Mick Mac

I especially like the last paragraph of this obituary....and Jah, I was alive but only just. Helenio Herrera, football coach and player: born Buenos Aires 17 April 1916; married; died Venice 9 November 1997. Football has never had a more controversial master of pragmatic tactics than Helenio Herrera. As coach of the Milan club Internazionale he presided over a defensive style that won the club two European Cups, in 1964 and 1965, and spread darkly throughout Europe. He more than anyone brought the word "catenaccio" into the game's vocabulary; the tactic of dour defensive football that forced the opposition to show its hand and weaknesses. He managed Inter for eight years from 1960, in which time the club also won the Italian championship twice and the World Club championship. Before that he had been manager of Barcelona where he began the now popular method of psyching up his players before their matches. But his special talent was the organisation of a defence that had four men closely marking the attackers and a sweeper who was usually the springboard for counter-attacks. His own playing career was modest. He was born in Buenos Aires but his parents moved to Casablanca when he was three. After playing in the French league he embarked on a nomadic life as a coach at various clubs in France then, in Spain, worked at Atletico Madrid and Valladolid. Always a man of determined views, at one point, following a fierce dispute with club directors, he was suspended from Spanish football and moved to Portugal. On his return to Spain he joined Barcelona, who sacked him after they lost to Real Madrid in the 1960 European Cup semi-final. That inspired his move to Milan, where he established his place in the records of the game's tactical history. Football tacticians became immersed in the debate over the merits of the Brazilian qualities of individuality combined with a more positive 4-3-3 system and Italy's stubborn dependency on catenaccio. Because there were insufficient players of Brazilian talent in Europe, catenaccio caught on, leaving behind the expressive football of earlier days. At various times Herrera managed the national sides of France, Italy and Spain. He coached the Spanish side in the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile, but they started with the huge disadvantage of being without probably the most versatile forward of all, Alfredo di Stefano, who had fallen out with Herrera. As a result, Spain finished bottom of their first round group. The team that finally overcame Inter's Herrera-guided style was Celtic, who beat them in the 1967 European Cup final. That broke the mould, leading to the exciting "total" football of West Germany and Holland. Herrara left Inter in 1968 and moved to Roma where he stayed until 1971, and was reported to be the highest-paid coach in the world with a salary of around pounds 140,000 a year.

Undisputedtruth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > @*Bob* > > > > @Mick Mac, have not heard of Catennacio? UDT. Thank you for this opportunity. The end of catenaccio..... The 1967 European Cup Final was a football match between Italian team Internazionale and Scottish team Celtic. It took place at the Est?dio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967 in front of a crowd of 45,000. It was the final of the 1966?67 European Cup, the premier club competition run by UEFA. The match was Celtic's first European final and Internazionale's third; they had won two of the previous three trophies. Both teams had to go through four qualifying rounds to get the final. Celtic won their first two ties comfortably, with their second two rounds being tighter. Inter's first tie was very close but they won their next two by bigger margins. In the semi-final Inter needed a replay to win the tie. Internazionale scored after seven minutes, when Sandro Mazzola converted a penalty. Celtic equalised through Tommy Gemmell after he scored on 63 minutes. Stevie Chalmers then put Celtic in the lead after 84 miuntes. The match finished 2?1 to Celtic. It was said to be a victory for football because Celtic's attacking play overcame Internazionale's defensive cattenacio. Celtic's manager Jock Stein and the team received acclaim after the match and was given the nickname the Lisbon Lions; considered to be the greatest in the club's history.

Table football will give you a sound understanding of modern football. Such as the defensive technique known as "two banks of four," which was dreamt up by a top coach whilst playing table football.

Great goal maxxi ... I like that one.

Chippy Minton Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It's not illogical at all. UDT is right - it is > irrelevant whether it went over the line if the > bloke was offside in the lead up. The ref should > have blown up for that. The fact is that at the point it crossed the line there were no prior stoppages and it would therefore be a goal, assuming we had the technology. A goal should be a defintive thing, other decisions are judgement calls. As well as the offside, which was a close call, there were no doubt a number of challenges that could potentially have been given as fouls. You could confuse matters further by throwing those into the mix.

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Happiest with last night's results is El Pibe, > who's loyalties can now remain nicely split. > Ah - now I know who he is, at last.

*Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Looking forward : Quarters and out, plus ?a change I personally am quite excited. And I'm not English.

Undisputedtruth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Regardless of whether the ball crossed over the > line or not, the referee should have blown for > offside earlier on. While Ukraine had a strong > case for a goal, England had an equally strong > case for offside. The two poor decisions together > cancelled themselves out. Illogical nonsense.

The 4th official was from Azerbaijan. Son of 1966 official.

Undisputedtruth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Germany and Spain just scraping through to the > next round. I think England, with their variation > in attack and defensive barreir, has a great > chance in winning the tournament. Variation is a great word to use in this context. Unpredictability might be another.

Its significantly cheaper than pretty much anywhere with an SW postcode. The SW/SE postcode border is a big one for property prices. Aside from that the original point about Euro buyers prob has little effect here. Russian oligarchs would never live with the shame of an SE postcode.

I'm not sure there are many Eurozone buyers in ED. Whilst there may be a bit of ripple down effect, the rising house prices in ED has to explained by other factors.

Have booked Peter and Alice and the Criple of Inishmaan for April and August 2013. We could all be dead by then. Or at very least I will have forgotten where I put the tickets. But I decided I don't go to the theatre enough and just decided to bite the bullet.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Would have traded a profit on my Russia bet but > got talked out of it..... You should not have listened to me. I don't do trading out. Complete novice at that game.

US OPEN... Hopes now rest on tiger and duffner who were backed from the start. Also Gmac and els added at halfway point. Harrington seems too far back and Rory missed cut so have some losses already but any of the above would rectify that.

I was just kidding. Glad the ban is lifted though.

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > I have just thought of a new acronynm......MILILF Just had a horrible realisation, this is a confessions thread. But this was defo just a little joke. I hope the MIL doesn't read the EDF.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ...I am fairly, actually quite a lot, pissed on > Sherry. Christmas bottle - for the MIL.. I have just thought of a new acronynm......MILILF

Townleygreen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am afraid that it is now too warm for any rain > to make any real difference to the drought. > > Basically, from April on the plants are all > growing (ie using water in > transpiration/breathing, transferring it to the > atmosphere from the soil) plus the (relative!) > warmth of the temperatures mean that evaporation > and transpiration removes most of the water form > the soil, so none can seep down into the aquifers > in the rock, or even flow into the rivers (apart > from a few flood events in the latter case). > > Essentially, we need rain in the period from late > Oct to end March in order to end this drought. Well - perhaps all of you experts were slightly off the mark about winter rain etc. The hose pipe ban has been lifted. I cut the grass and ran out to buy a new garden sprinkler, just before it started raining again.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- If they lose > nothing lost if they win they'll plummet down > again in my opinion ready for a trade....don't > worry Mick I'll explain it all to you one day Really - there is no need. I understand Trading - Its when Quids looks like he is going to win a bet for once, and he decides to give the bookies back half of the winnings. Trading is a bookie's dream.

Last night caused me to question whether Ireland deserved to be at the championships at all to be honest. With bottom half premiership players and lower league players, it was probably a major achievement to qualify, but they did nothing for the tournament. Comfortably the weakest team there.

Yes - junior terminology error on my part. But its tax avoidance until the Courts decide its evasion. Which HMRC are confident they will.

Alan Medic Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > SCSB79 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Alan Medic Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > > > > > I might have taken you seriously until you > > wrote > > > this. > > > > > > It's a fact. Like it or lump it. > Most successful club in Scotland yes, Sorry? Declan, you turncoat.

Jah Lush Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Mick Mac Wrote: > > > It will be a very interesting road ahead, from a > tax avoidance perspective. > > Harry's severance pay will be ?3 million - which > after tax will be about.... ?3 million. I was going to mention Harry. He seems to be the only person in the country for whom tax avoidance is judged to be completely acceptable. Just another funny old game.

SCSB79 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > With all due respect to a player who was an > amazing servant to Rangers, he doesn't know what > he is talking about. To be honest - he is the first Rangers person I have heard who knows exactly what he is talking about. Putting aside the club/history point, he is spot on about tax avoidance and the implications. For many Rangers fans it seemed to be something they thought they could walk away from. You mentioned yourself at one stage that HMRC were set to accept 10p in the ?, and Rangers would continue. That was never going to happen, tax avoidance, defrauding the government is one of the highest crimes in this country. Individuals and the club will each pay a high price. Putting aside club rivalry, I'm completley in favour of people being locked up for this and I'd be surprised if David Murray as club chairman was unaware of the practices being undertaken. People blaming Craig Whyte, who recently took over the club, are missing the point that these practices were taking place over a ten year period and someone else is clearly responsible. It will be a very interesting road ahead, from a tax avoidance perspective.