Ex Players - They used to play for us

[Naat]

On 08.11.2024 at 17:43, Sol thewall Bamba said:

2022/23'te araçları düşüren ve bizi küme düşüren ve ardından hızla uzaklaşan oyunculara hızlı bir bakış atmak. 

 

Castagne - Fulham'da yedek kulübesinde

Evans - Man United'daki şakaların konusu 

Soyuncu - Atletico'da pek başarılı olamadı ve Türkiye'ye geri döndü

Amartey - oynamaz, transferleri önlemek için tuvalet pencerelerinden dışarı tırmanır 

Youri - iyi gidiyor

Maddison - Spurs'a vur ve ıskala, her zamanki eleştiri, zorlaşır zorlaşmaz gölgeleniyor

Barnes - ne burada ne de Newcastle'da tekme atmış gibi görünmüyor

Perez - bir şekilde kariyerinin en iyi zamanını geçiriyor 

 

Sadece gerçekten Perez kesinlikle harekete geçti, Youri, Maddison ve Barnes öznel ve geri kalanı kesinlikle değil. Belki de hepimizin düşündüğü kadar iyi değillerdi?

Çağs has not gain fitness level again like the 1st year at Leicester . 

[MancFox24]

Sad to see that KDH can't even make the Chelsea bench. He'll end up losing at least a season out of his career when he should be just about reaching his prime

[Noahfence]

As someone already pointed out Maswanhise scored at the weekend. 3 goals in 8 games for Motherwell this season still only 21. 
 

He was someone I thought we should’ve loaned out but for whatever reason never happened. 
 

I reckon he’ll end up in the EFL eventually. 

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

3 hours ago, Noahfence said:

As someone already pointed out Maswanhise scored at the weekend. 3 goals in 8 games for Motherwell this season still only 21. 
 

He was someone I thought we should’ve loaned out but for whatever reason never happened. 
 

I reckon he’ll end up in the EFL eventually. 

 

I don't think he was ever going to make it here but we absolutely should've had him out on loan and got a fee for him. 

 

I can only really think of Lewis Brunt in recent times where we've done alright out of a younger player with a lower ceiling (even then we probably kept him a few years longer than we should). 

[goog]

On 10/11/2024 at 18:08, MancFox24 said:

Sad to see that KDH can't even make the Chelsea bench. He'll end up losing at least a season out of his career when he should be just about reaching his prime

Screams Danny Drinkwater mark 2. 

[Noahfence]

2 hours ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

 

I don't think he was ever going to make it here but we absolutely should've had him out on loan and got a fee for him. 

 

I can only really think of Lewis Brunt in recent times where we've done alright out of a younger player with a lower ceiling (even then we probably kept him a few years longer than we should). 

Oh yeah I don’t think it would’ve happened for him here. Talented player and will definitely do well 

[TeamRocket]

Talk sports Robert Huths, is on

[enmac]

Not a player BUT:

 

[davieG]

5 hours ago, enmac said:

Not a player BUT:

 

Try this thread 

 

https://www.foxestalk.co.uk/topic/132202-ex-managers-they-used-to-manage-us/#comment-6969589

 

[Ryy]

Maswanhise scored his first international goal to send Zimbabwe to AFCON 

 

 

[enmac]

Ayoze. Goal and assist for Spain v Denmark in 2-1 win.

[Trav Le Bleu]

David Kelly on RL right now.

 

Oft forgotten great player 

[MarriedaLeicesterGirl]

On 10/11/2024 at 18:08, MancFox24 said:

Sad to see that KDH can't even make the Chelsea bench. He'll end up losing at least a season out of his career when he should be just about reaching his prime

 

On 11/11/2024 at 18:09, goog said:

Screams Danny Drinkwater mark 2. 

This is the thing I hate about the "Big 6" tactics - I understand it when they sign great players from "lesser" teams. 

 

Taking a Kanté, Chilwell, Fofana, or even a Maguire – I understand. They will improve the new team, and the club makes good money in the deal. That’s life. 

But the only reason to take a KDH or a Drinkwater – who will never really play in their team – is to weaken the “lesser” team. It is to make sure that the “other 14” don’t forget their place. It destroys real competition and frankly destroys the careers of players who could shine in another squad.
 

[Hitesh]

26 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

David Kelly on RL right now.

 

Oft forgotten great player 

Loved a goal against us too! 

[Trav Le Bleu]

4 hours ago, Hitesh said:

Loved a goal against us too! 

Couple of interesting facts, he was top scorer at every club he played for and he holds the record for most consecutive seasons as top scorer for Wolves, a record he took from Steve Bull. (One of the most underrated (at least by the England management at the time) players ever.)

[Torquay Gunner]

5 hours ago, MarriedaLeicesterGirl said:

 

This is the thing I hate about the "Big 6" tactics - I understand it when they sign great players from "lesser" teams. 

 

Taking a Kanté, Chilwell, Fofana, or even a Maguire – I understand. They will improve the new team, and the club makes good money in the deal. That’s life. 

But the only reason to take a KDH or a Drinkwater – who will never really play in their team – is to weaken the “lesser” team. It is to make sure that the “other 14” don’t forget their place. It destroys real competition and frankly destroys the careers of players who could shine in another squad.
 

It’s seems to me that there are more than a few players, who appear quite happy to take the big money and settle for being a squad player that rarely plays.  As a club Chelsea have become synonymous with this from Winston Bogarde in early noughties (only played 9 times in 4 years despite being a Dutch international) to Dewsbury-Hall.  Man City, perhaps because they also seem to have an enormous squad regularly do this.  Fact is for me the players are just as culpable as the clubs. 

Edited 16 November 2024 by Torquay Gunner

[MarriedaLeicesterGirl]

1 hour ago, Torquay Gunner said:

It’s seems to me that there are more than a few players, who appear quite happy to take the big money and settle for being a squad player that rarely plays.  As a club Chelsea have become synonymous with this from Winston Bogarde in early noughties (only played 9 times in 4 years despite being a Dutch international) to Dewsbury-Hall.  Man City, perhaps because they also seem to have an enormous squad regularly do this.  Fact is for me the players are just as culpable as the clubs. 

I admit it is a short career, and taking the money is certainly a huge incentive, but I think most of these guys think they can step it up (even if it's obvious they can't). At the same time, my point is: The reason they are bought is to weaken the other team, not to improve the buying team.

[Torquay Gunner]

5 hours ago, MarriedaLeicesterGirl said:

I admit it is a short career, and taking the money is certainly a huge incentive, but I think most of these guys think they can step it up (even if it's obvious they can't). At the same time, my point is: The reason they are bought is to weaken the other team, not to improve the buying team.

I really don't believe that theory.  Do you think that the absence of one quite frankly average footballer, such as Dewsbury-Hall seriously weakens Leicester? More to the point I don't think the so called big six are concerned with other team squads, to the extent they make that one of their transfer strategies.  

 

[honeybradger]

14 hours ago, Torquay Gunner said:

I really don't believe that theory.  Do you think that the absence of one quite frankly average footballer, such as Dewsbury-Hall seriously weakens Leicester? More to the point I don't think the so called big six are concerned with other team squads, to the extent they make that one of their transfer strategies.  

 

He was arguably our best player last season. He's a much better player than Skipp at least, who we shelled out 2/3 of his transfer fee for.

[MrsJohnMurphy]

17 hours ago, Torquay Gunner said:

I really don't believe that theory.  Do you think that the absence of one quite frankly average footballer, such as Dewsbury-Hall seriously weakens Leicester? More to the point I don't think the so called big six are concerned with other team squads, to the extent they make that one of their transfer strategies.  

 

KDH was a late developer, still on an upward curve, he'd have been even better this year.................if he played that is

[CosbehFox]

Khanya Leshabela turned up at Spalding 

[TJB-fox]

2 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

Khanya Leshabela turned up at Spalding 

Wow really, that’s a shame. Thought he’d do alright in league two and earn a decent league one move.

[Lesta2014]

11 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

Khanya Leshabela turned up at Spalding 

As has Liam Moore

[moore_94]

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/basara-mainz-why-a-former-leicester-city-star-is-running-a-japanese-club-in-the-heart-of-germany/view/news/446804

 

Basara Mainz: Why a former Leicester City star is running a Japanese club in the heart of Germany

 

In the summer of 2024, Shinji Okazaki retired from playing professional football, but stayed in the sport as head coach of German sixth division club Basara Mainz. There, the 38-year-old not only manages the sporting affairs, but is also the founder and owner of the club. In an interview with Transfermarkt, the former Mainz, Stuttgart and Leicester City star talks about the rather odd idea of founding a Japanese club in the heart of Germany, explains Basara's success story and his hopes and dreams of taking Japan to the World Cup as an international manager.

 

Who are Basara Mainz? The Japanese club in German football

In the days before Japan had a professional football league, a few talented Japanese players sought their fortunes abroad, including in Germany. After the establishment of the J-League in 1992, professional football flourished in Japan, but the ambition to compete in South America or Europe remained strong among national team players. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, more Japanese players began appearing in Italy’s Serie A, the Dutch leagues, and the Bundesliga. Among them were stars like Makoto Hasebe, Shinji Kagawa, and Atsuto Uchida, who paved the way for others, including Okazaki. Over time, the number of young Japanese players tackling the challenges of Germany’s lower leagues also increased.

 

“When I moved from Stuttgart to Mainz in 2013, Takashi Yamashita (the president of Basara Mainz) was already in the city. Through his company, he was connecting with young Japanese players eager to gain footballing experience in Germany,” noted Okazaki. “However, he noticed that many players didn’t develop as much as expected. Some found opportunities to play, but when faced with tough conditions, they often blamed their environment or coach instead of taking responsibility for their growth. The cultural and practical differences between Japan and Germany were immense—not just in everyday life but on the pitch as well.”

 

Okazaki proposed a solution: “I suggested to Yamashita, ‘Why don’t we create our own team and develop Japanese players ourselves?’ He immediately agreed, saying, ‘Let’s do it!’ That’s how Basara was born,” Okazaki recalled after the match, his voice hoarse with emotion. Starting in the lowest tier of German football, the 11th division, Basara Mainz achieved five consecutive promotions. “The early days were tough,” recalls the former Premier League title winner. “It was constant trial and error. One of our founding members, Takuya Hidaka, scored 30 or 40 goals in a season single-handedly (laughs). Even so, winning the league in the 11th tier wasn’t easy. But we kept finishing first year after year. We’ve come this far thanks to so many people,” said Okazaki.

 

Using Basara to connect Japanese and German football 

Now, six years after their promotion to the sixth division, Basara faces new challenges in pursuing a spot in the fifth tier, the Oberliga. To qualify, the club needs at least three youth teams of its own, among other requirements. Currently, Basara shares a youth setup with another club, Moguntia. “There are many hurdles beyond performance that we need to overcome to progress. That’s why we need to involve more people and clearly define what Basara stands for and what we aim to achieve,” Okazaki explained. As Basara marks its 10th anniversary, Okazaki wants to expand the club’s mission of developing Japanese players in Germany. “The core idea is to be a place for young Japanese players. But I also think we could send ambitious German players to Japanese teams or even to Belgium. I want Basara to be a stepping stone for players to try again elsewhere. It’s a concept that’s normal in Japan, but I’d like German players to make use of it too.”

 

Indeed, many young Japanese players continue to come to Germany to pursue their football dreams. Transfermarkt data shows that many Japanese players are active in Germany’s lower leagues. For example, the Verbandsliga Südwest, where Basara plays, features 12 Japanese players—11 of whom are with Basara. This unique culture of chasing dreams abroad, as Okazaki highlights, could become a two-way exchange, providing opportunities for European players to pursue professional careers in Japan.

 

Why lessons with Kante could guide Okazaki to the World Cup 

Okazaki’s playing career, spanning Japan, Germany, England, Spain, and Belgium, has provided him with a wealth of experience and a valuable network. Reflecting on his journey, he said, “I’ve played alongside Germans, Spaniards, and many others. I often thought, ‘You might underestimate Japan, but you’d find it incredibly tough if you played there the same way you do here.’” He believes players in Germany’s fifth tier could thrive in Japan’s J3 League and that progressing through the Japanese leagues could open doors to Europe. “If you’re playing in Japan’s J1 League by the time you’re 23 or 24, you’ve got a shot at moving to the 2. Bundesliga or even the top flight.”

 

Okazaki sees Basara as a platform to nurture both Japanese players for the Bundesliga and German players for Japanese football. “I hope we can achieve something only we can do,” he said, speaking with the perspective of a manager and entrepreneur. Though still listed officially as Basara’s manager, Okazaki’s ultimate goal is to lead Japan’s national team to World Cup glory. He conducts training sessions in English and is working hard to improve his language skills, recalling his time learning English alongside Chelsea star N’Golo Kanté while he was playing at Leicester City. “As a player, I used to think you could show everything on the pitch without needing to speak much. But I’ve since realised how important language is, especially after my time in Spain.”

 

Okazaki is also pursuing his coaching licences, a process that requires dedication and time. “I recently spoke with [Alberto] Zaccheroni (former Japan national coach), who told me he started in Italy’s Serie D. That reassured me that I’m on the right path.” Asked about the steps needed to achieve his dream, Okazaki said, “It’s about how many challenges I can overcome. For example, I might now present my vision to small groups of people, but there could be a day when I’m addressing hundreds. A manager capable of winning the World Cup should be able to handle such situations with ease.” Okazaki’s approach to life has always been uniquely his own, shaped by his willingness to step into the unknown. “I don’t want to just earn a licence and coach in the J-League. I want to do things no one else has done, like competing in intense environments. The World Cup is my ultimate goal, and I’ll keep working toward it, even if it takes 10 or 20 years.” His vision is bold and ambitious, just as it was during his playing days. It will be fascinating to see how Shinji Okazaki leads Japan in the years to come, perhaps all the way to the World Cup stage.

[Wymsey]