Topic: THE FINAL::Balkan XI:: Viva Betty v Jersey Kopite

[deFacto please, you bastards]

What we've all been waiting for  , the final that will crown the King of the Balkan XI Draft [some of us are still bitter  ]. Get your votes in, I'm tired of harassing the lot of yous for votes 

Viva Betty

Jersey Kopite

Viva Betty

Gk - Vladimir Beara 



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. Whether you consider Yashin the best goalkeeper of all time or not, his testimonial has weight and is what attracted us to Vladimir. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Beara . Research a little deeper and it is clear why he was so revered. His domestic title honours were continuous: 3 in 5 years with Hadjuk Split followed immediately with 4 in 5 years for Red Star. Wherever "the ballet dancer with the hands of steel", went, titles followed. During the 10 year period between 1950-60, for club and Country, he was considered by many, including the great Lev Yashin, to be the best goalkeeper in the world.

RB - Vasilis Torosidis



A blood and guts spartan warrior of a fullback, Torosidis is one of only 5 players to receive 100 or more caps for Greece. A captain for both club and country, he has been a rock in defence for the last 10-15 years. Never afraid to put a crunching tackle, he will run tirelessly up and down our right flank. Think Finnan with facial hair and more goals - with him being the first defender in Greece's history to score 10 international goals. He also had successful stints in Italy for Roma and Bologna, proving he can mix it up with the big boys.

CB - Ivan Buljan



Ivan ‘Iko’ Buljian was a CB for Hadjuk Split, Hamburg and Yugoslavia.. He was Yugoslav player of the year, 1975, and when you look down the list of winners you realise what a prestigious honour it was back then     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_Footballer_of_the_Year#Yugoslav_Footballer_of_the_Year_(1972%E2%80%9390)
One of the few to leave Yugoslavia because of age restrictions placed on players before they were allowed to depart, ‘Iko’ joined Hamburg and Kevin Keegan reaching the European Cup final before losing by the only goal to Forest. A quick, ball playing footballer, he represented Yugoslavia 36 times before seeing out his career at New York Cosmos alongside Carlos Alberto.

CB - Gheorghe Popescu



Popescu is a Romanian legend. Tough, uncompromising, CB, he won trophies in Holland, Spain, Turkey and his native Country where was voted player of the year 6 times in 8 years. Captain of Barca for 4 years where he won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, he then moved to Galatasaray and won both the UEFA and Super Cup with them. Captained his Country and appeared in 3 World Cups., Gheorghe and Ivan form the backbone of a defence that will be hard to beat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gheorghe_Popescu#Honours. Two granite jawed fuckers you would not want to get on the wrong side of. They would have decided beforehand who was going to kick the danger man up in the air and who was going to volley him on the way down.

LB - Grigoris Georgatos



Oft compared to Roberto Carlos for his savage left foot and umm bald head. Crazy Bald as he was nicknamed will be an attacking force down our left flank, offering one hell of a goal threat (he once scored 18 goals in a single season from LB) and doubling up with Greek compatriot Hatzipanagis to terrorise opposition defences and pull them out of shape.

DM - Ilkay Gundogan



Just pretend he never played for the plastics, this man was an absolute force for Klopp back in his Dortmund days. One of the best DMs in world football at the time. He would make the perfect foil for the more offensive attributes of Oblak in midfield - breaking up the play, shielding the defence, and playmaking from deep. If you don't trust me, let Klopp tell you how good he was an "intelligent and complete midfielder with numerous strengths" and a "great attitude", he was able to fit into Dortmund's explosive playing style "by combining creativity and outstanding passing with the defensive attributes and tireless energy needed".

CM - Branko Oblak



Oblak was a playmaker, two footed, with great vision. On moving to Hadjuk Split from his home club, Olympija, in the two seasons he was there they won the domestic double twice. Schalke 04 broke the World transfer record of the time to bring him to Germany, where they finished 2nd in the Bundesliga. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branko_Oblak He came to the attention of Bayern, who bought him and he was the mainstay of their midfield for 3 years culminating in winning the Bundesliga. Branko played for Yugoslavia in the 74 world cup and was selected into the best squad of the World Cup. His best position would be the Alonso role but he could get forward and score goals, too.

RW - Arda Turan



<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Xg2oLlMDLw8&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Xg2oLlMDLw8&amp;</a>

Turan is the greatest Turkish player ever in his position. A flawed genius, he won La Liga with both Atletico and Barca along with Copa Del Rey’s. Europa League and Super Cup winner with Atletico, he is one of only six Barca players to score a hat trick in a Champions League game. He also scored twice as Barca beat Sevilla 5-0 in Spanish super cup final. A phenomenal, skilful, player, he had disciplinary issues that held him back; actually attempting to strangle a Turkish journalist on an airplane flight. He played a 100 times for Turkey scoring 16 times. With his ability to score and assist, he will provide a massive goal threat in open play as well as set pieces. Oh, and he is a Liverpool fan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arda_Turan

AM - Dragan Stojkovic

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Lx2p43NE9DA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Lx2p43NE9DA</a>

A tour de force of attacking midfield playmaking. One of the greatest dribblers of the ball I have ever seen. He glided across the turf. Don't take my word for it. Watch the video above and tell me you disagree. If not for injuries, who knows what might have been. In spite of this he still performed at an extraordinary level throughout his career and is rightly considered one the greatest players to ever come out of Yugoslavia. The star man in our team, he will pull the strings in the attacking third with his sublime vision and bring the best out of those around him by drawing away markers.

LW - Vasilis Hatzipanagis

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/95Vwngzgas4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/95Vwngzgas4</a>

Greece's greatest ever player? Once dubbed the Greek Maradona, this may be a slight exaggeration of his abilities, but certainly not of his raw talent. The man possessed sublime skill, first touch, dribbling, passing, and more. Watch in awe at his video above. He was absolutely unstoppable and utterly unpredictable on his good days. Good luck marking this man. He'll pull you every which way until your head is spinning. Eat your heart out Djalminha. Such a pity he never got the chance to play abroad - back in those days there was less player power and his club simply refused to sell him.

ST - Hakan Sukur

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/T0VXaAiQtXg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/T0VXaAiQtXg</a>

A prolific goalscorer for both club and country, Sukur was renowned for his ability in the air, superbly calm finishing and could outpace most defenders (watch out Kyrgiakos). For such a lanky fella, he really was a complete striker. I find his style of play somewhat reminiscent of our very own God. He netted 383 goals across his career and holds the record for the fastest goal in World Cup history. He also holds Turkish league records as their all-time top scorer (249) and highest ever scorer in the Champions League (22). There's no other way to describe this man but as a GOAL MACHINE.

[/quote]

Jersey Kopite

Oblak - Cynics muttered when I picked a keeper early on. Let them chuckle. Jan Oblak is one of the highest rated keepers in the world and a good shout for the best Balkan keeper of all time. A star for Ateltico Madrid whom he helped to the Champions League final in 2016 and a Europa League win in 2018, he has consistently been rated the best keeper in Spain. He won Primeira Liga Best Goalkeeper in Portugal in 2013–14 and the Spanish equivalent for La Liga in 2015-2016 and 2017-2018, as well as winning the La Liga Zamora trophy for four consecutive seasons between 2015 and 2019, keeping 100 clean sheets in his first 178 games. An incredible feat for a top class 'keeper.

Iovan - You've probably not heard of Stefan Iovan. I know I hadn't. But that gives insufficient credit to the legacy of the first captain of a Balkan side to lift a European Cup. Iovan played for Steaua Bucharest for a decade, amassing 285 appearances, during which time the Romanian giants lifted 5 league titles and four national cups, as well as their sensational European Cup win in 1986. He helped his side keep a clean sheet against Barcelona in the final and followed in the footsteps of some of our own heroes from the preceding years by lifting Big Ears. He was capped for Romania 35 times in his career. Not a well known player in these shores but a hero in Romania for his achievements.

Manolas and Savic - Not a trendy pick as far as centre backs go, and not a hipster pick either. Two solid defenders, both currently carving out impressive careers at Europe's top clubs. Manolas, who in recent weeks moved from Roma to Napoli, was for some years a stalwart of the Giallorossi, a first team player for 5 years after his move from Olympiakos and one of Europe's most highly rated defenders. His wikipedia biography sums him up perfectly so I am shamelessly stealing it.

"Manolas possesses the speed to keep track of smaller, quicker attackers while also possessing the strength needed to battle with more physical opponents. Without the ball, he is both assertive and attentive, never neglecting his defensive duties and always keen for a challenge. He is also a deceptively quick footballer, given his size, able to sweep up behind a high-line but also having the versatility and discipline to play deeper. Few players better combine the virtues of an old-fashioned centre-half with the modern need to build play from the back."

Savic is perhaps underrated in England after an unremarkable spell at Manchester City, but he left the club with a Premier League winners medal to add to his earlier title with with Partizan Belgrade. His career was resurrected by Fiorentina where he played with distinction, helping the team maintain a regular place in the top four of Serie A ultimately earning a transfer to Ateltico Madrid where he has fought against the likes of Godin and Gimenez for first team football in Simeone's set up. With a similar record at Atletico to my keeper Oblak, he has formed a part of a side to restore real pride to Atletico Madrid and have them challenging at the top end of the table and in Europe. He has earned 50 caps for Montenegro (the fourth highest of any player since the formation of the national side) and scored 5 goals.

Fazlagic - I'm not going to claim to have an in depth knowledge of football in the Balkans in the 1960s. Suffice to say I found this name with a bit of research and it's hard not to be swept away by some of the stuff written about him. Wikipedia underplays his qualities by describing him as " a Bosnian-Herzegovinian retired professional footballer and manager, considered one of the best full-backs of his generation." He was a key player in Sarajevo's 1967 Yugoslav league win and was only knocked out of an early European Cup after a horrendous refereeing decision at Old Trafford, something we can all sympathise with. In 1971 he signed a pre-contract agreement with Juventus which would have made him the most expensive defender in the world at that point, but an injury scuppered his move. Fazlagić made 19 appearances for Yugoslavia and was the captain of Yugoslavia during the 1968 European Football Championship, where Yugoslavia finished runners up. He was named in the team of the tournament. A classy player who might have gone on to achieve even more of not for injury.

Basturk - 2002 was so nearly Basturk's year. His Leverkusen side were runners up in the league, made the Champions League final and Turkey went deep in the World Cup. Ultimately he was unable to land any of the trophies, but his contributions to all were significant, so much so that Baştürk finished ninth in the voting for the 2002 Ballon d'Or. A classy midfielder with an eye for a pass and a good goal scoring record (45 goals in 300 professional appearances), he was a few games from real greatness in one year. Whilst he may not be considered one of the best to play the game he remains well regarded in Turkey, despite finishing his career at Blackburn Rovers.

Rakitic - One of the greatest and most decorated midfielders in Croatian football history, Ivan Rakitic is the centre piece of my side. He has been a star wherever he has played, winning the Swiss league with Basel before moving to Schalke and then on to Sevilla. There he won the Europa League 2014 as club captain and earned a move to Barcelona. It is no small feat to become a mainstay of one of the greatest club sides in Europe during a strong period for them, but he has managed it for 5 consecutive years, amassing 265 appearances for Barca and scoring 35 goals. In his first season with Barça, he won the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. He scored the first goal of the 2015 Champions League Final and became the first player ever to win the Champions League a year after winning the Europa League while playing for two clubs. In his 5 years in Barca, at the heart of the side, he has won four Spanish titles and four Spanish cups to go with his European Cup medal. At international level he has over 100 caps for Croatia and was a key member of the side that reached the 2018 world cup final, scoring winning penalty kicks in their last 16 game and quarter final along with a goal against Argentina in the group stages. A superb footballer.

Stelios - Who can forget Stelios Giannakopoulos's shiny bald head flying up and down the right wing for Greece and Bolton? Not I. A legend at Olympiakos where he won seven consecutive league titles between 1997 and 2003 before the crowning achievement of his career as a member of the Euro 2004 winning Greek side. He moved to Bolton in 2003 (which at the time was viewed as a positive career move) where he became a fan favourite, highly rated for his goals and assists and linked with a moved to (amongst others) Liverpool in 2005. He remained at Bolton and became a fixture in their most successful team on the modern era, reaching a League Cup final and playing in Europe. In his last season he helped them to avoid relegation before being released by the club. And just in case that's not enough, he is currently a professional Firefighter working for the Hellenic Fire Service. Top bloke.

Ivan Perisic - Another "current" player but one who has achieved a huge amount in his career, not least avoiding a transfer to Manchester United despite being linked with them in every transfer window. Sensible. Perisic is a versatile and skillful attacking player who I've stuck on the left wing. He made a name for himself while playing for Club Brugge, where he was the Belgian Pro League top goalscorer and was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for 2011. This earned him a transfer to Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won the 2011–12 Bundesliga After a stint at Wolfsburg he was signed by Inter where he remains to this day. It's on the international stage where he has really made a name for himself though, scoring a winner against Iceland in the World Cup group stages before netting a vital goal to level the semi-final against England. He followed that up by becoming the first Balkan player to ever score in a world cup final when he struck against France, though alas he ended up on the losing side. 23 goals scored in an 83 cap haul, it's easy to see why he remains so highly rated. A dangerous and talented player.

Savicevic - The star of the show, and a double European Cup winner (back when that really MEANT something...). His playing style is set out in detail by someone writing on Wikiepdia who has more time for research than I do:

"Considered by many in the sport to be the best footballer Montenegro has ever produced, Savićević was a classic number 10 who preferred functioning in a free role as a playmaker; throughout his career, he was usually deployed in an attacking midfield role, either in a central position behind the striker(s), or out wide on the wings, on either flank, due to his ability to provide crosses to teammates in the area from the left wing, or cut into the centre onto his stronger left foot from the right. He was also deployed as a supporting forward, and occasionally in a central midfield role as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield, or, with even less frequency, along the front line as a main striker. A quick, technically gifted, and agile player, with an athletic physique, he was known in particular for his outstanding pace and acceleration on the ball, as well as his excellent dribbling ability, and close control, which allowed him to beat opposing players with ease; he was also highly regarded for his vision, tactical knowledge, and passing accuracy, which made him a highly effective assist provider, although he was also capable of scoring goals himself as well as creating them, due to his powerful and accurate shot on the run, as well as his precision from penalties. His talent, unpredictability and exploits during his time at Milan earned him the nickname "Il Genio" ("the genius", in Italian)."

So there.

What is clear is his incredible success as a footballer. He led Red Start Belgrade in the most glorious chapter of their history, winning three consecutive league titles and lifting the European Cup with them in 1991. For his role he was runner up in the 1991 Ballon D'Or. He scored vital goals in both legs of the quarter final against Dynamo Dresden and in the semi final against Bayern Munich. He was rewarded for his efforts with a transfer to European giants AC Milan where he won three league titles and another European Cup, scoring in the final in a 4-0 demolition of Barcelona. A wonderfully gifted footballer who just about edged into my consciousness as a young football fan for his exploits.

Viduka - An Aussie who qualifies via his parents Croatian nationality, Mark Viduka is in my mind a hugely underrated forward. His success in the Croatian league with Dinamo Zagreb (three league titles in three seasons, including two league and cup doubles) helped him earn a move to Celtic where his 25 goals in 28 games caught the attention of Leeds United. They signed him in 2001 and he went on to become a prolific striker for the club, scoring 72 goals in 5 seasons at the club (including four in one game against us - sorry) and impressing both domestically and in Europe. In his early days at the club his goals helped push them towards the top 4 and silverware - in his latter days they kept Leeds afloat. In the 2002–03 campaign, Viduka scored 22 goals, including a hat-trick in a 6–1 win at Charlton Athletic and the winner in a 3–2 victory at Arsenal on the penultimate day of the season that effectively saved United from relegation. His hat-trick in the Charlton game is the most recent hat-trick to date by a Leeds United player in the Premier League. In a long career, Viduka scored a hugely impressive 258 goals in 507 professional appearances, a remarkable goalscoring rate.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Fascinating match up.

Sukur scored an incredible amount of goals but could never find his feet outside of Turkey. Viduka on the other hand played his best football at Leeds and while he wasn't the mot prolific centerforward he still has scored 258 goals in 500 some appearances in his career.

Arda Turan and Hatzipanagis are the better supporting wide players than Stelios and Perisic.

Stojkovic v Savicevic, is a hell of a match up, Stojkovic was incredibly gifted and didn't have as much of success as Savicevic due to injuries, but is one of Zvezda's greatest players and Marseille still consider him one of the most talented players they've  ever had. Savicevic on the other hand helped win 2 European Cups with Zvezda and Milan, scored probably the best goal in CL final history, and while he had his battles with Capello, was still able to make an impact on Milan. I'd say Savicevic edges Piksi.

The midfield battle imo is the deciding factor. The balance between Gundogan and Oblak, in terms of position,defensive stability, but also creative exceeds Basturk and Rakitic as a pairing, who I both like as players but I think they would get dominated in this instance.

I like JK's fullbacks at the back, but I like the Buljan Popescu partnership at the center of the defense more than Savic and Manolas [good defenders no doubt but a class below the other two mentioned imo].

The keepers I can't decide between.

Ultimately I'd give Viva/Betty a narrow win over JK

[JerseyKloppite]

Vote for Pedro JerseyKopite.

[vivabobbygraham]

JK only has to call on rawk mods who have banned me to win by a street. I’ll keep a low profile cos it’s Betty blues team really and he is a saint as well as a genius drafter. Vote for Betty blue 

[JerseyKloppite]

JK only has to call on rawk mods who have banned me to win by a street. I’ll keep a low profile cos it’s Betty blues team really and he is a saint as well as a genius drafter. Vote for Betty blue 

There’s an “Edit poll” button if I get really desperate.

JerseyKopite OR
JerseyKloppite.

[Titi Camara]

A friendly reminder to all LFC supporters.....Mark Viduka scored 4 against us in a single game which we lost 4-3 to Leeds!

[vivabobbygraham]

A friendly reminder to all LFC supporters.....Mark Viduka scored 4 against us in a single game which we lost 4-3 to Leeds!

It's started......friendly reminder my arse, Titi 

Trend, get the wives on the phone. We're gonna need all 50 of them...

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Where were you lot in the other semis ?

[JerseyKloppite]

A friendly reminder to all LFC supporters.....Mark Viduka scored 4 against us in a single game which we lost 4-3 to Leeds!

So much for mod solidarity

[Trendisnotdestiny]

It's started......friendly reminder my arse, Titi 

Trend, get the wives on the phone. We're gonna need all 50 of them...

More scary than the batphone, more effective than the Bat Signal

Here ya go, ya old bat!!!!!   

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Well we have a draw!

Send me your 5 penalty takers!

[vivabobbygraham]

More scary than the batphone, more effective than the Bat Signal

Here ya go, ya old bat!!!!!   

Where were they, Trend.? 

[Trendisnotdestiny]

Where were they, Trend.? 

Good question. 

Sister wives are not what they once were