The UEFA Euro Fantasy Draft

I must have missed what I'd done to him. Or is he normally just like this?

Judging by his posts in this thread, he just generally seems like an angry little person.
 
Big red123 said:
I must have missed what I'd done to him. Or is he normally just like this?

Judging by his posts in this thread, he just generally seems like an angry little person.
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It's all part of the show. We always pick one of the older ones and one of the newbies and play them against each other to create some drama. If you make it through, you have a successful fantasy draft career ahead of you.
 
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ULI HOENEß - The electric flying German and a fine connoisseur of totaal voetbal.
 
Seriously? That's what you sent me hours ago :lol:. Nice job delaying the draft, at least it lead to some intense drama between stobz and big red123.
 
1. crappycraperson - 1. Platini 2. Figo 3. Tigana 4. Tardelli 5. Krol 6. Antonin Puc 7. Planicka
2. Edgar Allan Pillow & MJJ & coolredwine - 1. Puskás 2. Masopust 3. Gullit 4. Breitner 5. Deschamps 6. Sol Campbell 7. Schweinsteiger
3. Paolo Di Canio - 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Blanc 3. Lev Yashin 4. van Nistelrooy 5. Gentile 6. Domenghini 7. Ballack
4. The Stain - 1. Zidane 2. Czibor 3. Amancio 4. Förster 5. Zagorakis 6. Shearer 7. Wimmer
5. Skizzo & Pat_Mustard - 1. van Basten 2. Netzer 3. Monti 4. Popluhár 5. Bonhof 6. Suker 7. Sergio Ramos
6. Stobzilla - 1. Beckenbauer 2. B.Charlton 3. Bican 4. Gascoigne 5. Brian Laudrup 6. Kuznetsov 7. Capdevila
7. Joga Bonito - 1. Maldini 2. B.Moore 3. Sindelar 4. Bergomi 5. Effenberg 6. Pluskal 7. Hoeneß
8. harms - 1. Dragan Džajić 2. Sárosi 3. Schuster 4. Voronin 5. Brehme 6. Ondruš 7.
9. Aldo - 1. Xavi 2. Iniesta 3. Nedved 4. Lahm 5. Albert 6. Carvalho
10. Raees & Gio - 1. Rijkaard 2. Facchetti 3. Kohler 4. Henry 5. Zebec 6. Hanappi
11. Theon & NM - 1. Matthäus 2. Bozsik 3. Davids 4. Desailly 5. Kocsis 6. Burgnich
12. The Red Viper - 1. Gerd Müller 2. Sammer 3. Vieira 4. Shesternyov 5. Cannavaro 6. Piola
13. big red123 - 1. Cruyff 2. Baresi 3. Stoichkov 4. Michael Laudrup 5. Koeman 6. Buzánszky
14. Šjor Bepo & Physiocrat - 1. Luis Suarez 2. Nesta 3. Hidegkuti 4. Ivanov 5. Giresse 6. Stam
15. ctp - 1. Rummenigge 2. Scirea 3. Ocwirk 4. Mazzola 5. Gerets 6. Lizarazu
16. PedroMendez - 1. Meazza 2. Thuram 3. Schmeichel 4. Netto 5. Bene 6. Schwarzenbeck

@harms

Balu said:
Did you change your mind? Or do you want to add a story to the picture? :)
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Nah was just mulling over something which I had missed on earlier.
 
1. crappycraperson - 1. Platini 2. Figo 3. Tigana 4. Tardelli 5. Krol 6. Antonin Puc 7. Planicka
2. Edgar Allan Pillow & MJJ & coolredwine - 1. Puskás 2. Masopust 3. Gullit 4. Breitner 5. Deschamps 6. Sol Campbell 7. Schweinsteiger
3. Paolo Di Canio - 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Blanc 3. Lev Yashin 4. van Nistelrooy 5. Gentile 6. Domenghini 7. Ballack
4. The Stain - 1. Zidane 2. Czibor 3. Amancio 4. Förster 5. Zagorakis 6. Shearer 7. Wimmer
5. Skizzo & Pat_Mustard - 1. van Basten 2. Netzer 3. Monti 4. Popluhár 5. Bonhof 6. Suker 7. Sergio Ramos
6. Stobzilla - 1. Beckenbauer 2. B.Charlton 3. Bican 4. Gascoigne 5. Brian Laudrup 6. Kuznetsov 7. Capdevila
7. Joga Bonito - 1. Maldini 2. B.Moore 3. Sindelar 4. Bergomi 5. Effenberg 6. Pluskal 7. Hoeneß
8. harms - 1. Dragan Džajić 2. Sárosi 3. Schuster 4. Voronin 5. Brehme 6. Ondruš 7. Bezsonov
9. Aldo - 1. Xavi 2. Iniesta 3. Nedved 4. Lahm 5. Albert 6. Carvalho
10. Raees & Gio - 1. Rijkaard 2. Facchetti 3. Kohler 4. Henry 5. Zebec 6. Hanappi
11. Theon & NM - 1. Matthäus 2. Bozsik 3. Davids 4. Desailly 5. Kocsis 6. Burgnich
12. The Red Viper - 1. Gerd Müller 2. Sammer 3. Vieira 4. Shesternyov 5. Cannavaro 6. Piola
13. big red123 - 1. Cruyff 2. Baresi 3. Stoichkov 4. Michael Laudrup 5. Koeman 6. Buzánszky
14. Šjor Bepo & Physiocrat - 1. Luis Suarez 2. Nesta 3. Hidegkuti 4. Ivanov 5. Giresse 6. Stam
15. ctp - 1. Rummenigge 2. Scirea 3. Ocwirk 4. Mazzola 5. Gerets 6. Lizarazu
16. PedroMendez - 1. Meazza 2. Thuram 3. Schmeichel 4. Netto 5. Bene 6. Schwarzenbeck

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I pick another one of those players that were missing from the 1988 final. Who knows, what would've been if Kuznetsov and Bezsonov were available against Netherlands - the latter was one of the best players on the pitch in USSR's win against them earlier. But his knee was so knackered after the Italy game that he could barely walk, let alone play. "The player from the future" - that's how Lobanovsky described him, a real "total footballer" in Soviet mould, he played mostly as a right back.

@Aldo
 
1. crappycraperson - 1. Platini 2. Figo 3. Tigana 4. Tardelli 5. Krol 6. Antonin Puc 7. Planicka
2. Edgar Allan Pillow & MJJ & coolredwine - 1. Puskás 2. Masopust 3. Gullit 4. Breitner 5. Deschamps 6. Sol Campbell 7. Schweinsteiger
3. Paolo Di Canio - 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Blanc 3. Lev Yashin 4. van Nistelrooy 5. Gentile 6. Domenghini 7. Ballack
4. The Stain - 1. Zidane 2. Czibor 3. Amancio 4. Förster 5. Zagorakis 6. Shearer 7. Wimmer
5. Skizzo & Pat_Mustard - 1. van Basten 2. Netzer 3. Monti 4. Popluhár 5. Bonhof 6. Suker 7. Sergio Ramos
6. Stobzilla - 1. Beckenbauer 2. B.Charlton 3. Bican 4. Gascoigne 5. Brian Laudrup 6. Kuznetsov 7. Capdevila
7. Joga Bonito - 1. Maldini 2. B.Moore 3. Sindelar 4. Bergomi 5. Effenberg 6. Pluskal 7. Hoeneß
8. harms - 1. Dragan Džajić 2. Sárosi 3. Schuster 4. Voronin 5. Brehme 6. Ondruš 7. Bezsonov
9. Aldo - 1. Xavi 2. Iniesta 3. Nedved 4. Lahm 5. Albert 6. Carvalho 7. Cocu
10. Raees & Gio - 1. Rijkaard 2. Facchetti 3. Kohler 4. Henry 5. Zebec 6. Hanappi
11. Theon & NM - 1. Matthäus 2. Bozsik 3. Davids 4. Desailly 5. Kocsis 6. Burgnich
12. The Red Viper - 1. Gerd Müller 2. Sammer 3. Vieira 4. Shesternyov 5. Cannavaro 6. Piola
13. big red123 - 1. Cruyff 2. Baresi 3. Stoichkov 4. Michael Laudrup 5. Koeman 6. Buzánszky
14. Šjor Bepo & Physiocrat - 1. Luis Suarez 2. Nesta 3. Hidegkuti 4. Ivanov 5. Giresse 6. Stam
15. ctp - 1. Rummenigge 2. Scirea 3. Ocwirk 4. Mazzola 5. Gerets 6. Lizarazu
16. PedroMendez - 1. Meazza 2. Thuram 3. Schmeichel 4. Netto 5. Bene 6. Schwarzenbeck

@Raees @Gio
 
Aldo said:
cocu.jpg


Phillip Cocu.
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Very good pick. Was wondering how you would replace Bananas in that midfield. You guys needed someone with a good defensive nous who was still a metronome at the very least but preferably even something better.

Don't remember his Euro performances in particular but will be a good read I am sure.
 
VLADIMIR BEARA

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"I am not the best goalkeeper in the world, it is Vladimir Beara."

—Lev Yashin, upon receiving the award for best player in 1963


Big Vlad” Vladimir Beara is the best Yugoslavian goalkeeper ever and is well-known as the greatest goalkeeper in Europe during early 1950s. Beara had a natural predisposition in the sport, was famous for his phenomenon reflex saves, his great elasticity and agility, his ability to control situation in penalty box and great understanding with defenders. , He was selected as starter in FIFA all-star XI. Beara was seen to closely compare with Lev Yashin. Immediately after being selected to play for the Yugoslav national team he became famous mostly due to his fabulous defenses in the match against England at the Highbury Arsenal Stadium. He was voted in 12th all-time greatest goalkeeper in the Europe by IFFHS.

He won 3 league titles with Hajduk Split, and 4 league and 2 Cup titles with Red Star Belgrade in a period of 10 years. Also with Red Star Belgrade he managed to reach European Club Cup Semi-Finals in 1956–57 season and European Club Cup Quarter-Finals in 1957–58. He was such a vital player for Hajduk Split, that they hadn't had any success in the period of 15 years after his departure. In 1950 season Hajduk Split won the league as an only undefeated team (they are the only team who was undefeated in one season, in whole former Yugoslavian football history), and for this accomplishment great credits go to Beara. He always perfectly controlled the situation in his penalty box and had great understanding with his defensive players.

Before playing football, Beara trained ballet, and he was spotted by Hajduk coaches while exercising his jump and elasticity on local football club stadium. He had natural predispositions for sport, and his reflexes, jump, elasticity and agility were his main assets.

He played for Best of Europe XI (alongside likes of Kubala, Hanappi & Co v Matthews, Ramsey etc) in the game against England, in London (21. October 1953.), where he played with 3 more Yugoslavian players: *******, ***** and Zebec. In first half ****** goalkeeper ****** was in goal, and in second Beara had the privilege to play for Europe's first 11.

Two most memorable saves Beara made during the game against Wales in Belgrade (ended up with Yugoslavian win, 5:3). In one moment, Welsh center forward Ford, took a shot from the edge of the box. Ball flew to the upper left corner of the goal. Beara throws himself and saves the goal, but the ball returns to Ford who tries a powerful drop kick in to the opposite, upper right corner. Beara stands up, leaps and flies, almost parallel with the crossbar, and... catches the ball. 50.000 people on stadium in Belgrade were completely silenced for one moment. When everybody realized what Beara did, people started to applaud and cheer. Even Welsh striker, Ford walks to Beara and congratulates him.

His most significant penalty save came during 1952 Olympic Games Final, when Beara saved Puskas's penalty kick. Despite that Yugoslavia suffered defeat (2:0), against "Mighty Magyars".

One of greatest recognitions for Beara came from legendary Ricardo Zamora, who came to Red Star's locker room (when Red Star played against Benfica) and told Beara (in front of all those people who were there), that he considers him as the greatest goalkeeper in the World, ever.
 
1. crappycraperson - 1. Platini 2. Figo 3. Tigana 4. Tardelli 5. Krol 6. Antonin Puc 7. Planicka
2. Edgar Allan Pillow & MJJ & coolredwine - 1. Puskás 2. Masopust 3. Gullit 4. Breitner 5. Deschamps 6. Sol Campbell 7. Schweinsteiger
3. Paolo Di Canio - 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Blanc 3. Lev Yashin 4. van Nistelrooy 5. Gentile 6. Domenghini 7. Ballack
4. The Stain - 1. Zidane 2. Czibor 3. Amancio 4. Förster 5. Zagorakis 6. Shearer 7. Wimmer
5. Skizzo & Pat_Mustard - 1. van Basten 2. Netzer 3. Monti 4. Popluhár 5. Bonhof 6. Suker 7. Sergio Ramos
6. Stobzilla - 1. Beckenbauer 2. B.Charlton 3. Bican 4. Gascoigne 5. Brian Laudrup 6. Kuznetsov 7. Capdevila
7. Joga Bonito - 1. Maldini 2. B.Moore 3. Sindelar 4. Bergomi 5. Effenberg 6. Pluskal 7. Hoeneß
8. harms - 1. Dragan Džajić 2. Sárosi 3. Schuster 4. Voronin 5. Brehme 6. Ondruš 7. Bezsonov
9. Aldo - 1. Xavi 2. Iniesta 3. Nedved 4. Lahm 5. Albert 6. Carvalho 7. Cocu
10. Raees & Gio - 1. Rijkaard 2. Facchetti 3. Kohler 4. Henry 5. Zebec 6. Hanappi 7. Beara
11. Theon & NM - 1. Matthäus 2. Bozsik 3. Davids 4. Desailly 5. Kocsis 6. Burgnich
12. The Red Viper - 1. Gerd Müller 2. Sammer 3. Vieira 4. Shesternyov 5. Cannavaro 6. Piola
13. big red123 - 1. Cruyff 2. Baresi 3. Stoichkov 4. Michael Laudrup 5. Koeman 6. Buzánszky
14. Šjor Bepo & Physiocrat - 1. Luis Suarez 2. Nesta 3. Hidegkuti 4. Ivanov 5. Giresse 6. Stam
15. ctp - 1. Rummenigge 2. Scirea 3. Ocwirk 4. Mazzola 5. Gerets 6. Lizarazu
16. PedroMendez - 1. Meazza 2. Thuram 3. Schmeichel 4. Netto 5. Bene 6. Schwarzenbeck

@Theon @NM
 
When Lev Yashin was introduced as the world’s greatest goalkeeper at the ceremony to anoint him as European Footballer of the Year in 1963, the modest Muscovite begged to differ.

The top man, he maintained, was Vladimir Beara. Yashin’s brilliant Yugoslavian contemporary was a majestic performer, his poised and graceful style emanating from an early study of classical dance and a sinuous athleticism which earned him such epithets as “The Ballet Dancer With Hands Of Steel” and “Rubber Man”.

Beara was supremely confident. Although he was invariably on his toes, ready to pounce in any direction, no keeper looked more relaxed on his line, and he scorned defensive walls at free-kicks, preferring a full sight of the ball and being able to look his opponent in the eye.

He was unfailingly courageous, ever ready to hurl his body among the flailing boots, and he was a supremely reliable taker of crosses, a skill he attributed to training sessions as a youngster catching balls smaller than a football.

Born into a Serbian family in modern Croatia, Beara joined Hajduk Split at 17 and made more than 300 appearances, helping to lift the Yugoslavian title three times. He won the first of his 59 caps in 1950, underlining his potential in a 2-2 draw with England at Highbury that November, several saves from Nat Lofthouse – who did score twice – almost defying belief.

Yugoslavia were silver medallists at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Beara saving a Ferenc Puskas penalty in the final against a magnificent Hungarian side. He travelled to three World Cups, not playing in Brazil in 1950 but shining four years later in Switzerland, when his team reached the last eight. In Sweden in 1958 he was not at his best, and lost his place for the quarter-final defeat to West Germany.

But Beara, whose status had been underlined by his appearance for the Rest of Europe team which faced England at Wembley to celebrate the FA’s 90th anniversary in 1953, remained a star at club level,enjoying three title wins with Red Star Belgrade after joining in 1955.

Although Red Star lost 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first leg of the 1958 European Cup quarter-final, he made a series of astonishing saves, including three from Bobby Charlton, to keep the tie alive. He was on duty for the return leg in Belgrade, which finished 3-3, and was the last game played by the Busby Babes before the Munich disaster.

He completed his playing career in Germany, and had notable coaching successes, including a stint in charge of the Cameroon national team. But it is as an exceptional goalkeeper that he will be best remembered. As the former Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson put it: “He looked as if he would be as happy playing for the Royal Ballet as he was for Yugoslavia.”


When Lev Yashin collected his European Player of the Year award in 1963, he insisted that the best goalkeeper in the world wasn't him, but the Yugoslav Vladimir Beara. Perhaps they were words born of modesty, but none who saw him play would doubt that Beara, who turns 80 this month, was one of the greats. Even in his fifties, it is said, he would turn up at Hajduk's training and hold his own against younger keepers in penalty shoot-outs.

Beara's reputation was never as great as that of Yashin, but even in England he gathered something of a cult status following an international at Highbury in 1950 in which he pulled off a string of improbable saves as Yugoslavia held England to a 2-2 draw. But it wasn't just his athleticism and reflexes that impressed; there was also a grace and a majesty to his goalkeeping. As Bob Wilson said, "there was an entertaining, aesthetic air about him", which was perhaps appropriate for a player who once studied ballet. That, Wilson went on, was "why his jumps and dives with feet curled and body perfectly poised appealed. He kept goal on his toes, like a coiled spring, always ready to pounce."

Although he attracted the nickname of "the ballet dancer with the hands of steel", Beara always felt his development owed more to the training techniques of one of his first coaches, Luka Kaliterna. "My confidence in goal, the way I seemed to be able to catch a ball easily, and my technique for taming shots I put down to Barba Luka," he said. ("Barba" is a familiar term in Split for an old man - loosely it means uncle). "It was a simple drill we did in practice. He made me catch a small ball about the size of a baseball and after that it was very easy for me to catch a football."

Beara played 60 times for his country, winning silver at the 1952 Olympics when Yugoslavia, having overcome the USSR 3-1 in a replay after a 5-5 draw, had the misfortune to run into the great Hungary side of Puskas, Hidegkuti and Bozsik in the final. His greatest disappointment, though, came in the 1954 World Cup, the second of the three in which he played, as Yugoslavia lost to West Germany in the quarter-final. "We scored an own goal after eight minutes, and then had 10 great chances, but ended up losing 2-0," Beara said. "If the game against the USSR was our most dramatic, this was our unluckiest." According to Wilson, Beara was so restricted by injury that he could barely move to try to stop Helmut Rahn's decisive late second.

It wasn't just bad luck that undermined Yugoslavia that day, though. "At the time, the president of the FA was Rato Dugonjic [a senior politician who headed the department of youth]," Beara said. "We were promised that if we got through the group we'd each get a Vespa, which at the time cost $100 in Italy. But then on the day of the Germany game, Dugonjic came and said there were no scooters, and that it wasn't good for us to play like the bourgeoisie when other people had to work just to buy food. Suddenly we were public enemy No1, and we hadn't even asked for anything. So after that, we were depressed."

Politics also intervened in Beara's club career. He won three league titles with Hajduk, before making the highly controversial move to one of the great rivals, Red Star, who, it is rumoured, sold their team bus to finance the deal. Quite why he went has never been fully established. Some suggest the move was directed by the authorities; others point out that Beara's wife was Serbian. Either way, it proved a success for both player and club, as Red Star won four out of the next five league titles.

Beara clearly wasn't fazed by the move, but then he gives the impression of being a man who isn't fazed by much. He always cut a relaxed figure on his goal-line, preferring to trust in his ability rather than in any mechanical learned technique. He even eschewed walls while facing free-kicks. "Somehow it always seemed easier when I could look at a player eye to eye," he said.

"My time was the time of romantic football. There were still lots of good moves, dribbles and attractive goals. Tactics still hadn't eaten football. It was the playing style of the 1962 World Cup and then in England in 1966 that started the new era of football when the ball was no longer the most important thing in the game." Some things, though, he believes will never change. "A good goalkeeper," he said, "still has to be a lot like he was in my time. He has to have courage and self-confidence." Beara had both in abundance.



Beara in action..
 
1. crappycraperson - 1. Platini 2. Figo 3. Tigana 4. Tardelli 5. Krol 6. Antonin Puc 7. Planicka
2. Edgar Allan Pillow & MJJ & coolredwine - 1. Puskás 2. Masopust 3. Gullit 4. Breitner 5. Deschamps 6. Sol Campbell 7. Schweinsteiger
3. Paolo Di Canio - 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2. Blanc 3. Lev Yashin 4. van Nistelrooy 5. Gentile 6. Domenghini 7. Ballack
4. The Stain - 1. Zidane 2. Czibor 3. Amancio 4. Förster 5. Zagorakis 6. Shearer 7. Wimmer
5. Skizzo & Pat_Mustard - 1. van Basten 2. Netzer 3. Monti 4. Popluhár 5. Bonhof 6. Suker 7. Sergio Ramos
6. Stobzilla - 1. Beckenbauer 2. B.Charlton 3. Bican 4. Gascoigne 5. Brian Laudrup 6. Kuznetsov 7. Capdevila
7. Joga Bonito - 1. Maldini 2. B.Moore 3. Sindelar 4. Bergomi 5. Effenberg 6. Pluskal 7. Hoeneß
8. harms - 1. Dragan Džajić 2. Sárosi 3. Schuster 4. Voronin 5. Brehme 6. Ondruš 7. Bezsonov
9. Aldo - 1. Xavi 2. Iniesta 3. Nedved 4. Lahm 5. Albert 6. Carvalho 7. Cocu
10. Raees & Gio - 1. Rijkaard 2. Facchetti 3. Kohler 4. Henry 5. Zebec 6. Hanappi 7. Beara
11. Theon & NM - 1. Matthäus 2. Bozsik 3. Davids 4. Desailly 5. Kocsis 6. Burgnich 7. Stielike
12. The Red Viper - 1. Gerd Müller 2. Sammer 3. Vieira 4. Shesternyov 5. Cannavaro 6. Piola
13. big red123 - 1. Cruyff 2. Baresi 3. Stoichkov 4. Michael Laudrup 5. Koeman 6. Buzánszky
14. Šjor Bepo & Physiocrat - 1. Luis Suarez 2. Nesta 3. Hidegkuti 4. Ivanov 5. Giresse 6. Stam
15. ctp - 1. Rummenigge 2. Scirea 3. Ocwirk 4. Mazzola 5. Gerets 6. Lizarazu
16. PedroMendez - 1. Meazza 2. Thuram 3. Schmeichel 4. Netto 5. Bene 6. Schwarzenbeck
 
Beara is a brilliant pick. Before 66 and Croatian also, if I'm not mistaken? And doesn't really need an upgrade until the semi/finals.

And Stielike :drool: Too bad I can't pick all the Germans I want, I already have two.
 
Cutch said:
Probably the most laid back of all the regular draft players.
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:lol: Yeah, one of the most comfortable people around and these drafts usually bring out the worst in people. Doesn't really get overly competitive, really open minded about his opinions etc etc.
 
@Raees Fantastic photage. He looks more agile than most modern goalkeepers even, his leap had him floating in the air. Overall very impressed by watching that considering the level keepers usually had at the time.
 
Annahnomoss said:
@Raees Fantastic photage. He looks more agile than most modern goalkeepers even, his leap had him floating in the air. Overall very impressed by watching that considering the level keepers usually had at the time.
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One thing that strikes me about older players and one thing I don't get about the criticism about older players and their ability to feature in the modern game is that some of them came from a very athletic background especially those from Eastern Europe.

His agility is remarkable, a proper gymnast.. many keepers from that era are quite slim built and in that mould but even amongst his peers and the elite of the modern game he seems otherworldly.
 
Just watched Rui Costa in the Euro today and he had some thrilling moments creating chances through his own excellence. Wasn't expecting it was I was watching the matches for other reasons.
 
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