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Official Football Thread (Soccer)
- Thread starter Ryck
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psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
Gudjohnsens agent has said that it seems most likely that he'll levae. He has a few options available to him and he could make his decision before the end of the month.
http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=389291&CPID=8&clid=8&lid=2&title=Eidur+weighs+up+options
After reading that i dont think he';s heading to United. We'll only get a striker if Nistelrooy moves and Nistelrooy ha salready said that nothing regarding his furture will be discussed until after the world cup. If gudjohnsen is going to make a decsion beofre the month its very unlikely it will involve ruud.
http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=389291&CPID=8&clid=8&lid=2&title=Eidur+weighs+up+options
After reading that i dont think he';s heading to United. We'll only get a striker if Nistelrooy moves and Nistelrooy ha salready said that nothing regarding his furture will be discussed until after the world cup. If gudjohnsen is going to make a decsion beofre the month its very unlikely it will involve ruud.
psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
I dont think ruud would want to play for another premiership club either, or certainly not Chelsea anyway. Despite his differences with Fergie, he knows that the man Utd fans love him. he's definately a legend even if he does leave the club now. he's socred 150 goals in just over 200 games and he's been a pleasure to have playing for us. He probably realises how much he means to us fans and if he does leave I dont think he wants to betray or disappoint us by going to another premiership club and he certainly know sthat nothinbg would hurt us more than seeing him play for Chelsea.hadareud said:
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
I don't think the idea is for Gudjohnsen to play up front, if he went to United he'd be a midfielder still.
He probably favours Blackburn though.
He probably favours Blackburn though.
Mama Smurf said:
What do you think of Bentley so far? I think he's coming along nicely, should be getting stronger and stronger over the next couple of years.
I don't know if it was the right decision to sell him, then again he didn't really want to stay, so it was probably for the best.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
He scored a hat trick against United. He's a Blackburn hero forever.
Having said that it's a bit of a struggle to work out what his position is. Is he a striker, a central midfielder, a right winger? Useful player to have in a squad as he plays in all those positions, but until he finds a spot and sticks with it, I'm not sure he'll ever be a regular.
Having said that it's a bit of a struggle to work out what his position is. Is he a striker, a central midfielder, a right winger? Useful player to have in a squad as he plays in all those positions, but until he finds a spot and sticks with it, I'm not sure he'll ever be a regular.
tbh, Arsenal have enough skilled fast wide players, SWP would be just another one. I would have thought Cole/Roberto Carlos would be more likely.
I would have thought SWP would go better at ManU as a backup/replacement for Giggs.
People will not want to go to Chelski if they see very good players just rotting on the bench. SWP was an England player before getting no game time at Cheslki.
I would have thought SWP would go better at ManU as a backup/replacement for Giggs.
People will not want to go to Chelski if they see very good players just rotting on the bench. SWP was an England player before getting no game time at Cheslki.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Roberto Carlos is 33, unless you're Chelsea there's little point, you'd just be paying high wages to a guy at the end of his career with maybe 2 years left. Wenger won't even bring in a 28 year old, so 33 is out of the question.
Cole says "why not?" when asked if he'll be at Arsenal next season anyway, so he might stay. Might not, but Henry did, so I wouldn't be surprised.
I agree that Arsenal probably don't need Wright-Phillips, but he does offer something different. He goes down the line past players rather than inside, gets to the byline and crosses it. Whether that's something Arsenal want, I don't know, but it's very different to Hleb or Ljungberg.
Still think he would do best at Liverpool, who are crying out for a right winger.
Cole says "why not?" when asked if he'll be at Arsenal next season anyway, so he might stay. Might not, but Henry did, so I wouldn't be surprised.
I agree that Arsenal probably don't need Wright-Phillips, but he does offer something different. He goes down the line past players rather than inside, gets to the byline and crosses it. Whether that's something Arsenal want, I don't know, but it's very different to Hleb or Ljungberg.
Still think he would do best at Liverpool, who are crying out for a right winger.
Well Pires is all but confirmed to be heading to Villareal so in a sense a SWP/Cole swap might still make sense, though again I just don't see it happening. I think Cole is gonna stay with the Gunners anyway, unless someone just blows Arsenal's doors off with an offer.
Apparantely the Evening Standard has a "Where the fuck did THAT come from?" story published earlier today about the Gunners going after Michael Owen. I've seen nothing else about this on the net, but it was typed up at this link so you can read it and draw your own conclusions.
http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1636&posts=1#M15008
I've always wanted to see Owen at Arsenal, but to be honest I hope he stays at Newcastle...spread the talent around the EPL. Plus with Shearer gone, Owen is THE guy...without him they'd be more faceless than Charlton. Anyway I doubt there's much to that one, but the Rosicky deal seemed to come out of nowhere so who the hell knows.
Apparantely the Evening Standard has a "Where the fuck did THAT come from?" story published earlier today about the Gunners going after Michael Owen. I've seen nothing else about this on the net, but it was typed up at this link so you can read it and draw your own conclusions.
http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1636&posts=1#M15008
I've always wanted to see Owen at Arsenal, but to be honest I hope he stays at Newcastle...spread the talent around the EPL. Plus with Shearer gone, Owen is THE guy...without him they'd be more faceless than Charlton. Anyway I doubt there's much to that one, but the Rosicky deal seemed to come out of nowhere so who the hell knows.
psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
If Newcastle buy the right players then they could be a strong force next season. they already have some very good players like Owen, Parker, Emre and Given. Kuyt would be a great addition to the squad. He p-lays upfront but i think he can also play on the wings. nid still like to see ameobi play upfront because he's been impressive. I also read somewhere that Roeder might be getting Wright - Philips, which would be another excellent buy.
brooklyngooner
Member
There is a lot of talk that Wenger will attempt to offload Campbell who makes a lot of money and offer a long-term deal to keep Cole. I was sure Cole was gone the way he was talking but now it seems some kind of love-in exists at Arsenal with Titi signing on (WE GOT THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD) and he might stay after all. I'd pee my pants for Cole and Eboue at the fullbacks.
And if Juve have the firesale they may be forced to, Thuram has always been a long-term target for Wenger. If Arsenal do sign Thuram and possibly Torres or another top-class forward then I would back decent odds for Arsenal to win the league, certainly to challenge for the title all the way. Even a 4-5-1 with a MF of Hleb/Rosicky/Silva/Cesc/Freddie the Nutter with Henry up front would dismantle most defenses with ease.
And if Juve have the firesale they may be forced to, Thuram has always been a long-term target for Wenger. If Arsenal do sign Thuram and possibly Torres or another top-class forward then I would back decent odds for Arsenal to win the league, certainly to challenge for the title all the way. Even a 4-5-1 with a MF of Hleb/Rosicky/Silva/Cesc/Freddie the Nutter with Henry up front would dismantle most defenses with ease.
brooklyngooner
Member
My concern with Owen would always be injuries. But if fit Arsenal's style would set his speed alight and he'd net 20 a season I bet. Just don't ever ask us to score in the air.
Edit: I meant also to write, can you blame Wenger for always buying abroad? 8 mil rejected for Andy fucking Johnson? 7.5 mil for one of the best attacking mids in Europe. Boggles the mind.
Edit: I meant also to write, can you blame Wenger for always buying abroad? 8 mil rejected for Andy fucking Johnson? 7.5 mil for one of the best attacking mids in Europe. Boggles the mind.
brooklyngooner
Member
Hooker said:
In some respects, I can understand that and agree with it -- I do wish Arsenal had an English captain a la Tony Adams, and we have tried to bring through or buy English players here and there, they just haven't made the grade (Jeffers, Bentley, Pennant, etc. Well, Pennant probably could have, he just couldn't stop driving his car into a tree).
The bottom line though is that comparable players will cost two to three times as much if they're English, and with Wenger's eye for talent, I'd rather see him take chances with a number of 2 million euro buys than a couple at 5 or 6.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
I can't see that Owen thing being true at all. It's not a position Arsenal particularly need strengthening, Newcastle aren't going to let him go and their money is better spent elsewhere.
More news, I love transfer windows:
- Like psycho said, Newcastle might be in the chase for Wright-Phillips too now. He'd be a pretty good addition...but they already have Solano out there and what they really need is a left winger, another striker, a centre back and a left back. If they can afford W-P on top of that, great. If not, they should buy where necessary.
- With a possible Liverpool target now becoming a possible Newcastle target, it's only fair to have one the other way round too. Kuyt says Liverpool have made enquiries about him. We know they're after a striker or two, so I'm going to go ahead and believe this one. You know, everytime I see a striker not called Bellamy linked to one of these clubs, I get a happy in my pants.
- Just how much money do Spurs have?! Yeah they have a packed stadium every week, but so do lots of Premiership teams. They haven't been in Europe for years, they haven't got very far in a cup competition for a long time, they don't have an Abramovich, their record sale is only £5.5m and that was 14 years ago...where the hell do they get their money! I hope they're not pulling a Leeds, we know how that turned out.
Anyway, the reason I say this is that they're linked to yet more players. They've already signed Berbatov for £11m, they're almost certainly going to sign Carlton Cole for £2m, they've been trying to sign Chimbonda for £3m and will probably end up getting him for about £4.5m, they want Zokora who's going to cost them like another £10m and now they've tried to buy possible Arsenal target Curtis Davies for £3.5m. They've been turned down by West Brom, but who knows if they'll crack if the bid is upped or the player asks to leave. That isn't even taking into account a rumour that they want Wayne Bridge or the obvious gap on the left side of their midfield which I'm certain they want to fill.
- Gudjohnsen's dad and agent says he wants to leave Chelsea and "go to a club where he can win lots of titles and Barca could be the one." Yeah, well if that's the criteria then Barca's pretty much the only choice. He might win titles at Man Utd, he'd certainly win trophies, but there's no guarantee. There's none at Barca either, it's just more likely than not. He couldn't go to an Italian club right now, for obvious reasons. If he wants to stay in the big 3 leagues and be somewhere he'll almost certainly win titles, Barcelona is the only choice. If he doesn't mind other leagues, Bayern Munich could do with a new attacking midfielder. Still don't understand why he's going somehwere he'll be on the bench most of the time though. Maybe he thinks he won't be.
- The United doctor has been sacked. They say it's for a non-footballing reason...yeah, right. He just happened to be sacked at the same time as treating Rooney and Ferguson seemingly insistent that Rooney isn't going to make it, despite every other report being that right now he's more likely than not to be able to play a part in the tournament. We all know how Ferguson is when someone does or says something he doesn't like (Beckham, Keane, Stam, Van Nistelrooy), looks like it's not just his players who feel the wrath.
- Wigan have had an £8.5m bid for Andy Johnson accepted. I hope if they get him Blackburn can sign Camara, but I haven't heard anything in that regard, and Portsmouth want him anyway.
- Viduka says he might leave Middlesbrough now that McClaren has gone. His contract is up at the end of the upcoming season, so they can either sell him now and get some money or risk him leaving on a free. He's 30 already, but his game isn't really about pace and if you can get him cheap enough, it's worth it. I'd love to see him at Blackburn, as I can't really see any of the bigger clubs going for him.
More news, I love transfer windows:
- Like psycho said, Newcastle might be in the chase for Wright-Phillips too now. He'd be a pretty good addition...but they already have Solano out there and what they really need is a left winger, another striker, a centre back and a left back. If they can afford W-P on top of that, great. If not, they should buy where necessary.
- With a possible Liverpool target now becoming a possible Newcastle target, it's only fair to have one the other way round too. Kuyt says Liverpool have made enquiries about him. We know they're after a striker or two, so I'm going to go ahead and believe this one. You know, everytime I see a striker not called Bellamy linked to one of these clubs, I get a happy in my pants.
- Just how much money do Spurs have?! Yeah they have a packed stadium every week, but so do lots of Premiership teams. They haven't been in Europe for years, they haven't got very far in a cup competition for a long time, they don't have an Abramovich, their record sale is only £5.5m and that was 14 years ago...where the hell do they get their money! I hope they're not pulling a Leeds, we know how that turned out.
Anyway, the reason I say this is that they're linked to yet more players. They've already signed Berbatov for £11m, they're almost certainly going to sign Carlton Cole for £2m, they've been trying to sign Chimbonda for £3m and will probably end up getting him for about £4.5m, they want Zokora who's going to cost them like another £10m and now they've tried to buy possible Arsenal target Curtis Davies for £3.5m. They've been turned down by West Brom, but who knows if they'll crack if the bid is upped or the player asks to leave. That isn't even taking into account a rumour that they want Wayne Bridge or the obvious gap on the left side of their midfield which I'm certain they want to fill.
- Gudjohnsen's dad and agent says he wants to leave Chelsea and "go to a club where he can win lots of titles and Barca could be the one." Yeah, well if that's the criteria then Barca's pretty much the only choice. He might win titles at Man Utd, he'd certainly win trophies, but there's no guarantee. There's none at Barca either, it's just more likely than not. He couldn't go to an Italian club right now, for obvious reasons. If he wants to stay in the big 3 leagues and be somewhere he'll almost certainly win titles, Barcelona is the only choice. If he doesn't mind other leagues, Bayern Munich could do with a new attacking midfielder. Still don't understand why he's going somehwere he'll be on the bench most of the time though. Maybe he thinks he won't be.
- The United doctor has been sacked. They say it's for a non-footballing reason...yeah, right. He just happened to be sacked at the same time as treating Rooney and Ferguson seemingly insistent that Rooney isn't going to make it, despite every other report being that right now he's more likely than not to be able to play a part in the tournament. We all know how Ferguson is when someone does or says something he doesn't like (Beckham, Keane, Stam, Van Nistelrooy), looks like it's not just his players who feel the wrath.
- Wigan have had an £8.5m bid for Andy Johnson accepted. I hope if they get him Blackburn can sign Camara, but I haven't heard anything in that regard, and Portsmouth want him anyway.
- Viduka says he might leave Middlesbrough now that McClaren has gone. His contract is up at the end of the upcoming season, so they can either sell him now and get some money or risk him leaving on a free. He's 30 already, but his game isn't really about pace and if you can get him cheap enough, it's worth it. I'd love to see him at Blackburn, as I can't really see any of the bigger clubs going for him.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Owen isn't that injury prone, he's not a Dyer or Dunn or anything, who can't seem to walk onto a pitch without breaking their ankle. This season's been his worst, and the season before he only played 27 games (you can thank Real for that rather than injury), but aside from that he's never played less than 30 games a season. You don't get 75 England caps by the time you're 25 by being injured all the time. In the 9 seasons he's been around, he's averaged over 38 games a year. And if you take away this awful season at Newcastle, it goes to almost 42 games a season.
As for not all that good...don't make me go and find an old post of mine after someone else said that.
I can't see Wenger ever buying Thuram. He's 34 already, there's just no way that's gonna happen. I don't think Wenger has ever signed anyone over 28 (possibly 27, I'd have to work it out), aside from goalkeepers who obviously go on longer without so many fitness worries.
As for not all that good...don't make me go and find an old post of mine after someone else said that.
I can't see Wenger ever buying Thuram. He's 34 already, there's just no way that's gonna happen. I don't think Wenger has ever signed anyone over 28 (possibly 27, I'd have to work it out), aside from goalkeepers who obviously go on longer without so many fitness worries.
brooklyngooner
Member
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=368696&cc=5739
As for Thuram, he would make an exception if he could get him relatively cheaply and short-term. He would make allowances in very specific instances. Part of the reason he's standing firm on Pires is that he's got too many quality midfielders coming through.
As for Thuram, he would make an exception if he could get him relatively cheaply and short-term. He would make allowances in very specific instances. Part of the reason he's standing firm on Pires is that he's got too many quality midfielders coming through.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Newcastle would have to be complete idiots to put a £12m release clause in a contract for a player they signed for £17m. It makes no sense whatsoever, so I don't believe it exists.
If Arsenal were that desperate for centre backs, 2 days of the transfer window to go, I could see them signing a 34 year old. As it is I think Wenger has a lot of faith in Toure and Senderos even if Campbell goes, and he'll just buy some younger centre back. They should go for Huth dammit, even if that means the embarrassment of buying a rival's 4th choice centre back. In the end, it'd make them stronger and they could hopefully turn it around in 5 years time and say what idiots Chelsea were for selling Huth, the now best centre back in the country.
If Arsenal were that desperate for centre backs, 2 days of the transfer window to go, I could see them signing a 34 year old. As it is I think Wenger has a lot of faith in Toure and Senderos even if Campbell goes, and he'll just buy some younger centre back. They should go for Huth dammit, even if that means the embarrassment of buying a rival's 4th choice centre back. In the end, it'd make them stronger and they could hopefully turn it around in 5 years time and say what idiots Chelsea were for selling Huth, the now best centre back in the country.
brooklyngooner
Member
I'm all for Huth if we could have him at 4, I'm not even against Davies, but I'd still much rather use that (potential) Owen money to buy a more established centerback. I'm trying come up with names but am fail right now, but perhaps a Mexes or a van Buyten. That way Senderos could be the third-choice gets-a-game-against-City kind of player, less pressure and more time to develop further.
Why do Spurs even want Davies when they have King and Dawson? Do they expect one to walk? To Arsenal on a free? Because Spurs are shit?
Why do Spurs even want Davies when they have King and Dawson? Do they expect one to walk? To Arsenal on a free? Because Spurs are shit?
brooklyngooner
Member
Mama Smurf said:
I don't either unless during the negotiations Owen insisted upon it as a condition to come. It's not like Newcastle were his first choice, but it's also not like he had that many other interested suitors given his price tag.
For the record, I like Owen a great deal, and would love to see him at Arsenal. And I'd rather Owen at 12 than Torres at that price or more (which I expect it'd be). I also think he'd drop everything to play here except if the Pool ever came back in for him.
psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
Spurs are fucking mental. They just keep buying. half their players are expensive, the other half they dont even need. If they keep up their habit of buying any young english player they're going to need to build a playground.
psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
As for Owen, do Arsenal even need him? Since they've bought Rosicky they're probably going to play him just behind henry and if henry isnt going to play then they have Van perise adebeyyor or reyes to select.
brooklyngooner
Member
:lol It is certainly very bizarre. At any rate they'll certainly need to keep them from vomiting and having explosive diarrhoea if they want to challenge for a CL place.
brooklyngooner
Member
psycho_snake said:
They don't really, I certainly think the CB rounds them out far better than another forward, at at any rate as you say in the CL I'm sure God is going to use the 4-5-1 that got us to the final.
The only thing that ever worries me is how fortunate we've been with Henry and injuries. If he ever goes down for a lengthy spell, Adebayor and Reyes aren't striking (no horrible, horrible pun intended) fear into anyone's hearts.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Spurs want to turn the top 4 big clubs into a top 5, and nowadays that means working towards a squad that contains one great side, and another side that would at least challenge for Europe. Chelsea are already there (that's why everyone else is doing it), United are almost there, Liverpool are almost there, Arsenal are almost there (these 3 just need a few more signings this summer and they've done it)...Spurs want to be there. So all these attempted signings, including a third good centre back, aren't that surprising, I just don't understand where they get the money from.
Assuming Arsenal keep Cole, they should just sign a centre back and defensive midfielder. Do they not need that last one anymore, I'm not sure. People don't seem to bring it up as much as they used to, is Diaby the answer? Between them Silva, Flamini and Diaby are all very competent defensive midfielders, but none of them really seem to dominate midfield in the way you'd want. To be fair, Diaby hasn't had much of a chance yet to show if he can or not.
You know, Ledley King would be perfect. Shame he signed a new contract, he's basically untouchable now. Can play both positions and do it well. Other options...well, I guess you could say Yobo is established, but only at Everton. He's not like an established big name or anything. Maybe you could take Upson back? Steal Anton Ferdinand? He's not established, but I think we all know he's going to turn out to be one of the better centre backs in the country. Otherwise, I think it's looking abroad time again.
Assuming Arsenal keep Cole, they should just sign a centre back and defensive midfielder. Do they not need that last one anymore, I'm not sure. People don't seem to bring it up as much as they used to, is Diaby the answer? Between them Silva, Flamini and Diaby are all very competent defensive midfielders, but none of them really seem to dominate midfield in the way you'd want. To be fair, Diaby hasn't had much of a chance yet to show if he can or not.
You know, Ledley King would be perfect. Shame he signed a new contract, he's basically untouchable now. Can play both positions and do it well. Other options...well, I guess you could say Yobo is established, but only at Everton. He's not like an established big name or anything. Maybe you could take Upson back? Steal Anton Ferdinand? He's not established, but I think we all know he's going to turn out to be one of the better centre backs in the country. Otherwise, I think it's looking abroad time again.
brooklyngooner
Member
Yobo is a name that has come up often. I think with Ferdinand it would be a case of the cost not being equal to the talent, but I don't mean that in an insulting way, just the whole English players cost a lot more thing; I bet West Ham would want 15-18 for him. So yes I think we'd go abroad for sure.
I still want to see the Arse get Zokora. Even if Spurs are in on him, I can't see anyone picking Spurs over Arsenal. He's really the MF muscleman they could use.
No one is sure how Diaby will turn out, he won't be ready for the start of the season. Apparently the ankle break was really, really bad.
I still want to see the Arse get Zokora. Even if Spurs are in on him, I can't see anyone picking Spurs over Arsenal. He's really the MF muscleman they could use.
No one is sure how Diaby will turn out, he won't be ready for the start of the season. Apparently the ankle break was really, really bad.
psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
:lol Spurs have seen their best chance of getting a CL spot disappear. Arsenal are going to be a much stronger force next season, they'll be back to their best if Wenger keeps sighing the right players. 'Pool and united are only going to get better too. newcastle also look they could be a very tough team next season if Roeder adds to the quality that he does have in his squad. Ii just dont see spurs getting close to a CL spot next season. i still cant believe that Jol thinks in a couple of seasons spurs can win the league:lolbrooklyngooner said:
Adebeyor might just need a little bit of time to settle into the premiership. he's shown signs that he can become a good player and i think we're going to see better performances from him.brooklyngooner said:
Reyes can be a nightmare for defenders. I dont know whats happened to him, but at the beginning of the 2004/05 campaign reyes looked unstobbable until the Neville brothers tried to take off his feet. Thats not what stopped him from being so good, but its because he's been playing on the wing a lot. he does well there but i think hes being wasted. Reyes is at his best when he's upfront.
Obviously none of your strimkers are going to be as good as henry are, but every club has a player that they cant deal without. man Utd were lucky that it was th end of the season when Rooney got injured because we would be scrwed. van nistelrooy and saha are both great strikers who can get 20+ goals but they dont play well together and they dont have the same vision and creativity that Rooney does. liverpool would be completely buttfucked if Gerred was out for a long time. They would go froma top 4 team to a mid table team.
psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
Its such a shame what happoened to him. he's still really young and has such a bright future ahead of him, but some stuppid sunderland player trying to make a name for himself goes and wrecks the guys foot.brooklyngooner said:
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
When that tackle went in I went mad, and I didn't even know how serious it was at the time. It was juts so stupid. Not so much the tackle itself, though that wasn't good, but the timing of it. Right at the end of a game they've obviously lost, already relegated...why did he need to make the tackle at all? If they were drawing or just a goal behind and could still stay up, I'd understand it. As it is...he's just a complete twat for that tackle.
Speaking of the Premiership being stronger next season, I really worry for the promoted teams. When you look at the teams who didn't go down...you really couldn't pick relegation candidates from them. Portsmouth had an unbelievable end to the season, and with their new found wealth I expect that to continue. Villa had a terrible season, but they were never really in the relegation battle and while I don't expect anything better from them next season, i can't see them going down. Man City plummeted at the end of the season, but I think a lot of that was psychological and with a fresh start they should be fine. I don't believe a team with strikers like Samaras, Cole, Vassell and Dickov can go down, not unless they sell some big stars. Middlesbrough are a fucking weird team, and who knows, maybe the loss of McClaren will fuck them up, but again...they have the players to stop a relegation. They'll probably carry on winning games they should lose and losing games they should win and end up mid table. Charlton...maybe the only team I can see going down. It all depends on which manager they get and if they keep Bent. Fulham somehow managed to finish 12th, and I know they're a decent side as they have a superb home record. All they need is a few wins away on top of that and they'll be a top half side. And Newcastle without Souness is a whole different prospect to Newcastle with him.
Aside from the teams coming up, I'm more worried about the surprise packages of this season. Blackburn, Wigan, West Ham...not sure we're going to have such a good time of it next year. I sure hope we do, and I think we're all far too strong to go down, but if we're bottom half I won't be surprised. Just pissed off.
Speaking of the Premiership being stronger next season, I really worry for the promoted teams. When you look at the teams who didn't go down...you really couldn't pick relegation candidates from them. Portsmouth had an unbelievable end to the season, and with their new found wealth I expect that to continue. Villa had a terrible season, but they were never really in the relegation battle and while I don't expect anything better from them next season, i can't see them going down. Man City plummeted at the end of the season, but I think a lot of that was psychological and with a fresh start they should be fine. I don't believe a team with strikers like Samaras, Cole, Vassell and Dickov can go down, not unless they sell some big stars. Middlesbrough are a fucking weird team, and who knows, maybe the loss of McClaren will fuck them up, but again...they have the players to stop a relegation. They'll probably carry on winning games they should lose and losing games they should win and end up mid table. Charlton...maybe the only team I can see going down. It all depends on which manager they get and if they keep Bent. Fulham somehow managed to finish 12th, and I know they're a decent side as they have a superb home record. All they need is a few wins away on top of that and they'll be a top half side. And Newcastle without Souness is a whole different prospect to Newcastle with him.
Aside from the teams coming up, I'm more worried about the surprise packages of this season. Blackburn, Wigan, West Ham...not sure we're going to have such a good time of it next year. I sure hope we do, and I think we're all far too strong to go down, but if we're bottom half I won't be surprised. Just pissed off.
brooklyngooner
Member
I think part of the problem with a CL with four teams from the Prem is that you've created a financially near-worthless UEFA Cup and such a gap between top four and the rest so as to render the title exciting on a personal level to fans of only four sides. I know Europe is always the goal, but how jazzed can you really get for the UEFA Cup when you'll play away to teams you've never heard of? Past UEFA Cups have still always had the Inter Milans, Valencias, Ajaxes, etc., teams with European pedigrees you could really look forward to playing. This year's will have Gretna, for Christ's sake (even though I know it was because of how the Scottish Cup turned out).
For some reason I have a feeling Watford is the most likely to stay up of the three, despite Reading's dominance. I think United are down for certain. Oh and be prepared to loathe Neil Warnock with a passion. Too early to forecast but I can see Watford staying up at Charlton's expense and possibly Reading at Wigan's (I can see them as an Ipswich Town).
For some reason I have a feeling Watford is the most likely to stay up of the three, despite Reading's dominance. I think United are down for certain. Oh and be prepared to loathe Neil Warnock with a passion. Too early to forecast but I can see Watford staying up at Charlton's expense and possibly Reading at Wigan's (I can see them as an Ipswich Town).
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
I reckon I can fix the UEFA Cup. Not fully, we'd have to tear apart the Champions League to do that.
First things first. No tables. Straight up two legged knock out format. Secondly, later entry for teams from the bigger leagues, so less chance of seeing two or three rounds of crap fixtures. Thirdly, more teams from the bigger leagues...England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Holland, Portugal. Just one more place each would mean I immediately know 7 more teams, and actually half look forward to ties against them. Finally, there should be prize money for every round a team gets through. Fans should think "Excellent, we're in the UEFA Cup, we'll be able to buy more players", not "Oh shit, we're in the UEFA Cup, how tired will our players be in the league for no guaranteed reward?" It doesn't have to be much, I'm not even talking in the realms of CL money, just enough to make it worth it.
If I can see a cup with Spurs, Blackburn, Newcastle, Bolton, West Ham, Roma, Lazio, Chievo, Palermo, Livorno, Osasuna, Celta Vigo, Villarreal, Deportivo La Coruna, Getafe, Feyenoord, Ajax, FC Groningen, Utrecht, Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen, Hertha Berlin, Borussia Dortmund, Lens, Marseille, Auxerre, Stade Rennais, Benfica, Braga, Nacional, Boavista and the best of the rest (the crap has been knocked out by now), with financial rewards, I'd actually be quite interested in it.
First things first. No tables. Straight up two legged knock out format. Secondly, later entry for teams from the bigger leagues, so less chance of seeing two or three rounds of crap fixtures. Thirdly, more teams from the bigger leagues...England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Holland, Portugal. Just one more place each would mean I immediately know 7 more teams, and actually half look forward to ties against them. Finally, there should be prize money for every round a team gets through. Fans should think "Excellent, we're in the UEFA Cup, we'll be able to buy more players", not "Oh shit, we're in the UEFA Cup, how tired will our players be in the league for no guaranteed reward?" It doesn't have to be much, I'm not even talking in the realms of CL money, just enough to make it worth it.
If I can see a cup with Spurs, Blackburn, Newcastle, Bolton, West Ham, Roma, Lazio, Chievo, Palermo, Livorno, Osasuna, Celta Vigo, Villarreal, Deportivo La Coruna, Getafe, Feyenoord, Ajax, FC Groningen, Utrecht, Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen, Hertha Berlin, Borussia Dortmund, Lens, Marseille, Auxerre, Stade Rennais, Benfica, Braga, Nacional, Boavista and the best of the rest (the crap has been knocked out by now), with financial rewards, I'd actually be quite interested in it.
I like Reyes, but in the games I've watched this season he's looked pretty invisible and has given the ball up a lot. As someone else already pointed out, he seems to do better on the wing...he needs to be up front, maybe flanking Henry a little more. Arsenal's striking future looks amazing even after Henry retires, presuming they can hold onto Van Persie, Walcott, et al.
- Arsenal and Man U have been given notice by Shakhtar Donetsk that Ukraine midfielder Anatoli Tymoschuk is on the table. He's apparantely a tough tackling, defensive-type player who would seem to be the perfect fit for either club. Wenger is apparantely a long time admirer of him, and I think Liverpool's had an eye on him as well.
- Newcastle dismisses the Owen to Arsenal talk as "absolutely rubbish", which means we can expect a deal any day now. :lol Nah, just kidding.
- Chelsea has apparantely offered a three year, 100,000 pound a week deal to 33 year old Roberto Carlos. If someone can explain to me how that offer makes any sense, please let me know.
- Newcastle dismisses the Owen to Arsenal talk as "absolutely rubbish", which means we can expect a deal any day now. :lol Nah, just kidding.
- Chelsea has apparantely offered a three year, 100,000 pound a week deal to 33 year old Roberto Carlos. If someone can explain to me how that offer makes any sense, please let me know.
psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
Pires has signed a 2 year contract for Villareal. Thanks for entertaining us with your talent and your over theatrical diving Robert, you wont be forgotten
Today is the big day for England and Wayne rooney. He gets his scan later today and then we'll be able to find out wether or not he can participate in the world cup and at what stage.
Today is the big day for England and Wayne rooney. He gets his scan later today and then we'll be able to find out wether or not he can participate in the world cup and at what stage.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
They're paving the way for Ronaldinho. Finally the Preimiership will have a big name Brazilian star, and he can report back to others about how good life is, and then they'll all flood in.
Or so I hope. In reality, Chelsea don't care about cost. It's like a rich person getting a haircut. They'll go to the best place and it'll cost 10 times as much as a normal place, while only looking 10% better. It doesn't matter though, they're so rich that there's no "is it worth it" anymore, worth doesn't exist to them, all it's about it which place gives the best haircut. Likewise with Chelsea, they don't have to think about how much a player costs, how much they're paying him in wages or how long he has left, all they're looking at is will he make the team better.
I've never heard of Tymoschuk, be interesting to see if anyone goes for him. I assume I'll be able to check him out at the World Cup.
- Fran Merida, Barcelona whizkid superstar, is almost certainly going to Arsenal. Barca are...slightly peeved. United took Pique off them, Arsenal took Fabregas and now they've come back for more. I think he's 16, but he could still be 15. He's a playmaker in the Ronaldinho mold and is apparently an even hotter prospect than Fabregas was. We'll see whether that's true or not, but for now, check him out:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7x2gg7CsZuM&search=fran merida
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6P7xfrfeQc4&search=fran merida
The second video isn't as good, but it does have some cool moments including a free kick. His talent is obvious. And god bless youtube.
He's already training with Arsenal, it's basically a done deal. It's Barcelona's own stupid fault that he's going to join Arsenal for nothing, they were supposed to have three Barca signatures on his youth contract, but only put one. I don't know when he'll actually sign, but soon.
Laporta (Barca president) is piiiiiiissed, claiming English clubs steal from their youth system when they've put all the effort in, and he certainly has a point there (though it's the player's choice whether they leave or not, English clubs can't force them), but he doesn't when he says English clubs don't have a youth system so have to steal from elsewhere. We have youth systems and steal from elsewhere. Man utd might take Pique and Rossi off other teams, but they also bring through Giggs, Scholes, Butt, Beckham, Brown, O'Shea, Gary Neville, Phil Neville. And others, like Robbie Savage and Keith Gillespie who may not have made it at Man Utd, but have done well at a top level elsewhere.
I'm less sure about which Arsenal players came through their youth system and which were more like Fabregas who were brought in young and still developed, but spent much of their time elsewhere. Ashley Cole definitely came right through it, Bentley, Upson and Pennant too, though they've been sold on to other Premiership sides (I think Upson and Pennant could have made it, though you can't blame them for leaving and looking for first team football elsewhere...kind of like the Barca youth players). It doesn't seem as good as Barca's or United's, but it still exists.
Oh yeah, and Arsenal might be taking Israeli youth striker Gay Assulin off Barca's hands too :lol They wanna be careful, do it too much and FIFA are going to start slapping laws down to prevent this sort of thing.
- Blackburn might be going for Heskey for £3.5m...sigh. I dunno. I want another striker, and a big powerful striker is ideal...but Heskey? I've never understood the love for him. He had like one really good season at Liverpool and apart from that...never better than decent. Over his whole career he's scored 1 goal every 4 games, about the same in just the Premiership, but since he's been at Birmingham it's more like 1 in 5. If he can get us 10 Premiership goals a year, then yeah, it's worth it, but if it's more like 7 or 8 then we already have strikers who can do that.
- The John Obi Mikel saga might finally be over. He's the 19 year old Nigerian midfielder who signed for Man Utd...but then said he was forced to and he really wants to go to Chelsea. I don't know who's in the wrong and don't much care, the whole thing is boring me, but Chelsea are rumoured to be giving United £10m to stop fighting them over him, which, given that you don't really want a player who refuses to join you, is a pretty good deal. I think it stopped being about the player for United a long time ago, and was more about not letting Chelsea get away with what whatever it is they think they're getting away with.
- Woodgate might be coming back to the Premiership. I'm not entirely sure if it's going to happen though, even if he wants to and Real are willing to sell. I can't see any big club buying him as he's such an injury risk, and I'm not sure any smaller club willing to take that risk for a quality player will be able to afford him. Depends how much Madrid want.
- Should find out Shevchenko's future later today. I know a lot of you don't want to see Chelsea get any stronger, but personally I'd love to see him in the Premiership.
Or so I hope. In reality, Chelsea don't care about cost. It's like a rich person getting a haircut. They'll go to the best place and it'll cost 10 times as much as a normal place, while only looking 10% better. It doesn't matter though, they're so rich that there's no "is it worth it" anymore, worth doesn't exist to them, all it's about it which place gives the best haircut. Likewise with Chelsea, they don't have to think about how much a player costs, how much they're paying him in wages or how long he has left, all they're looking at is will he make the team better.
I've never heard of Tymoschuk, be interesting to see if anyone goes for him. I assume I'll be able to check him out at the World Cup.
- Fran Merida, Barcelona whizkid superstar, is almost certainly going to Arsenal. Barca are...slightly peeved. United took Pique off them, Arsenal took Fabregas and now they've come back for more. I think he's 16, but he could still be 15. He's a playmaker in the Ronaldinho mold and is apparently an even hotter prospect than Fabregas was. We'll see whether that's true or not, but for now, check him out:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7x2gg7CsZuM&search=fran merida
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6P7xfrfeQc4&search=fran merida
The second video isn't as good, but it does have some cool moments including a free kick. His talent is obvious. And god bless youtube.
He's already training with Arsenal, it's basically a done deal. It's Barcelona's own stupid fault that he's going to join Arsenal for nothing, they were supposed to have three Barca signatures on his youth contract, but only put one. I don't know when he'll actually sign, but soon.
Laporta (Barca president) is piiiiiiissed, claiming English clubs steal from their youth system when they've put all the effort in, and he certainly has a point there (though it's the player's choice whether they leave or not, English clubs can't force them), but he doesn't when he says English clubs don't have a youth system so have to steal from elsewhere. We have youth systems and steal from elsewhere. Man utd might take Pique and Rossi off other teams, but they also bring through Giggs, Scholes, Butt, Beckham, Brown, O'Shea, Gary Neville, Phil Neville. And others, like Robbie Savage and Keith Gillespie who may not have made it at Man Utd, but have done well at a top level elsewhere.
I'm less sure about which Arsenal players came through their youth system and which were more like Fabregas who were brought in young and still developed, but spent much of their time elsewhere. Ashley Cole definitely came right through it, Bentley, Upson and Pennant too, though they've been sold on to other Premiership sides (I think Upson and Pennant could have made it, though you can't blame them for leaving and looking for first team football elsewhere...kind of like the Barca youth players). It doesn't seem as good as Barca's or United's, but it still exists.
Oh yeah, and Arsenal might be taking Israeli youth striker Gay Assulin off Barca's hands too :lol They wanna be careful, do it too much and FIFA are going to start slapping laws down to prevent this sort of thing.
- Blackburn might be going for Heskey for £3.5m...sigh. I dunno. I want another striker, and a big powerful striker is ideal...but Heskey? I've never understood the love for him. He had like one really good season at Liverpool and apart from that...never better than decent. Over his whole career he's scored 1 goal every 4 games, about the same in just the Premiership, but since he's been at Birmingham it's more like 1 in 5. If he can get us 10 Premiership goals a year, then yeah, it's worth it, but if it's more like 7 or 8 then we already have strikers who can do that.
- The John Obi Mikel saga might finally be over. He's the 19 year old Nigerian midfielder who signed for Man Utd...but then said he was forced to and he really wants to go to Chelsea. I don't know who's in the wrong and don't much care, the whole thing is boring me, but Chelsea are rumoured to be giving United £10m to stop fighting them over him, which, given that you don't really want a player who refuses to join you, is a pretty good deal. I think it stopped being about the player for United a long time ago, and was more about not letting Chelsea get away with what whatever it is they think they're getting away with.
- Woodgate might be coming back to the Premiership. I'm not entirely sure if it's going to happen though, even if he wants to and Real are willing to sell. I can't see any big club buying him as he's such an injury risk, and I'm not sure any smaller club willing to take that risk for a quality player will be able to afford him. Depends how much Madrid want.
- Should find out Shevchenko's future later today. I know a lot of you don't want to see Chelsea get any stronger, but personally I'd love to see him in the Premiership.
brooklyngooner
Member
psycho_snake said:Pires has signed a 2 year contract for Villareal. Thanks for entertaining us with your talent and your over theatrical diving Robert, you wont be forgotten
After awhile it wasn't even all that theatrical. He'd just take a header face first into the pitch. He's really refined his technique over time.
I'll miss the Pires of old, and the flashes of brilliance he could still show from time to time. But this year especially he'd go missing for long periods of play, couldn't go the full 90 and seemed to sulk much more. I do wish things had been different for him in the final in that Wenger wasn't forced to take him off, but what can you do.
Oh, Arsenal: offer Campbell plus 5-8m for Owen.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
Well skysports had it as Assulin Gai, but google says Gay Assulin more times, so I'm going with that!
If he has any sense he'll make sure he's known as Gai.
If he has any sense he'll make sure he's known as Gai.
brooklyngooner
Member
Mama Smurf: very strong Academy. Here are some names, not an exhaustive list:
Julian Gray
Stuart Taylor
Ashley Cole
Graham Stack
Graham Barrett
Jay Bothroyd
Steven Sidwell
Rohan Ricketts
Jermaine Pennant
Moritz Volz
Jerome Thomas
Jeremie Aliadiere
David Bentley
Justin Hoyte
Johan Djourou
Kerrea Gilbert
Arturo Lupoli
Julian Gray
Stuart Taylor
Ashley Cole
Graham Stack
Graham Barrett
Jay Bothroyd
Steven Sidwell
Rohan Ricketts
Jermaine Pennant
Moritz Volz
Jerome Thomas
Jeremie Aliadiere
David Bentley
Justin Hoyte
Johan Djourou
Kerrea Gilbert
Arturo Lupoli
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
That's a decent list and certainly proves you bring players through a youth system, whatever Laporta says, but I'm surprised at the lack of real, top class talent. I suppose you're competing with everyone else's academies in London, but I wonder how many just need a chance and are stopped when players like Diaby, Walcott, Fabregas, Flamini, Merida, Eboue, Van Persie etc. are signed.
brooklyngooner
Member
Mama Smurf said:
Well, remember that there are rules as to who and how many we can sign from London and the surrounding environs, so that has a lot to do with it. The question too is whether those particular players are signed in reponse to a lack of depth at those positions in the youth system; for example, we're always very strong on keepers (remember the name Lee Butcher, he will start for Arsenal soon) and we're never signing many young ones abroad. Then again, England never has a shortage of quality 'keepers.
It's certainly not the level of West Ham's, but then again, no system in the U.K is remotely close to theirs.
That list is also very recent. The teams of the late 80s and 90s with Adams and Winterburn et. al. had many Arsenal youth players.
I'm curious at the cost of bringing through a top-class talent from, say, signing him at 14 to a first-team opportunity at, say, 19. There's food, housing, schooling, instruction, health insurance, etc. I bet it's a lot more than poaching a Barca kid for 500,000.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
brooklyngooner said:
Are there? I've never heard that before. Do you know the rules, that's pretty interesting.
Well that's true, shame we can't really tell if that's the case or not.
Yeah, how exactly do they do that? I mean, I get how United can bring so many good players, they can both attract them as a big club and (as far as I know), have no restrictions like London clubs. But West Ham don't have these advantages. And they're generally English too, they don't even have to go looking abroad.
Well it's hard to say, but Lamporta says they invested 7 million euros in their youth team this season, which is roughly £4.5m.
EDIT: We're not actually going to find out about Shevchenko's future today, he's decided to wait until tomorrow.
brooklyngooner
Member
Mama Smurf said:
When I get a moment, I will go try to find the rules for signing local talent...they're complex, it has to do with proximity and amount of money and all kinds of shit. As far as West Ham are concerned, I think at this point their rep helps as much as anything...their past graduates and you'll get a first-team shot if you're up to snuff. As far as I am aware West Ham signs only English talent whereas Arsenal look abroad just as much these days, so I'm sure that hinders them somewhat as far as attracting the top English youth players; the perception being you'll not get the shot. Given the choice I'd go to West Ham any day. I suppose United (Man) have rather a lock on the Northwest talent, but as far as bringing players through, who has come through since the massive Beckham/Scholes class of '95? Rossi is the only one coming to mind. It just seems like it's getting more expensive to develop and less so to buy young.
As for the West Ham academy, It's why I laugh (not in a haughty way) when I see Lampshade and Cole kiss the Chelsea badge when they score there, those kids are East End West Hammers through and through.
brooklyngooner
Member
Mama Smurf said:
He's pulling a Thierry Henry. I'd like to see him come; I want a battle for top Prem scorer between he and Henry. Plus he's perfect for the 3-5-2 or 3-2-4-1 we're going to make that fucker Mourinho play.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
I'll just give United youth stars current ages as it would be almost impossible to find out when they were in the youth system exactly.
Giggs 32
Scholes 31
G. Neville 31
Beckham 31
Butt 31
Savage 31
Gillespie 31
P. Neville 29
Brown 26
Healy 26
O'Shea 25
Chadwick 25
Fletcher 22
Richardson 21
Bardsley 19
Spector 19
Obviously it's not as ridiculous as those few years between Giggs and Phil Neville, but United are still churning some decent players out, and I'm sure there are a hell of a lot more who've gone elsewhere that I've forgotten or never even heard of.
EDIT: And Rossi doesn't really count, they took him from Parma when he was already 17.
Giggs 32
Scholes 31
G. Neville 31
Beckham 31
Butt 31
Savage 31
Gillespie 31
P. Neville 29
Brown 26
Healy 26
O'Shea 25
Chadwick 25
Fletcher 22
Richardson 21
Bardsley 19
Spector 19
Obviously it's not as ridiculous as those few years between Giggs and Phil Neville, but United are still churning some decent players out, and I'm sure there are a hell of a lot more who've gone elsewhere that I've forgotten or never even heard of.
EDIT: And Rossi doesn't really count, they took him from Parma when he was already 17.
psycho_snake
I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
Crap, we lost to belarus. This is our B team so the result is nothing to worry about, we should be looking at the positive things. I didnt watch the game, Ive only been able to read about it but it seems that lennon had an excellent game, which is great to see. He's been superb for Tottenham in the second half of the season and its good to see he's manahged to continue his fine form for internationals. Walcott made his first appearance on the 61st minute and Ive read that he made an impact straight away. This was only a B team fixture and its going to be a lot harder in the world cup, but for Walcott this game was massive and if he's managed to do well it can only boost his confidence.
Mama Smurf
My penis is still intact.
I saw the game. I don't care about the result, but I do care about some of the stuff I saw. I'll do the positives first though:
+ Aaron Lennon. Probably the best player on the pitch and tormented the Belarus players, particularly early on. He's a completely different player to Beckham, so it's hard to compare them, but against a slow left back Lennon would run riot. Definitely justified his selection.
+ Ashley Cole, Campbell and Owen looked fit and sharp. I guess Owen isn't all the way there yet as he only played 60 minutes, but for the time he was on the pitch, he looked fine. The other two looked like they'd never been away, Cole was bombing forward at every available opportunity.
+ Crouch played well, definitely one of the more impressive players. Did decently in the air, showed some good skill on the ground. With more attacking midfielders to pick up his headers, he'll be dangerous.
+ Jenas justified his place in the squad, if nothing else. He did fine, we looked stronger when he was on. I just can't see the circumstances where he could come on and make the difference in a World Cup game though.
Ok, negatives now.
- Owen Hargreaves. First of all, he can't play right back and thank god we have Neville and (I think) Carragher ahead of him there. He can't defend particularly well and worst of all...he can't pass! Honestly, he was terrible at even the simplest passes, he gave it straight to the opposition SO many times, I swear almost every Belarus attack came from a poor England pass, and Hargreaves must have had 60% of them. After seeing that game, I genuinely wish it was Phil Neville in the squad instead. He's always liable to give away free kicks, maybe even a penalty, but at least he knows how to defend and pass.
- Hargreaves wasn't alone in his bad passing though. Most people joined in, but the other stand outs were Carrick and Downing. Carrick's supposed to be one of the best passers in the country, but not based on that performance. I'm really worried about what we do if we want to play a more defensive midfielder in the World Cup, there is no way I'd play Carrick or Hargreaves right now. Downing was probably worst than Carrick, but hopefully he won't be featuring much.
- To stick with Downing...not good. As good as Lennon was on one side, Downing was poor on the other. He put in the cross for the goal, and it was decent, though nothing special, and that was it. He gave the ball away all the time, he couldn't put in another decent cross, his short passing was terrible, his free kicks were average. I really wish Richardson had gone.
- Green's injury. To be honest I'm not sure if this is a bad thing. I don't want him to be injured, I'm just not sure he's right for England. Every time I've seen him play for us, he's been nervous and made stupid mistakes. Even before the injury he'd spilled a shot which was lucky to go round the post rather than between them. I feel sorry for the guy, I think he really wants to impress, but he needs to relax. I think I prefer Carson in there to be honest. And let's face it, IF an England player was going to get injured, you could do worst than it being your third choice goalkeeper.
- Fucking Belarus players. Foul foul foul foul foul. Everytime England looked like going past them, after the first 20 minutes anyway, they just synically took us out. Maybe they don't have a World Cup to go to, but we do, and I'd prefer not to lose players in some fucking B international. Lennon got the brunt of it, I swear he got hacked down or blocked 5 times in 2 minutes at one point. They were lucky to only have one player sent off (sent off for...fouls on Lennon!). I swear if Beckham had been on the pitch and Terry in the box, they'd have paid for all those fouls.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned Walcott, in either the positives or negatives. That's because he really didn't get many chances to show us what he's made of. The service to him was poor and I don't think Belarus in the second half were a good side to see him. They defended so deep and with so many men back his chances of running at them through the middle were almost non-existent. The one chance he had to run at them he'd knocked the ball behind the defence and was off and clear...and WHAM! two Belarus players sandwich him. I was surprised he was still in one piece afterwards. He also had a good shot at goal from distance, just the right height, very powerful, shame it was right at the goalkeeper. Either side and I'm not sure he'd have saved it. The best I could say, really, is he didn't look out of place (and I don't mean by Hargreaves). If you didn't know the situation surrounding him, you'd have just thought he was another England player.
If I was Eriksson I'd have probably put him on the left wing after it was obvious he'd get no room up front, to at least give him the chance to show his pace, but he didn't. I think surrounded by better players who can give better service and against a team who won't put almost all their team behind the ball, we could really see what he's about. Given Downing's performance, I would consider Walcott as the main cover if anything happens to Joe Cole...though we could always put a Bridge/A.Cole combo down the wing too I suppose.
Moving away from that the Rooney scan result is back. He won't play in the group games, but he will be on the plane to Germany. Positive news overall, it was a very, very low chance that he could make the group games from the start. And let's face it, if England can't get out of that group (I'm not saying it won't be tough, we just should make it) without Rooney, we've got bigger problems than one man's injury. It's not even THAT vital that he's back for the second round. Looking at Group A...yes, it could be Germany and they would have the crowd behind them and the passion of playing England...but they still don't scare me. And the other teams even less so. When you see some of the teams other sides are likely to have to face in the second round, we're in a fortunate position. I would say the earliest date we would need Rooney fit by...assuming we don't completely fuck up...is June 30th. That gives him 7 weeks, which gives him a good chance.
+ Aaron Lennon. Probably the best player on the pitch and tormented the Belarus players, particularly early on. He's a completely different player to Beckham, so it's hard to compare them, but against a slow left back Lennon would run riot. Definitely justified his selection.
+ Ashley Cole, Campbell and Owen looked fit and sharp. I guess Owen isn't all the way there yet as he only played 60 minutes, but for the time he was on the pitch, he looked fine. The other two looked like they'd never been away, Cole was bombing forward at every available opportunity.
+ Crouch played well, definitely one of the more impressive players. Did decently in the air, showed some good skill on the ground. With more attacking midfielders to pick up his headers, he'll be dangerous.
+ Jenas justified his place in the squad, if nothing else. He did fine, we looked stronger when he was on. I just can't see the circumstances where he could come on and make the difference in a World Cup game though.
Ok, negatives now.
- Owen Hargreaves. First of all, he can't play right back and thank god we have Neville and (I think) Carragher ahead of him there. He can't defend particularly well and worst of all...he can't pass! Honestly, he was terrible at even the simplest passes, he gave it straight to the opposition SO many times, I swear almost every Belarus attack came from a poor England pass, and Hargreaves must have had 60% of them. After seeing that game, I genuinely wish it was Phil Neville in the squad instead. He's always liable to give away free kicks, maybe even a penalty, but at least he knows how to defend and pass.
- Hargreaves wasn't alone in his bad passing though. Most people joined in, but the other stand outs were Carrick and Downing. Carrick's supposed to be one of the best passers in the country, but not based on that performance. I'm really worried about what we do if we want to play a more defensive midfielder in the World Cup, there is no way I'd play Carrick or Hargreaves right now. Downing was probably worst than Carrick, but hopefully he won't be featuring much.
- To stick with Downing...not good. As good as Lennon was on one side, Downing was poor on the other. He put in the cross for the goal, and it was decent, though nothing special, and that was it. He gave the ball away all the time, he couldn't put in another decent cross, his short passing was terrible, his free kicks were average. I really wish Richardson had gone.
- Green's injury. To be honest I'm not sure if this is a bad thing. I don't want him to be injured, I'm just not sure he's right for England. Every time I've seen him play for us, he's been nervous and made stupid mistakes. Even before the injury he'd spilled a shot which was lucky to go round the post rather than between them. I feel sorry for the guy, I think he really wants to impress, but he needs to relax. I think I prefer Carson in there to be honest. And let's face it, IF an England player was going to get injured, you could do worst than it being your third choice goalkeeper.
- Fucking Belarus players. Foul foul foul foul foul. Everytime England looked like going past them, after the first 20 minutes anyway, they just synically took us out. Maybe they don't have a World Cup to go to, but we do, and I'd prefer not to lose players in some fucking B international. Lennon got the brunt of it, I swear he got hacked down or blocked 5 times in 2 minutes at one point. They were lucky to only have one player sent off (sent off for...fouls on Lennon!). I swear if Beckham had been on the pitch and Terry in the box, they'd have paid for all those fouls.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned Walcott, in either the positives or negatives. That's because he really didn't get many chances to show us what he's made of. The service to him was poor and I don't think Belarus in the second half were a good side to see him. They defended so deep and with so many men back his chances of running at them through the middle were almost non-existent. The one chance he had to run at them he'd knocked the ball behind the defence and was off and clear...and WHAM! two Belarus players sandwich him. I was surprised he was still in one piece afterwards. He also had a good shot at goal from distance, just the right height, very powerful, shame it was right at the goalkeeper. Either side and I'm not sure he'd have saved it. The best I could say, really, is he didn't look out of place (and I don't mean by Hargreaves). If you didn't know the situation surrounding him, you'd have just thought he was another England player.
If I was Eriksson I'd have probably put him on the left wing after it was obvious he'd get no room up front, to at least give him the chance to show his pace, but he didn't. I think surrounded by better players who can give better service and against a team who won't put almost all their team behind the ball, we could really see what he's about. Given Downing's performance, I would consider Walcott as the main cover if anything happens to Joe Cole...though we could always put a Bridge/A.Cole combo down the wing too I suppose.
Moving away from that the Rooney scan result is back. He won't play in the group games, but he will be on the plane to Germany. Positive news overall, it was a very, very low chance that he could make the group games from the start. And let's face it, if England can't get out of that group (I'm not saying it won't be tough, we just should make it) without Rooney, we've got bigger problems than one man's injury. It's not even THAT vital that he's back for the second round. Looking at Group A...yes, it could be Germany and they would have the crowd behind them and the passion of playing England...but they still don't scare me. And the other teams even less so. When you see some of the teams other sides are likely to have to face in the second round, we're in a fortunate position. I would say the earliest date we would need Rooney fit by...assuming we don't completely fuck up...is June 30th. That gives him 7 weeks, which gives him a good chance.
I think we saw all we'll see of Walcott last night, if he makes it on the pitch in Germany it will either be in a situation where we've won the game, or we need him to change it, if we need him to change it, i think we saw last night, we are fucked. Defenders will just shove him off the ball before he gets a chance to get his legs working, and the deeper the other team drops the less effective he will be (we dont need him to be taking shots from distance in Germany, id much rather see Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham or Cole (at a stretch) taking the shots from range).
His pace is a great asset but i cant see Sven putting him in the team when we are in a situation to make use of it, ie when we level or narrowly infront and the other team has most of the posession.
Rooneys not gonna make it, if he's not even training before the group stages end, his only chance will be as a bit part player in the later rounds.
Oh and all the praise of West Hams youth policy didnt go un-noticed by the way
I dont think theres any great secret to it though, we had a great batch starting with Rio and Lampard (also other like Matt Holland) and finishing up with Joe Cole, Glen Johnson (we poached some, like Defoe from Arsenal). Things have tailed off now, the only youth players to make it in the championship were Anton and Elliot Ward, both center backs. This season no one has really broken through from the youth team, a few have made it onto the bench, and Kyle Reid made a couple of starts, once we were safe...but yeah i think its safe to say that we had our good patch like Man U did with Beckham & co. Difference is we wasted it and all the talent slipped away before we could create any success out of it.
His pace is a great asset but i cant see Sven putting him in the team when we are in a situation to make use of it, ie when we level or narrowly infront and the other team has most of the posession.
Rooneys not gonna make it, if he's not even training before the group stages end, his only chance will be as a bit part player in the later rounds.
Oh and all the praise of West Hams youth policy didnt go un-noticed by the way
I dont think theres any great secret to it though, we had a great batch starting with Rio and Lampard (also other like Matt Holland) and finishing up with Joe Cole, Glen Johnson (we poached some, like Defoe from Arsenal). Things have tailed off now, the only youth players to make it in the championship were Anton and Elliot Ward, both center backs. This season no one has really broken through from the youth team, a few have made it onto the bench, and Kyle Reid made a couple of starts, once we were safe...but yeah i think its safe to say that we had our good patch like Man U did with Beckham & co. Difference is we wasted it and all the talent slipped away before we could create any success out of it.
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