He recently just turned 47 years old. He wanted the number 7 shirt when he signed for Liverpool in 2001 because Kenny Dalglish was his idol. However, that number was already being worn by another player. So he asked for 17 and then 27, both which had also been taken by other players. He eventually settled for jersey number 37 that season. [Read more…] about Fun Fact x Trivia
Trolling in the Deep
Hello there. Here is another compilation of deep and impactful trolls, ably sound-tracked by the powerfully voiced Adele.
Powerful voice, powerful lyrics.
As powerful as any of the trolls from the past few days?
Have a read.
UCL Knockout Predictions
My favorite time of the year rolls around again where the Round of 16 begins for the best teams in European football competition, this is where your favorite octopus makes his predictions and why: [Read more…] about UCL Knockout Predictions
Fun Fact x Trivia
Harry Kane’s penalty in the final seconds of the 2-2 draw at Anfield not only grabbed Spurs a valuable point, but also sneaked him ahead of Mo Salah in the race for the Premier League golden boot.
With Aguero not too far behind on 17 goals, it seems it would be a tight 3-way battle till the end of the season if each of them remain fit. While Kane is facing serious competition for his golden boot, there have been top scorers in other seasons and other leagues who have had it much easier. As easy as finishing ahead of 2nd place while having a double-digit gap.
Troll for All – The Oprah Edition
The past few days have been good for those in the noble business of trolling. L’s were handed out without discrimination. In a similar exhibition of equality and non-discrimination, this edition of ‘Troll of the Week‘ would feature posts dedicated to each of the four protagonists – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
I am in Oprah mode. Thank me later.
Q and A Session: Meet The Fans!! [VIDEO]
Get to know the current set of contributors (Fans) of Extraordinary Footie Fans Footie. Watch as they answer questions about their favorite football clubs!
Edited by: EeJay Enekwa
Challenges of a modern day football manager
Managing a football team is tough, much tougher than any of us can even imagine, especially in today’s footballing world which is exponentially improved in all aspects in last 20-25 years, be it technological advancement, modern medical development, continuously improving tactical nous, technical data, business model and marketing structure, financial returns, fan awareness and demands, social presence and intense pressure . Not only one needs to make the team buy into his ideas, but to manage the egos, keep their morals high, take care of opposition tactics, manage and choose from the data provided by the number crunchers of the technical crew to his benefit , manage and keep the entire squad happy and motivated by distributing playing time, look into requisite transfers and give importance to academy, manage injuries and medical profiles of varying players by adjusting his team likewise, answer the owners and fans, conduct themselves in a particular way etc etc. And after accomplishing all that, they are expected to win trophies or achieving their footballing targets set by the owners or fan expectations.
Hence they need a team of 5-6 people to assist them in every facet. No wonder Pep has lost his hair, Mourinho’s hair is turning snow white, Zidanes smooth face has started wrinkling slowly, no wonder managers today burn out within 3-4 years and need a sabbatical before a fresh start. The pressure, expectations and criticism is so intense, even the greatest of modern managers can’t sustain it for too long. We see top clubs today change managers with snapping of fingers for faltering at the first hurdle, even the smallest of clubs today change managers like shirts, patience is short and with the interlinked spiderweb of social media, pressure is infinite. No matter how much aloof one tries to remain from external pressure, there is no escaping it. The manager will find experts and pundits in newspaper columns and TV channels saying how he should manage the team and how his team should play, he will find fans screaming from the galleries and in social media platforms, how he is mismanaging the side and buying the wrong players. It’s a landmine everywhere which is ready to explode at the faintest of missteps.
Managing a club today is as much about actual management as it is about football and tactical knowledge. That’s why we find successful managers like Sir Alex Ferguson being invited to premium managerial institutes to give lectures and share their ideas and experiences on management.We find autobiographicies and managerial books written by successful managers selling like hot cakes in the market. Inevitably and invariably , there is no single managerial way which is a sureshot recipe of success. We find calm and subdued managers like Carlo Ancelotti, winning multiple league titles and multiple Champion Leagues. No wonder his managerial autobiography is titled, “Quiet Leadership”. We have colorful and energetic modern managers like Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp, who combine their radically different styles of man management with footballing acumen to manage top clubs. We have tactical grandmasters like the Late Johan Cruyff and his modern mirror image Pep Guardiola, who perhaps relies more on their footballing philosophies and a standard footballing legacy and balances them with their own style of management to remain at top. We find promising and intelligent ex players trying their hands at management, some of them get their hands burnt, some succeed.
Football today is traversing, previously unthinkable uncharted territories, both financially as well as from business point of view. But the eternal hot seat of football still continues to be the manager who is the face of the club in front and hence represents the club from its owners to its team members in front of fans and cameras. Hence, perhaps they have the toughest job in modern footballing world and it will continue to be so in coming days, as they will try to continuously juggle between the various facets of the game, finances and the particular club, and will try to innovate and evolve in every facet to keep on producing results .
Arindam Chakraborty
PFLEF Monthly Awards
The latest Premier Fantasy League of Extraordinary Fans (PFLEF) Fantasy Football Monthly Awards is here. Not too soon, some might say. Well, this writer deserved a winter break even if the English football calendar thinks otherwise. Now I am back from my winter break, fully re-charged with words to write about the crazy world of fantasy football. Here goes…
This past month had Star Wars, and stars at war. Conte and Jose fired jibes at each other with increasing intensity, red and blue light-sabers swishing through the air. Salah and Kane channelled their inner Jedis and continued their inter-galactic quest for a golden boot. Arsenal tried relentlessly to unsuccessfully defeat the evil forces of the Sixth, er, I meant the Sith.
The force suddenly was no longer with Alvaro Morata and hundreds of thousands of FPL managers banished him from their teams. Jurgen Klopp had a spaceship as impressive as Harrison Ford’s Millennium Falcon. Very efficient in attack (despite the defection of one of his star pilots to the La Liga Dark Side). However, his space-ship remains vulnerable to attacks from behind even while managing to defeat Darth Guardiola who had continually radiated an air of invincibility through-out this season.
At the end of all the yoda yadder, crown a manager of the month, we must. Step forward, Pascal Charles. His total of 465pts with Ankop FC in December was unmatched. Congrats to him for leading his team to a galaxy, far far away from other PFLEF managers in that month.
Top 5 for December
- Pascal Charles- 465 pts (League 2B)
- Samuel Adepoju- Singhers. 463 pts (League 2B)
- Shaun Greene- Atletico Pathetico. 461 pts (League 2A)
- Olusegun Tinubu- Zenith FC. 459 pts (League 1)
- Bola Odusoga- Bolaninho. 458 pts (League 2B)
Below are screenshots of current standings in our various leagues.
The Draft League
The PFLEF Head to Head League (Contenders for Top 8)
League 1 Relegation Candidates
League 1 Relegation Candidates
Money League
League 2B Promotion Candidates
League 2B Promotion Candidates
League 2A Promotion Candidates
League 1. Contenders for Top 4.
So there we have it. Join me next month for more Fantasy Football updates. May the Force be with You all.
Oladimeji Sapoloso
Troll-out – The Ludicrous Edition
The fun never stops. Trolling is our business. Here is a special soundtrack for this week’s edition
Below are our picks for Trolls of the Week… Proceed with no caution
A very succinct overview regarding Man City. At Anfield they were not pepped up enough, and they ended up suffering the peppery sting of defeat. They did manage to simultaneously cheer up millions of Arsenal fans around the world though. Top lads.
Arsenal fans would be further cheered up by the possible arrival of the two players mentioned by Yinka here. Some may see it as a burn, but Burnley are coached by Sean Dyche, he of the nickname- ”Ginger Mourinho”. If Wenger can’t finish ahead of the Portuguese version, at least he would now surely finish ahead of the Ginger variety. An achievement worthy of contract extension till 2025.
Aaron and Theo can usually be very friendly in the neighbour-hood of goal-posts. Their spidey senses also often don’t tingle quickly enough in the penalty box. Now they are both together, aiming to fight villains up to no good at Goodison Park. What could possibly go wrong? A lot of quick running and money burning.
A double-edged troll. Aquilani was one of Liverpool’s expensive flops from the past decade or so. Although, he was not as quick and physical as Bakayoko, he was invariably almost as useless. Bakayoko might eventually grow into a very decent midfielder but at the moment, he should do the decent thing and stop wasting an indecent amount of hair-dye.
Ah, the Pretty One who has suddenly gone down the Ugly route of bad form. When you are heading in goals on the regular, no one notices the hair-gel. However, when the goals dry up and the misses start flowing instead, your hair gel becomes a topic of conversation. Alvaro, hero to zero. And similar to Bakayoko, he is another Chelsea player whose hair choices is being called into question.
Bonus conversation of the Week. Just read and marvel.
Till next time, troll-out.
Oladimeji Sapoloso.
10 great champions league performances from the past decade (Part 5)
Gbemi Aderemi (Guest Contributor)