It's probably unfair comparing him with Mourinho. They simply offer very different approaches with their own strengths and weaknesses. Guardiola will certainly make Bayern a favourite with neutrals, and will attract some great players and likely get them playing in an attractive way. Whether he has big enough balls in a crisis and whether he can adapt to change are things we're about to find out. Mourinho would sacrifice 'good' football for ruthless success and create a them-and-us siege mentality within the club, that'll make him popular with his own club's fans but largely hated by everyone else.

Which one you prefer is I suppose just a matter of personal preference. While I love what Guardiola has done at Barca, I can't help being drawn to the darker more tyrannical managers like Mourinho and Ferguson. It's like deep down I admire Serpico and believe he's 'right', but in the end I'll always root for Popeye Doyle.

EDIT: Hard to get too excited by England's 8-0 win over San Marino. Just a total mismatch. I switched off at half time.

I only saw the highlights but yeah, losing Fletcher was a blow but hardly an excuse for the overall performance. Scotland are now in the embarrassing position of being lumped in with nations like San Marino that more people are arguing should now have to pre qualify for major tournaments. Common sense for San Marino but a total humiliation for Scotland. Not that I think it would've made a huge difference but I'm surprised Joe Jordan wasn't given the task of rebuilding things after Craig Levein went.

a weekend without football is pretty shit by comparison to the others.

damn.

EDIT:


I just found out the whole story--Guardiola had Piqué followed when he started dating Shakira, just to make sure he was "leading an orderly life."

now that you know this--who do you love...???

Yeah, I know. It's been killer.

Heard an interesting thing on the radio, though. A German journalist being asked about Guardiola at Bayern. Apparently he'll have relatively little input in transfers, being appointed more as a straight coach. Probably not that unlike his role at Barcelona.

I didn't know about the spying thing, perhaps he's more paranoid than I thought. He has that thing where he almost seems too nice and level headed to be a manager. Not sure what Heynckes' personality is meant to be like but he seems ok, so the transition from him to Guardiola should be pretty smooth in that respect.

im just hping for a good show vs juventus. last news i read, gomez has a thigh injury and couldn't play for germany (or won't. i forget the dates for these miserable international matches).

I wonder if Roy Keane has any friends

did he kick his dog or something?

Mexico / USA tonight on world cup qualifiers.

THEY ARE GOING TO KICK OUR FUCKING ASS. In the Estadio Azteca of all places. But hey. As long as we place 3rd. As long as we don't have to face Honduras (!!) again. Honduras!!

This is gonna be my first time watching team USA in a long time. Yes, I am ready to cringe, and cover my eyes often, but whatever.

He's just a grumpy fucker, and a bit of a cunt with it

dont be sure. mexico has had their fair share of troubles lately and the usa beat them the last time there.

Adrian Chiles always looks like he'd love to be his friend.

ha ha. i actually agree w/ his (in?)famous evaluation of the nani red card. but beyond that, i don't see him much-- if (actually) ever. i wonder what he said today.


you mean a friendly? friendlies are nothing, but okay.

USA was beaten by honduras, and only won over costa rica because of snow (the poor bastards!), so i'd say we're in deep shit and looking desperate.

only advantage is that we are in such a pathetic group, making 3rd place is a no-brainer. but still...

if i were to put money on this game, i'd say giovanni dos santos + chicharito (are they playing?) are going to kick our asses. mark my words.

having said that--- who the fuck knows! i'll only be sure to have my bottle of wild turkey nearby. 'merica! ha ha ha... owww... :(

between mexico and usa "friendly" doesn't mean shit. i think mexico will win but it will be a good match at the very least.

well in friendlies not all players show up, etc.

re: today. we have decent players, and some pretty good ones, so all i'm hoping is that klinsmann's team starts to gel into something worth watching-- and then who knows-- a world-cup quarterfinal match would be sweet.

0-0 at halftime, the only reason mexico is not ahead is because, 3 years after i first saw him at the world cup, dos santos remains immensely talented but a total pussy when it comes to scoring.

the us attack is being completely suppressed by a well-planted mexican defense. i mean, they're doing nothing. in fact, they attack with too few people and mexico holds its shape muuuuuch much better.

frustrating.

Yeah, I can't sleep so I'm watching it on a stream. Mexico just look better all round. USA seemed to improve towards the end of the half but should feel happy it's still only 0-0. Geoff Cameron's doing well.

except for these last few minutes (at last, goddammit) it was like watching flies fuck. what dullness.

terrible ref blew 2 penalties (likely on purpose). gonna get lynched.

ps- mexico not qualifying? wtf! i need to keep an better eye on this concacaf circus.

in retrospect, should have watched chile-uruguay instead. chile won 2-0!

just saw the 2nd half. pretty boring. mexico were definitely the superior team. good draw for the usa though!

i failed to see what the us team was trying to achieve. mexico, yes, they were trying to score, though the long balls at the start of the 2nd half didn't help them-- but the us? it was like... mud...

I fell asleep at the half. can't believe MEX failed to score.