The Official Football Thread 2005/2006 (1 Viewer)

[HeCtic]

Come off it. I enjoy watching United get beat more than Chelsea. Are you going to suggest I'm a Chelsea fan too?

Yeah but your posts don't reek of "I love Chelsea" like his do.

 

[copious]

How long is crouch out for? I'm thinking Benitez is reluctant to let Baros go incase Morientes or Cisse breaks down.

 

[matt#1]

Come off it. I enjoy watching United get beat more than Chelsea. Are you going to suggest I'm a Chelsea fan too?

I sincerely thought that he was a Chelsea supporter due the way he talks about them. I have never heard him mention anything about Sheffield Utd before now.

I would suggest that you were a Chelsea fan too if you kept heaping praise on Chelsea without saying anything about Liverpool. That 'Istanbul' avatar and the huge Stevie G pic in your sig does kinda hint that you may be a 'pool supporter though .

 

[matt#1]

How long is crouch out for? I'm thinking Benitez is reluctant to let Baros go incase Morientes or Cisse breaks down.

Given Liverpool's huge amount of injuries up front last season...I think that letting Baros go would be a stupid move by Benitez.

 

[Benny_]

Benitez has done a pretty poor job this transfer window, there's no denying that. I don't care what you say, Crouch and Zenden are just not players to get excited about for a team that just won the European Cup. The season hasn't started so they have plenty of time to prove me wrong, but from what I've heard from people who have been watching 'Pool's off season games, Zenden at least, has been poor. Crouch though they say had been rpetty effective until he got injured. Reina's seems to be a classy signing and I'm confident he alone can get us an extra 9 points this season in the league, just by not making all the howlers the Dude has been doing as our number 1. Still, regardless of how good he might be, goalkeepers are just not the sort of thing that get fans pumped. In fact, we haven't been at any stage seriously linked with any players that do. January perhaps?

On the other hand it seems Rafa has done a pretty good job recruiting some worthy players for the future. Sissoko has been brilliaint by all accounts and simply needs to curb his aggression in the tackle a tad. Good things have been said of Antonio Barragan and Jack Hobbs too. One disappointment though is the rejection of Mark Gonzalez's work permit application.. he was one possibly the one player the kop had been looking forward to seeing. I expect the appeal to come through for him though. I hear that Yakubu's successful appeal is one precedent that might work in our favour.

On Milan Baros- personally I think he wants to leave on a bosman. Several deals have broken down on account of disagreements by Baros to personal terms. I'm not sure if this is the wisest move for him, because it seems to me that Rafa doesn't rate him (he has played a total of 20 minutes in the entire pre-season) and won't give him many opportunities. Still, I guess he is by far the Czech Republic's best striker, so despite this season being a pre-World Cup season, he won't have too much to worry about so long as no one else of extraordinary worth don't materialise in the next year. Personally I wish we'd offer him a new contract, he was great before he got injured last year and I think wherever he ends up going, he'll end up being a great success. Then again maybe we'll resign Owen and we won't need him. Rumours have been rife in the past couple of days about Owen being at Old Trafford or Melwood (Pool training centre), so I expect he will go somewhere rather soon.

 

[Tender_Branson]

The hard-on you seem to get whenever you post about Chelsea suggests to me you've jumped on the bandwagon of the special one. Especially considering you seemed to think their midfield dominated ours. Maybe you should check your glasses to see if there's a taint of blue appearing?

There is a perfectly irrational reason why my dislike of Aresnal rises above that of Chelsea and Manchester United. Basically, it's because I'm English. I hated Chelsea back in their Vialli days when they would have one token Englishman on the bench, and now that crown has been passed on to the tight fisted Wenger.

I like to see Man Utd and Chelsea doing well, as it means Rooney, Lampard and Terry being more than likely on song (and possibly Wright Phillips) for the England first team. With the only Englishman Aresnal supplying at the moment being Ashley Cole who isn't exactly an integral part of the English defence. That is the sole, completlely irrational reason for my preference of Chelsea over the other two. And also becasue I love to see an English team beating the Italians and Spanish.

I was cheering for Liverpool in the semi's of the Champions League last season, and I'm cheering for Wigan this weekend. My glasses are tinted with red and white only. England and United.

 

[matt#1]

Benitez has done a pretty poor job this transfer window, there's no denying that. I don't care what you say, Crouch and Zenden are just not players to get excited about for a team that just won the European Cup. The season hasn't started so they have plenty of time to prove me wrong, but from what I've heard from people who have been watching 'Pool's off season games, Zenden at least, has been poor. Crouch though they say had been rpetty effective until he got injured. Reina's seems to be a classy signing and I'm confident he alone can get us an extra 9 points this season in the league, just by not making all the howlers the Dude has been doing as our number 1. Still, regardless of how good he might be, goalkeepers are just not the sort of thing that get fans pumped. In fact, we haven't been at any stage seriously linked with any players that do. January perhaps?

On the other hand it seems Rafa has done a pretty good job recruiting some worthy players for the future. Sissoko has been brilliaint by all accounts and simply needs to curb his aggression in the tackle a tad. Good things have been said of Antonio Barragan and Jack Hobbs too. One disappointment though is the rejection of Mark Gonzalez's work permit application.. he was one possibly the one player the kop had been looking forward to seeing. I expect the appeal to come through for him though. I hear that Yakubu's successful appeal is one precedent that might work in our favour.

On Milan Baros- personally I think he wants to leave on a bosman. Several deals have broken down on account of disagreements by Baros to personal terms. I'm not sure if this is the wisest move for him, because it seems to me that Rafa doesn't rate him (he has played a total of 20 minutes in the entire pre-season) and won't give him many opportunities. Still, I guess he is by far the Czech Republic's best striker, so despite this season being a pre-World Cup season, he won't have too much to worry about so long as no one else of extraordinary worth don't materialise in the next year. Personally I wish we'd offer him a new contract, he was great before he got injured last year and I think wherever he ends up going, he'll end up being a great success. Then again maybe we'll resign Owen and we won't need him. Rumours have been rife in the past couple of days about Owen being at Old Trafford or Melwood (Pool training centre), so I expect he will go somewhere rather soon.

Reina and Sissoko were great signings. I'm still not sure that Crouch was a good signing...but I know that the kid has potential because I used him upfront with Henry and Johnson in last year's Fantasy EPL and he was prolific .

 

[matt#1]

With the only Englishman Aresnal supplying at the moment being Ashley Cole who isn't exactly an integral part of the English defence. .

If Ashley Cole is not an integral part of the English defence...then who the hell is a better left back for England? ...If you are thinking Wayne Bridge then your glasses really are tinted blue.

 

[copious]

If Ashley Cole is not an integral part of the English defence...then who the hell is a better left back for England? ...If you are thinking Wayne Bridge then your glasses really are tinted blue.

Paul Konchesky

 

[Benny_]

There is a perfectly irrational reason why my dislike of Aresnal rises above that of Chelsea and Manchester United. Basically, it's because I'm English. I hated Chelsea back in their Vialli days when they would have one token Englishman on the bench, and now that crown has been passed on to the tight fisted Wenger.

I like to see Man Utd and Chelsea doing well, as it means Rooney, Lampard and Terry being more than likely on song (and possibly Wright Phillips) for the England first team. With the only Englishman Aresnal supplying at the moment being Ashley Cole who isn't exactly an integral part of the English defence. That is the sole, completlely irrational reason for my preference of Chelsea over the other two. And also becasue I love to see an English team beating the Italians and Spanish.

I was cheering for Liverpool in the semi's of the Champions League last season, and I'm cheering for Wigan this weekend. My glasses are tinted with red and white only. England and United.

Well patriotic sentiments are all very well and good but other managers' reluctance to buy English players can be explained by one reason: English are massively overpriced. More often than not a market savvy manager like Wenger or Benitez can go overseas and buy one foreign player of comparable quality to the English player and pay half the price. That's why I was so amazed Rafa shelled out £7 mil on Crouch. Had he been Crouchinho, I doubt that his value would have exceeded £2 mil. The already high premium on English players is even further inflated when there's exists a monopsony for good English players. I'm sure you're already aware that Lampard, Bridge, Terry, Cole, Wright-Phillips and Johnson are Chelsea players. If they had it their way, Gerrard, Ferdinand and Cole would also be playing for Chelsea by now. You say that your eyes are tinted with red and white only.. Well at the rate Chelsea is going, in the not too distant future blue WILL be red. And wouldn't that just be convenient.

 

[copious]

You have a good point about overpriced English players. Just look at how much Toon are wanted for JEnas (20 mil apparently?). What has he done to even be worth 5 million. Owen Hargreaves wont be back in the prem league any time soon either for the same reason.

Good point about Crouch, 7 mil? Vassel was 2 mil and Park Ji Sung was around the same.

 

[Benny_]

Vassell is English, but he seems to be an exception to the rule.

 

[johnny_87]

United! United!

 

[niall045]

With the only Englishman Aresnal supplying at the moment being Ashley Cole who isn't exactly an integral part of the English defence.

does sol cambell not exist anymore? Bentleys comin through, he'll be on the team one day. hoyte is an U21. U like selective arguments i take it mr Branson.

 

[copious]

Vassell is English, but he seems to be an exception to the rule.

Yup, but i was just highlighting the fact that with 7 mil they could of got two decent players plus a bit a more left in the transfer kitty.

On Bentley at Arsenenal, Gunners fans better hope he doesnt turn out to be a Jeffers.

 

[slip]

sol campbell is definately not essential to england

terry, ferdinand, king, carragher take your pick england can afford to do with out sol, infact i think england should go with terry and carragher, ferdinand on the bench, and if your lucky sol in the squad.

 

[HeCtic]

There is a perfectly irrational reason why my dislike of Aresnal rises above that of Chelsea and Manchester United. Basically, it's because I'm English. I hated Chelsea back in their Vialli days when they would have one token Englishman on the bench, and now that crown has been passed on to the tight fisted Wenger.

I like to see Man Utd and Chelsea doing well, as it means Rooney, Lampard and Terry being more than likely on song (and possibly Wright Phillips) for the England first team. With the only Englishman Aresnal supplying at the moment being Ashley Cole who isn't exactly an integral part of the English defence. That is the sole, completlely irrational reason for my preference of Chelsea over the other two. And also becasue I love to see an English team beating the Italians and Spanish.

I was cheering for Liverpool in the semi's of the Champions League last season, and I'm cheering for Wigan this weekend. My glasses are tinted with red and white only. England and United.

So basically you're a xenophobic brit living on the northern beaches in NSW complaining about how foreigners are invading the Premiership?

Anyone else see the hypocrisy there?

 

[matt#1]

sol campbell is definately not essential to england

terry, ferdinand, king, carragher take your pick england can afford to do with out sol, infact i think england should go with terry and carragher, ferdinand on the bench, and if your lucky sol in the squad.

I disagree. The starting centre-backs should be Ferdinand and Terry....followed by Carragher, then Sol, King, Wes Brown, etc...


I think that the best English starting XI is:

GK: Robinson
RB: Cole
LB: G. Neville
CB: Terry
CB: Ferdinand
RM: Beckham
LM: SWP
CM: Lampard
CM: Gerrard
CF: Rooney
CF: Owen

subs: Defoe; Joe Cole; Carragher; James

@ HeCtic: yes, I see the hypocrisy .

 

[LMF^^]

Park is a gun of a player. see him in the semis of the UCL? tearin up the "best" defence in the world. they had nothin on him. hate to say it but i think manu got the best transfer this season, and he was only roughly 2mil.

Our left side iz lookin very stron wit Heinze at the back and Park and Giggs in mid. Awesome buy by Fergie, can prove to be one of the buyz of the season again.

And fo you Liverpool supporterz,

The CL qualifier CSKA Sofia vs Liverpool will be shown on Soccer Wired/PPLive on Wednesday, live with about 450 kbps quality

Go visit the forum link I gave out earlier fo mo detailz.


And Matty, swap the England LB and RB and you'll be fine.

 

[johnny_87]

Will Park be starting this season?

That England side should perform very strongly at the World Cup next year.

I love Brazil and the way they play and after they way they disposed of Argentina 4-1 at the Confederations Cup, it is hard to see anyone beating them at the World Cup. However, England and Germany (as the home nation) should be right up there too.

The England side also has great depth in defence (Carragher, King, Hargreaves, Campbell and Brown). Their midfield only has Cole and a handful of others in reserve and their forwards is where they could be let down, particularly in comparison to the strikeforce of Brazil - Ronaldo, Adriano, Robinho and a few oothers whose names evade me