The OH Leuven Thread 2020/21

[KlaaZ]

1 hour ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...wasn't too excited about playing Eupen as we have struggled against teams that we should be looking to beat!!!

I have said for some time that we play a game that is too open and any team we come up against have a chance to compete against us favourably as we do not play in a way which uses the quality of our team in a strategic way. This division is wide open finishing in the top 3 should not be out of the question but next season will be much more of an acid test of our manager.

Judging by the results and our position in the league, I'd say we're doing perfectly fine. You're a great example of what I meant in my previous post though. Expectations are way too high. 

[Lambert09]

Do Leuven have a strong rivalry with anyone? 

[KingsX]

5 minutes ago, Lambert09 said:

Do Leuven have a strong rivalry with anyone? 

Cows

[Lambert09]

4 minutes ago, KingsX said:

Cows

OH Mooven? 

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, KlaaZ said:

Judging by the results and our position in the league, I'd say we're doing perfectly fine. You're a great example of what I meant in my previous post though. Expectations are way too high. 

.. if King Power had not invested in the club, to be in this position would be unthinkable!!!

  The dynamics have changed and you are not the club that you were pre King Power,  you can’t continue to think of yourselves as the club you used to be, because you aren't. 

[KlaaZ]

41 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

.. if King Power had not invested in the club, to be in this position would be unthinkable!!!

  The dynamics have changed and you are not the club that you were pre King Power,  you can’t continue to think of yourselves as the club you used to be, because you aren't. 

I'm not, but expecting finishing third in your first season back up is ridiculous. That's like saying Leicester should've qualified for Europe when they got promoted to the PL. I'm sure you remember that you were destined to go down around Christmas and only miraculously stayed up. 

 

Being in the left half of the table is fantastic, end of story. 

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, KlaaZ said:

I'm not, but expecting finishing third in your first season back up is ridiculous. That's like saying Leicester should've qualified for Europe when they got promoted to the PL. I'm sure you remember that you were destined to go down around Christmas and only miraculously stayed up. 

 

Being in the left half of the table is fantastic, end of story. 

....finishing in the top three was not aimed at this season!!!

To have expected a top three finish this season would be a ridiculous statement, referencing the Managers performance for next season, perhaps did not convey clearly, what I was saying.

 

[Ross 'LCFC' Turner]

On 06/03/2021 at 11:33, Ric Flair said:

SOWAH the lads!

SOWAH-DI

 

 

[Fox in the North]

Dutch and Belgian Leagues are going to merge from 2025. Could be very interesting to see how that works out! 
 

 

[davieG]

Just now, Fox in the North said:

Dutch and Belgian Leagues are going to merge from 2025. Could be very interesting to see how that works out! 
 

 

Hmmm how will that affect their Euro qualifications, less or more?

[Webbo]

Just now, Fox in the North said:

Dutch and Belgian Leagues are going to merge from 2025. Could be very interesting to see how that works out! 
 

 

I think that's a good idea, not sure what the OHL lads will think. I wonder how European qualification will work. 

[UniFox21]

7 minutes ago, Webbo said:

I think that's a good idea, not sure what the OHL lads will think. I wonder how European qualification will work. 

Surely could really bugger a lot of away fans up?

[moore_94]

A long way off it actually happening as at this point it’s just the teams saying they are in favour at looking into it
 

Dutch league has positions 1-3 qualifying automatically for European competitions, 4th to 8th go through a playoff (staged in the same way as championship playoffs rather than a mini league), combine that with the fun of the Belgian league European playoff system, could be interesting to see how it would work

 

Be interesting to see how big they would make the league/how they decide who gets into the 1st division as I can’t imagine they are going to have a 36 team league and will have to have some teams start in a 2nd division

[moore_94]

8 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

Surely could really bugger a lot of away fans up?

In terms of Belgian clubs travelling to Dutch clubs and vice versa?

 

Distance would be no different to UK travel, north Holland (Groningen) to South Belgium (Virton) is the same as Newcastle to Southampton

 

Borders are seamless between both countries as well so no border stops etc. either

[davieG]

3 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

In terms of Belgian clubs travelling to Dutch clubs and vice versa?

 

Distance would be no different to UK travel, north Holland (Groningen) to South Belgium (Virton) is the same as Newcastle to Southampton

 

Borders are seamless between both countries as well so no border stops etc. either

Probably better railways as well.

[Scotch]

34 minutes ago, Fox in the North said:

Dutch and Belgian Leagues are going to merge from 2025. Could be very interesting to see how that works out! 
 

 

Wow. That's massive. 

 

I imagine there would be decent TV money available so I could see KP really making a push with OHL. 

[UniFox21]

15 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

In terms of Belgian clubs travelling to Dutch clubs and vice versa?

 

Distance would be no different to UK travel, north Holland (Groningen) to South Belgium (Virton) is the same as Newcastle to Southampton

 

Borders are seamless between both countries as well so no border stops etc. either

Hopefully the OHL lads think the same! 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Foxy_Bear said:

Wow. That's massive. 

 

I imagine there would be decent TV money available so I could see KP really making a push with OHL. 

But yes massive, can really see KP push with OHL with the influx of money and viewerships. 

[Scotch]

If nothing else, it will be some league to play on FM. 

[KlaaZ]

As far as I know, the Dutch are not in favour of this so it looks very unlikely. I'm not a fan of it either. 

[KingsX]

2 hours ago, Fox in the North said:

Dutch and Belgian Leagues are going to merge from 2025. Could be very interesting to see how that works out! 
 

 

I foresee a League split into the Tulip Division, Cheese Division, and Frites Division.  With a Belgian style playoff structure it could work like this.

 

After the regular season, the clubs placing 3rd through 6th in each Division will play a round robin posteason tournament -- just to confuse outsiders.  No European qualification, nor prize money, but it will be worth it.

 

Meanwhile, the winner of the last third of the season in the Cheese Division plays the runner up of the first third of the season in the Tulip Division … and so on until all 32 contests have been played, and the Playoffs are ready to begin. *

 

At that point the standings will be reset to where they were on April 25th (Johan Cruyff’s birthday). 

 

The top two teams in each Division will then play each other home and away, and the team finishing top will play the team that came third in the relegation play-downs in the Beneliga Cup final.  The winners will drink Trappist ale out of the coveted trophy.

 

 

* If any Club wins two or more thirds of their season, they will have to play all the matches anyway, and forced to gorge on Cheese Frites in the dressing room to properly handicap them.

[CosbehFox]

2 hours ago, KlaaZ said:

As far as I know, the Dutch are not in favour of this so it looks very unlikely. I'm not a fan of it either. 

Was going to say Ajax and PSV might be okay with it but can’t see Feyenoord, AZ and Twente liking the idea of having an European spot taken from them. 
 

Id be interested what OHL fans think but surely there’s a risk they could be exclude from a Benelux top flight?

[CosbehFox]

4 hours ago, UniFox21 said:

Surely could really bugger a lot of away fans up?

Bit of a sore point, particularly in Holland. Numerous fixtures away fans not allowed or very small allocations.
 

Not quite sure if the big rivalries in Belgium ever got to that stage. 

[reynard]

4 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Was going to say Ajax and PSV might be okay with it but can’t see Feyenoord, AZ and Twente liking the idea of having an European spot taken from them. 
 

Id be interested what OHL fans think but surely there’s a risk they could be exclude from a Benelux top flight?

Agree. Potentially bad news for smaller teams who would find it more difficult to compete. Also could this lead to other mergers. Seems like yet another idea to keep the established big clubs where they are and stop other teams developing.

[KlaaZ]

31 minutes ago, reynard said:

Agree. Potentially bad news for smaller teams who would find it more difficult to compete. Also could this lead to other mergers. Seems like yet another idea to keep the established big clubs where they are and stop other teams developing.

Exactly, it's a bit of a smaller scale version of the European Superleague that some clubs would like to establish.

[davieG]

Posted in the Transfer Thread but needs to be in here as well.

 

http://sportwitness.co.uk/england-attracts-20-goal-striker-eyeing-leicester-city-move-foxes-huge-advantage/

 

“England attracts me” – 20 goal striker eyeing Leicester City move, Foxes have huge advantage
By Sean Lunt - 17th March 2021
 

OH Leuvren striker Thomas Henry has hinted at a possible move to Leicester City, who just so happen to be the sister club of the Belgian side.

Henry has been in fine form in Belgium this season, with 20 goals and five assists in 27 games in the Jupiler Pro League this season.

Those kind of numbers have not gone unnoticed, with several reports claiming that Turkish giants Besiktas are keen on a move in the summer.

Whether that happens, or he is just one of several possibilities, remains to be seen, but that led Hurriyet to seek out an interview and get some clarification.

And it was during that conversation that the player revealed he would prefer a move elsewhere in Europe, particularly Leicester City.

“Everyone knows Besiktas, which is a great club that plays in European cups every year,” he said.

“Other leagues are more prioritized for me. Germany, England, Italy or Spain make me dream more.

 

“But everybody is a big club that plays in European cups every year. Besiktas knows. We will see what will happen.

“Leuven is Leicester City’s sister team, and therefore the transition to the Premier League is easier for me. England attracts me.”

Unfortunately for Henry, a move to Leicester is unlikely this summer, even if it would be easy to get over the line.

The Foxes are well stocked for strikers with Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho, the latter of whom has been very impressive in recent weeks while Vardy has struggled.

It’s unlikely they’ll be chasing an addition in that area this summer, but even if they were, it’s easy to imagine they’d be setting their sights a little higher than a 26-year-old in the Belgian top flight.

Still, Henry is clearly keen on the move if they’ll offer it, which is a big hurdle cleared if they ever decide to do so.

That, and the fact both clubs have Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha as their chairman.