that would be hilarious if BD 2 got the promotion as well.

Pretty sure that's not allowed to happen. The team below BVB II would go up instead.

Edited by Bowden: 23/12/2014 03:09:36 PM

lame

It's true, IIRC a precedent may've been Bayern II, who placed high in a 3 Liga season a few years ago, but were restricted from being promoted beyond the Third Tier to Bundi 2 and that seems reasonable.

Germany is no Mickey Mouse football system and I think alot are naturally ignorant or biased to England. But England isn't the only competition with a deep football league system with teams from many sized centres, with strong football cultures. Just as some of us who may follow lower league teams in England may talk of the likes of Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Bristol, the Sheffield Teams, Portsmouth and co, we can talk in Germany of teams like Nurnberg, Dusseldorf, Kaiserlautern, 1860 Munich (Bayern's intra-city rival), Bochum, Frankfurt's intra-city rival - FSV (Leckie played with them), Kiel, Bielefeld or from the East like Dresden, re-branded 'RB' Leipzig (Who rocket up the leagues), Union Berlin, Rostock, Chemnitz, Cottbus, Halle and others.

The lower leagues of Germany are much more than the likes of Bayern and Dortmund's II sides.

BTW The way some of you talk - I'm sure the 3 Liga isn't incomparable or too inferior to England's own Third tier, League One. There may be higher wage budgets, more money about, not sure, but I doubt there's a great difference in standard. Yet, as some FFTers have observed, we pluck Socceroos from League One like Mass Luongo and Bailey Wright, yet Musti Amini takes a bit longer. Though to be fair, Amini hasn't been starring in 3 Liga till recent times - I think he was injured or in and out of the Dort II team, prior seasons?

Edited by GloryPerth: 23/12/2014 05:14:36 PM

#caphim

Jedinak made ESPNFC's Mid-season Starting XI, which is a list of the best players in the Premier League so far.

Link

He has been in Germany for 3 seasons, missed half a season with a back injury, didn't play much when he was first settling has had multiple other injuries where he has had to fight to get back in the team. He has 44 games for BvB 2, 1 less than from his 2 season at CCM but has played 1000 more minutes (3000 to 2000). I think if he was in Aus he would be regarded as well as Antonis.

On Germany vs England lower leagues. 3.liga is professional but the last professional league so probably has less money. The Tv deal is for the Bundesliga which is the top 2 tiers (like if it was the premier league and 2nd premier league before the football league in england) so their is some money in the 2.Bundesliga. Also there are 56 teams in the top 3 leagues in Germany compared to 68 in England. Lastly there is an extra 27 million people in Germany so you would expect more good German players filling the lower leagues. Not saying it is better but I think there is a good argument for even with less money it is a good level.

also, Luongo and Bailey Wright are playing for teams that are 1pt off the top of their league , Amini team is near the bottom, it does make a different

A Leckie interview from a couple of months back.

[youtube]watch?v=P-dmoHESsTk[/youtube]

Their team goals are different. BvB II can't get promoted so their goal is to produce as many youngsters for the first team while staying in the league. Swindon and PNE's only goal is promotion. In their last game BvB II had 3 23 year olds a 32 year old and the rest 21 or younger. PNE's youngest player was 25.

EDIT: Just as a note. I am not saying Amini is better than the two you mentioned, or that his should be picked. I just don't think he should be discounted for playing for a "2" side

Edited by moofa: 25/12/2014 08:08:59 PM

Amini's case reminds me a little about Culina's situation at Ajax, he couldn't break through and so he ended up leaving and signed for FC Twente.

I think if Amini can make that breakthrough at another club in Europe it could mean he can start to compete for a Socceroos jersey. He's still got time but he needs to move very soon.

Edited by Barca4life: 25/12/2014 09:34:57 PM

Does anyone else detect a slight German accent developing?

Not quite as bad as Troisi's "goldmember" Flemish (after a month), but I can just hear it coming...

Gotta give all the boys respect though. Wouldn't be easy far away from home, specially at that age. Been there done that, most of the boys are still very very young. They deserve all of our full support =d>

yes, all what you say is true, Bvb II is really a under age team. but this also adds to my point on Luongo and Wright , they are both in the team each week , base on ability, and not age..mistake are not punish as much at BvB II as it is at Swindon and PNE

I think it interesting to see Germany 2nd teams results and standings in the 3 Liga and Regionalliga leagues, it gives us a form guide on what level EPL or Serie A youth teams might play at

I don't think anything will ever top Troisi's, that was golden :lol:

Speaking of Troisinho, the Melbourne Victory product will be featuring this evening.

12.30 I believe

As will Maty Ryan. Pretty sure they're on the same flight back to Australia tomorrow.

There is no inho on the end of his name.

->Out

Anyone got times for games tonight?

All the games in England with Strayans in them are at 02:00 AEDT (excluding Chelsea at 23:45). Still waiting on squads for those. I wonder what Rhys Williams' chances are of a first team game this early.

Troisi is on at 00:30, and Ryan at 04:00. I think that's about it.

Were we all too full of turkey to notice that Behich played the last 16 minutes in Turkey last night?

Edited by paladisious: 26/12/2014 10:24:04 PM

20:45WST / 23:45EST   Chelsea - West Ham United (Schwarzer problaby not) link
23:00WST / 02:00EST   AFC Bournemouth - Fulham FC (Burgess Taggart)
23:00WST / 02:00EST   Brighton and HA - Reading FC (Fedirici , Ryan Edwards)
23:00WST / 02:00EST   Middlesbrough - Nottingham Forest FC (Rhys Williams)
23:00WST / 02:00EST   Norwich City - Millwall FC (Macdonalds)
23:00WST / 02:00EST   Burnley FC - Liverpool FC (Jones, Smith) link
23:00WST / 02:00EST   Crystal Palace - Southampton FC (Jedinak) link
23:00WST / 02:00EST   Everton FC - Stoke City (Jones) link
23:00WST / 02:00EST   Manchester United - Newcastle United (Good) link
23:00WST / 02:00EST   Swansea City FC - Aston Villa (Herd) link
23:00WST / 02:00EST   West Bromwich Albion - Manchester City (Davidson) link
01:00WST / 04:00EST   Lierse - Club Brugge KV (Maty Ryan) link

Think he played last night ? (says here)

Zulte play at 12:30 against Charleroi.

A win for Zulte will put pressure on 9th place Oostende. An amazing turnaround considering they were stuck near the relegation zone for the early part of the season.

Ah yeah gotcha. Games on soon but bugger all streams. Oostende are 8th. Liege and Oostende sitting 8th and 9th

Troisi starts

Dont expect anything less ftom him. An absolute class player.