serie A veteran Paulo Sousa in Euro 2000. Good luck this year (except when you play Internazionale!)!

 

[Michele]

Yes, Razor, in fact I am very pleased with the acqiring of Vidigal. I watched him during Euro 2000 and was very impressed with his dribbling controls, especially across the middle of the field. I believe that picking up Vidigal has solidified Napoli's midfield very much.

As far as Inter goes, if the team that they have on paper would show up on the field every week, then nobody would be able to beat them. Good luck this season.

 

[Marco]

acutally this may seem odd....but I don't hate ManU...I hate its supporters...I have a lot of respect the ManU organization..yes they are very cheap but also they are not out there ruining the game with these a ridiculous transfer fees. If you look at the ManU squad the majority of their players went throught their very good youth camp and smart inexpensive buys....business wise they are not a football club anymore but rather a brand name....I admit the majority of ManUre supporters are idiots and mainly glory hunters.....also I find that Serie A team presidents have to many pissing contests with each other each summer and frankly I am tired of overpriced transfers........did Vieri's transfer acutally pay dividends.....I hope that Lazio finishes like 7th in the table... and Parma wins it with...Concecaio scoring the winner ..........that would be grand!

 

[hala]

2 out of 3 in agreement with Razor for me. AC Milan is the club I detest the most with a history that goes 10 years behind. It’s this attitude our-president-can-buy-and-sell-all-of-you (among others)! Then comes Bayern Munich, as a result of being the most prestigious representative of German football that I hate as a whole, and third rates Manchester United, fans and organization, because they share the same arrogance in my eyes: being 20 years in mediocrity, all they were doing is blame the 1968 air tragedy (which was indeed an extremely huge blow) and during the latest years of success they act just like a king that has been awarded his throne back! Give me a break!
I agree with what Marcoa said about them following a smart transferring policy, but I don’t think they are that distant from the price war. The contracts they offered to Roy Keane last year and David Beckham this year are well in line with ones of other European clubs that have the “big spender” reputation (Italian and Spanish mostly).

 

[Marco]

not sure where they bought Roy "I score on my own net and still get 50K/week" Keane...but Becks (I hate the SOB) was a product of their system and their is nothing wrong with splurging out cash on players that you have taught how to play. Again I have more respect for Scouting and development organizations than I do for "I can buy and sell any of you twats so you better be ready" clubs....manUre's business and player policies are an example for all.....

 

[RedEagle]

Big spending does not guarantee anything...Inter spent like crazy last year and it got them nowhere...partly due to injuries. It's not the spending that bothers me about Lazio, but it's arrogance that it can do anything it wants.
This arrogance is translated into the fans...just like ManU's. They overhype their players and team...I mean there was one topic that claimed that with all the new signings that they had the best starting 11 ever assembled and they haven't won a game yet? That with this team that they would win everything...that Veron is the best player in the world.

I'm a loyal Benfica fan, but I don't claim that Nuno Gomes is one of best the forwards in the world, even though he was pretty good in Euro2000.

But it's beyond that, you watch one of their home games and the fans watching the game are just brutal and that doesn't include the fascist ultra groups. Now this is not all of their fans...like I said there are many loyal Lazio fans who are very cool in their support, but the glory hunters I have no respect for.

ManU at least won something prior to the hype and they have been the best English team without putting the Argentine Select on their team. Their best players are Brits. Lazio won a lucky Scudetto cause Juve choked, got trounced by a good Valencia team in the CL, and all of the sudden with all these moves they are the best team in world?? Give me a break...win something first!

 

[Tapi]

Hmm, I sense an anti-Milan feeling

Well, personally, I detest Man Utd. It started out with me just hating their fans for being d***heads, but then the organisation as a whole just ticks me off. It's sometimes not even their fault, like when they get ridiculous refereeing decisions and dont get disciplined by the FA for pushing refs around and stuff. The last straw for me was when they started saying David Beckham had to be rated in the same category as George Best and at the end of his career would probably rated up there with Pele etc. Then, I truly hated them with a passion. Pity, it's not even their fault but all the same, what b******s.

As regards our supposed our-president-can-buy-anyone-he-wants attitude, I feel hala is having a go at our dear friend San_Siro_1 who perhaps gets a bit carried away sometimes as regards transfers. There are players you cannot buy and he must realise that. I doubt any amount of money could ever have prised Baresi and Maldini from Milan so perhaps it's an oversight on his part to think Silvio's millions can do anything. I didnt really hate anyone in Serie A until Lazio. What go to me was when they said the last 10 years had all been a fix. What w*****s. Then, when they win the scudetto, it's all silence all of a sudden.

 

[Dae]

San Siro 1 is a funny guy. I fully expect him to proclaim that Milan are buying Pele and Maradona and that Van Basten has been cured!! Imagine the attack!!! ANyhow, I hate Lazio because every year they have a million new players. They don't keep anybody. They've ditched Vieri, Salas (soon if not already), Conceicao etc.. Every year is the same. At least Milan, Inter and Juve (while buying many players) keep some sort of nucleus. Milan has had Maldini, Boban, Costacurta for a long time now. I can't think of anyone Lazio has kept for more than a couple of seasons. They couldn't win the championship for years and thought they could buy one with a new team each season. Milan and Juve reload their teams each year in defense/chase of titles, but keep a nucleus. You have to buy and sell players to keep a good mix and stay fresh. If you keep the same guys for ten years then all of a sudden they get real old, have no transfer value and you're screwed. This has happened to the 1970's Pittsburgh Steelers, 1980's Cowboys and the 1990's 49ers to use an American football example. Anyhow, Lazio freaking blows. I like some of there players, but not the team.

 

[hala]

No no no guys, you got me all wrong!

It has nothing at all to do with San Siro, I have already posted that a) there's a history of 10 years behind this b) this was just an example stating a mentality which is followed first of everyone else by the Milan president himself.

Maybe i should have written best I-can-buy-and-sell-you-all-with-my-money. The name is Berlusconi, Silvio Berlusconi

[Edited by hala on 15-07-2000 at 04:06]

 

[AMOROSO!]

There are twop clubs I really hate.Man Utd and Olympiakos.I cant stand MNanchestr United because they are so dramatically overhyped it becomes really anoying.I also cant understand why someone just doesnt shoot Alex Ferguson in the head.He is the most rrgant nd whining jerk I've ever seen.His excuses are ridiculus and he is full of this so typical British temper.ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!

I dislike Juve and Milan but I dont hate them.Basically I wouldnt have any problem with them if they were not corrupt and Milanistas shouldnt even dare to speak about Lazio's trasnfer policy.Half Ajax was bought and sold in 6 months,bright talents like Ba and Ziege have ended up in Perugias and Boros because of Milan...I dont really dislike Juve but I love to tease their fans,and I cant stand Pippo Inzaghi.Basically,if Inzaghi leaves juve and they stop getting penalties when defenders look Del Piero I wouldnt have any problems with the Zebras.

 

[Shevy7]

Man U is in the top of my list...way, way ahead. the team which is mosssst dramatically hype, and i really can't stand it. i'm sure u guys know how i/we feel about MU.

 

[Ola]

Without a doubt it has to be Benfica!

OOOPS, sorry I thought we were talking about the club that we feel sorry about!

 

[Santamaria]

Marco, re your imagination of man U's youth policy, don't forget that they poached most of these players from other teams youth policies late in their development eg 16, by using illegal approaches (ie offerring to pay off their parents mortgage).

Man U bought Keane from Nottingham Forest for a then record british fee of £3.5m. 3 years before Forest had bought him for £10,000 from an Irish club in Cork, and Brian Clough immediately put him into the first team. Now that's good scouting/player development.

 

[Dae]

Soccerage.com has a good article on this topic. here's a blurb:

Hernan Crespo’s transfer is a superb example of a system that will destroy itself sooner rather than later. The current world record bid. $54.6 million for Crespo and Cragnotti was also prepared to table $59.3million for Luis Figo to take his club’s summer spending to over $150million.

Who do these people think they are? That's $110 million for two guys!!!!!! It's a ****ing joke!! Silvio Berlusconi mat be a bit of a prick, but he never paid this kind of stupid money. It's ridiculous. He's driving the prices of players all over the place. In the end, I really think it's total arrogance. Cragnoti thinks he can buy the whole freaking world. Milan did similar things before by having a bunch of stars. They had so many players that they had an all-star team in the bleachers watching. Lazio is even worse. They've always spent millions every year. Now that they've won something they are going crazy.

 

[Dan]

Hey Amoruso not all British people are arrogant. Only the Scots are a bit barmy and don't really know what they are doing.

Man U are the most hated club as well as the most loved club in this country. And yep all the kids over here support Man U and go around wearing Man U shirts and u see them walking around town wile Man U are playing a game! That's how some un-loyal fans are! It's almost like a fashion with Man U. You're either Man U scum or your not. I live just north of London and there are more Man U fans here than there are local Watford fans. It rediculous!!