lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Edit; Of a squad of 23 players for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, only 2 ply their trade at home for the Moroccan national team; Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (GK) plays for Wydad Casablanca. Abdelkrim Baadi (DF) plays for Hasaania Agadir. Of the rest, 4 play in Spain (Malaga, Girona, Celta & Leganes) 3 in France (Reims, Caen, & St Etienne), 3 in Holland (2x Ajax, & AZ), 2 in Turkey (Galatasary & Fenerbahce), 1 each in Germany (Dortmund), England (Wolves), Italy (Sassuolo) & 6 in the Middle East. So in actual fact, not a single Raja Casablanca player has been away with the national team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) Musing further..... if all of Morocco’s better footballing assets have left to earn their crust abroad, largely at bottom half of Premier League/Top of Championship standard - you’d assume the top division of the domestic structure to be bottom half of championship/Top of League One? Raja Casablanca should be like playing Luton then? I assume it’ll be good workout for our lot. SCC Mohammedia should be like playing Ashton United. Edited July 9, 2019 by lookersstandandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) The Stade Adrar’s capacity is 45,000. Hassania Agadir’s average attendance last season was 11,744. Raja Casablanca achieved 15,038 at their home ground. Agadir is some 300 miles and 4 and 3/4 hours on the road from Casablanca. I don’t imagine many will make the trip and/or Hassania fans will turn up? It’d be like asking Carlisle fans to pop down to Brunton Park to watch Bristol City take on East Fife. Edited July 9, 2019 by lookersstandandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Dunno if posted elsewhere, but this is a decent read; @boundaryblue80 even gets quoted. https://www.otbfootball.net/continental-football-in-the-eye-of-the-pennines/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Burns Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2019/july/08072019-morocco-day-3-gallery-update/ Website confirms it’s grass. Suck22 in being wrong again shocker . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Burns Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 10 hours ago, super_blue said: To be fair the watering of 4g helps the rubber settle so the bits don’t fly about and the surface is zippier for the passing game! I know yeah. We are training on grass tho. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjk2008 Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 19 minutes ago, lookersstandandy said: Dunno if posted elsewhere, but this is a decent read; @boundaryblue80 even gets quoted. https://www.otbfootball.net/continental-football-in-the-eye-of-the-pennines/ Still an absolute gem of a comment that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 1 hour ago, lookersstandandy said: No. I meant, togetherness, team spirit, working hard for each other vs Maouche and his mates vs the home grown boys. Here we go again... I have watched the daily videos from Morocco and they show a togetherness, team spirit and a group of footballers working hard and having fun. but no... let’s slip a comment like ‘Maouche and his mates vs the home grown boys’ .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, TheBigDog said: Here we go again... I have watched the daily videos from Morocco and they show a togetherness, team spirit and a group of footballers working hard and having fun. but no... let’s slip a comment like ‘Maouche and his mates vs the home grown boys’ .. You’ve deduced that from 20 min of video footage of them training? Can you tell me what tonight’s Euro-Millions numbers are too? Let’s wait until they’ve played some competitive fixtures before we judge that eh? I’m slipping it in, cos it’s been slipped in a thousand times before by various ex staff, players and journos. There has clearly been a problem with cliques in the dressing room, with some of Abdallah’s boys running to tell the teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 7 minutes ago, lookersstandandy said: ‘Maouche and his mates vs the home grown boys’ ‘There has clearly been a problem with cliques in the dressing room, with some of Abdallah’s boys running to tell the teacher.’ So to quote your own words: ‘Let’s wait until they’ve played some competitive fixtures before we judge that eh?’ Seems to me that you haven’t followed your own advice there ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsworthlatic Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 I’m amazed that the pre-season tour could produce such debate if I’m being honest. However, I like debates so I’ll chuck my 2p’s worth in too. People have made comment regarding the tour being in Morocco as opposed to European countries such as Spain/France/Portugal where the majority of teams go. Do I blame AL and ML for taking the team to Morocco? Absolutely not! They are going there, undoubtedly more to massage their ego’s than to benefit the squad. However, like many have said, training in Morocco and spending the majority of time with fellow teammates could bring the squad together and as Mo whispered during Banide’s press conference…”Team Spirit, Team Spirit” Also, I have seen comments like, he’s got them training with a ball. Erm, yes, I would fully expect him to do so? Comments like, you can tell from the videos that the team spirit is there…I’m sorry, how? It’s a clip of a 10 minute edited video. Now I’m sure they’re not but they could be arguing, tough tackles going flying in, yet we wouldn’t see, so to make a decision like that from pre-season edited videos is quite clearly bizarre. The worry I have, as do many, is, who is paying for this trip? If it’s the club as a whole, loaned or otherwise, I would have rather stayed over here and toured Tameside as usual. If AL and ML wanted to do this and have paid for it then no issues. Just feel that when the funds could be used elsewhere, no matter how minimal it may be (£1,000 per player/staff maybe?) but that is just my opinion. Hope it works out for the best! All aboard the Banide train. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Burns Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 If we don’t start this season on fire then the atmospheres are gona be poisonous. Pay attention Latics. Two decent centre backs, a good left back, a been there and done it British CM and a recognised pacy, mobile striker are needed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) 14 minutes ago, TheBigDog said: Seems to me that you haven’t followed your own advice there ... How? The focus of my ire has been on Marco, his motives & the way he runs the club. That remains the same regardless of results.... but while we’re on that topic, we’ve just finished 14th in the 4th division, so he isn’t doing all that well in that regard either. Edited July 9, 2019 by lookersstandandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super_blue Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Monty Burns said: I know yeah. We are training on grass tho. Correct...100% grass and the players are impressed with the quality of the pitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngen Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 I cant help but notice the squad looks tiny, both in terms of personnel and actual size. Besides Vera who may well still be smuggling COG in his stomach. The intensity in the training looks slow, whether that's because they just came back, or its only showing snips of the day I am not going to make judgement. I like the media side showing this stuff, despite the fact the edits are quite strangely put together. The one worrying thing for me is I have absolutely no affinity or care for a single person on that tour except maybe young Tom Hamer. We have one local lad and a couple of lower league nobodys, plus foreign players that most people can't even pronounce. The playing squad is as unrelatable as any that the club has ever had, and it is so difficult to have any passion or desire to get behind the team. The usual turnover of staff is to be expected these days, but last year when we had just been relegated to League 2 and was one of the lowest point in the clubs history we still had Clarke, we had re-signed Baxter (leaders and a joy to watch), we still had Byrne and Gardner (players who could win a game from nothing), players to look forward to watching and a real thought we should be challenging for the league title. Now though, I can't name a single player there that I would want to watch or am excited to see this season and I cannot see anything other than mid table mediocrity being the best we could hope for. It's such a shit time for "the fan", and these players and staff need to effectively win the league if they are to bring anybody back around to positivity again. Imo AL has a long term plan to become a recruitment company for foreign talent (loosely used) and then as soon as we get one gem to offload at profit. I for one prefer a local community club, not a recruitment business. I just hope we win the league, and as stated, it will probably change my opinion. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super_blue Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 16 hours ago, oafcshuck said: Yes it is. 100% grass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 17 hours ago, lookersstandandy said: Day 3 [morning] video has just been pushed out by the fishul..... ....Maouche seemed to be in hot debate with Banide.... as well as giving big Urko a bit of a dressing down for something. It wouldn't be a surprise - as @Lee Sinnott has suggested - that he's being lined up to be captain. God help us. 56 minutes ago, lookersstandandy said: You’ve deduced that from 20 min of video footage of them training? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 2 hours ago, lookersstandandy said: Agadir is some 300 miles and 4 and 3/4 hours on the road from Casablanca. I don’t imagine many will make the trip and/or Hassania fans will turn up? It’d be like asking Carlisle fans to pop down to Brunton Park to watch Bristol City take on East Fife. I hope not. They look scary mental 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) 9 minutes ago, TheBigDog said: "...wouldn't be a surprise - as Lee Sinnott has suggested...." vs "...they show a togetherness, team spirit .....working hard and having fun...." ....one speculates.... one asserts.... Edited July 9, 2019 by lookersstandandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) 14 minutes ago, maddog said: I hope not. They look scary mental Hassania Agadir fans; ...quite a stadium too... for those of you travelling, I hope a good number do turn up.... it would add to the experience. Edited July 9, 2019 by lookersstandandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Only 300 miles to see Oldham Athletic? They'll be setting off the day before to beat the traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarddog73 Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 53 minutes ago, Monty Burns said: If we don’t start this season on fire then the atmospheres are gona be poisonous. Pay attention Latics. Two decent centre backs, a good left back, a been there and done it British CM and a recognised pacy, mobile striker are needed. Sound advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singe Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 I'm not sure Team Sprit can be created with so many key players not signed yet. Maybe we should trademark it and call it "Half-Team Spirit". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 1 hour ago, lookersstandandy said: "...wouldn't be a surprise - as Lee Sinnott has suggested...." vs "...they show a togetherness, team spirit .....working hard and having fun...." ....one speculates.... one asserts.... One speculates about the future captain and ends the post with ‘God help us’. One also ignores his previous post stating ‘ Maouche and his mates vs the homegrown boys’ The other passes an opinion that the training session showed a squad having fun, demonstrating a togetherness and team spirit and working hard. An opinion nothing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Just now, TheBigDog said: One speculates about the future captain and ends the post with ‘God help us’. One also ignores his previous post stating ‘ Maouche and his mates vs the homegrown boys’ The other passes an opinion that the training session showed a squad having fun, demonstrating a togetherness and team spirit and working hard. An opinion nothing more. If Maouche is our captain. God will need to help us.... cos he ain't no leader. I've explained this. You'd be kidding yourself to deny there has been a problem with a 'them and us' feeling in the dressing room. Plenty close to it, have let it be known it existed..... to be seen whether it continues to exist. Like us all, you're entitled to have one.... I just don't think we can conclude it from 20 mins of training video footage. We'll see whether is exists when we start the season..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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