Munster and Touloose.Consistently up there year after year..

lyoto.machida (Meath) - Posts: 343 - 02/02/2010 19:07:53    549736

"Dellboypolecat
County: Tyrone
Posts: 9653

549620 Man utd 99 and 08.... class"..... at getting lucky


nocky. the dutch immigration part. if this was the case why dont all the other teams in holland and amsterdam have youth academys that would even come close to ajax's

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4202 - 02/02/2010 19:30:29    549771

Not a bad side monkey in all fairness, I think that they got to a European Cup QF in 1992 or thereabouts. But as with all historic achievements in Scottish football, Celtic did it first :)

omaghredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 3656 - 02/02/2010 19:49:07    549792

02/02/2010 19:05:03
bad.monkey
County: USA
Posts: 1895

549731
Rangers 9 in a row side was fantastic, im sure even the barstoolers could acknowledge that
___________

Yeah, they were brilliant monkey. How many European Cups did they win again? Or did you mean to say the Celtic 9 in a row side?

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 02/02/2010 19:51:44    549795

So you don't agree that the Dutch have less stringent immigration laws than other countries Lorcan? How do Ajax get work permits for players clubs in other countries can't? Steven Pienaar would probably be a good example of this.

Not sure why you're bringing up other Dutch clubs, I never mentioned anything about them.

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 02/02/2010 20:04:34    549812

real madrid for me

mondred (Wexford) - Posts: 872 - 02/02/2010 21:10:56    549904

Dellboypolecat
County: Tyrone
Posts: 9662

549620
Man utd 99 and 08.... class


I fear this transgresses the title of the thread, as that is two teams.

Now if we accept Man United 08 we would have to add Chelsea. The final was drawn, unless penalty shoot outs suddenly make pone team so much better than the other. If Terry hadn't slipped, would we be saying Chelsea were "great"?

I wouldn't.

And if we accept United in 99 we must accept Bayern, who over that period played United something like 10 games and lost once, in strange circumstances.

Were Bayern great between 1998 and 2002? Well they were 2nd to the Real team who won 3 CL in that period, and to date, no one has said they were great.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 02/02/2010 21:16:06    549909

The Ajax team that won the European Cup in 1995 were basically all Dutch Nocky, had only one or two foreigners playing. The Dutch may have lax immigration laws but that didn't really affect that Ajax team. Stephen Pienaar joined Ajaz about 6 or 7 years after there European Cup win

pplocal (Tyrone) - Posts: 5878 - 03/02/2010 09:48:37    550052

The best I seen with my own eyes has to have been the Celtic team of the late sixties and Ajax in 1973. I seen them play Rangers at Ibrox in the European Super up. Not only did celtic win every honour in 67 but the also won Quizball! This was a BBC tv quiz among the players from all the clubs in Britain. To be honest in last twenty years I have not been to a match involving European club teams so my view is through sepia toner eyes and during a period when every east europeran team who played against a British club was described as a "crack side" by the media.

thistle_harps (UK) - Posts: 879 - 03/02/2010 11:23:28    550139

The point I was making Plunkett was that Dutch immigration laws help clubs like Ajax to sign foreign players, players who wouldn't get work permits to go to other countries e.g. Britain, where they have to have played 75% of their national team's games in the last two years and the team itself must be ranked in the top 70. There are rare exceptions made to this rule, but it is undoubtedly easier to obtain work permits in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium - Man United and Arsenal even have feeder clubs in these countries partly for this reason.

Of course Ajax have a fantastic academy, and the 1995 team was mostly Dutch (Kanu, Litmanen and Finidi George accepted) but that was a once in a lifetime team, and their current squad is dominated by foreign players.

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 03/02/2010 11:35:48    550154

'Of course Ajax have a fantastic academy, and the 1995 team was mostly Dutch (Kanu, Litmanen and Finidi George accepted) but that was a once in a lifetime team, and their current squad is dominated by foreign players. '

I agree and it may be part of the reason for their recent decline. Sadly such is football today that any young talented players produced by academies will be snapped up at the age of 17/18 by the Man United's and Arsenal's of the World

pplocal (Tyrone) - Posts: 5878 - 03/02/2010 11:50:45    550175

bad.monkey
County: USA
Posts: 1895

549731 Rangers 9 in a row side was fantastic, im sure even the barstoolers could acknowledge that

Any European Cups in that time??

stewiegriffin (Tyrone) - Posts: 341 - 03/02/2010 11:50:54    550176

the point im making nocky is it may help, but not near as much as your making out. if it is such a big benefit, why doesnt even 1 other dutch club have a youth academy to match ajax's, if this was the case.

and pienaar was already with ajax. he was scouted out and developed in one of their youth academys before he even came to holland, in their cape town feeder club. so irrelevant to if he ever came to holland or not as he was already part of ajax.

dutch immigration laws might benefit the ajax youth academy very very slightly but thats it. if this wasnt the case all teams in holland would have academys and a history like ajax

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4202 - 03/02/2010 12:30:35    550219

Has to be Hull City. Fine defensive showing last night against the Chelski and Spurs a few weeks back. Deadly from set-pieces. What more do you need?

Plastic Paddy (Tyrone) - Posts: 664 - 03/02/2010 12:51:02    550256

So we are in agreement for once Lorcan. Ajax have one of the best acamedies in Europe, helped by Dutch immigration law.

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 03/02/2010 13:16:05    550291

The Red Star Belgrade team of the late 80's and early 90's is worth a mention also. Players such as Jugovic, Savicevic, Stoijkovic, Mihajlovic, Prosinecki, Pancev etc were technically some of the best I've seen all play together on one team. The war in the Balkans, disintegration of Yugoslavia and sanctions imposed by the United Nations pretty much disbanded this team although it's fair to say I suppose that their transfers to richer leagues was inevitable anyway.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9986 - 03/02/2010 13:18:48    550298

nocky
County: Wexford
Posts: 1269

550291 So we are in agreement for once Lorcan. Ajax have one of the best acamedies in Europe, helped by Dutch immigration law.

to a point. your putting an overbearing on the immigration law. i dont think it has any real benefit. you do. if this was the case all the teams in the netherlands and amsterdam would have similar standard acadamies to ajax's. but they dont

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4202 - 03/02/2010 13:44:31    550331

Feyenoord and PSV do have great youth academies and both clubs have won the European Cup, so more respect should be shown towards them.

32_4_1, I'm surprised you haven't mentioned your favourite legendary team - Werder Bremen?

A lot of "open-minded" folk on here having great difficulty giving British teams credit...

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12485 - 03/02/2010 14:39:09    550394

acrington stanley

09KY36 (Kerry) - Posts: 329 - 03/02/2010 15:10:31    550452

millhouse
County: Meath
Posts: 313

Porto are not one-hit wonders. Go away and educate yourself on this subject before you feel like telling people how it is.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12485 - 03/02/2010 15:14:46    550462