Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Even more so these days with the FA restrictions on how far away a youth player can live from a club i.e you can only sign with a club when your under 16 if you live less than 2 hours away. These restrictions don't apply to foreign players.

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

You will have to wait a while, he is about to extend his current contract (due to expire in 2008). Judging by our performance last saturday, versus yours, not a bad descision.

Proud of Sol? Not really. His best is behind him now, and you can tell he is Arsenal through and through now, by the way he elbows 2 Spurs players in the face, causing one to have an open gash and bloodstained shirt, and the fact that he got away with it. He used to have a decent disiplinary at Spurs (no red cards), he goes to Arsenal, and gets no less than 3 in 2 years. How many red cards have Arsenal got now under Wenger? 55-60 odd?

No, the point is English teams need decent youth academies like West Ham (and Spurs to a lesser degree). Build up our own British talent, let them flourish, and then flog them elsewhere at a big profit. That's how clubs, including the national team, and the league benefit. Not just by throwing money at a load of foreigners.

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

personally the influx of foreigners has never appealled to me and has distanced the clubs from the fans that are turning up.. I still can't understand how the judge in the Bosman case got rid of the 3+2 rule when that wasn't what the case was about.. as has been stated the situatio is now so bad that even at youth level the teams are full of foreigners

personally i'd like all under 18 side to be made up of local players.. it helps the the clubs but money back into the local community.. it helps the national game and team develop and it's better for the players themselves as well..

the problem is in some areas.. the boarders between England and Scotland and France and Spain, Basque region etc signing someone from across the border is still signing a local

you only have to look at the team sheets in the Championship and even league one to see how bad the foreign influx has got and this isn't just a problem with the English league either

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Well, he's been there a few years and more than a few games. Being a Spurs fan, you'll be used to changing managers rather more often than us. Also, you won't be used to having European games. Or cup runs, for that matter. The number of red cards is best seen in context (unmentioned by the journos when it gets dragged up again) when you're looking at a decade of football and over 500 games in charge. Check the Fair Play league for the last two seasons some time.
http://www.thefa.com/Features/Englis...l_FairPlay.htm

His best has come in an Arsenal shirt, of course, where he got his hands on some meaningful silverware. If we going to have a tit-for-tat of derby warfare, I see your Sol elbow and raise you any number of incidents of spiteful Teddy Sheringscum needling violence plus Tim Sherwood kicking Vieira up the groin a few years ago, which was followed by spurs scoring a goal after we kicked the ball out so he could get treated. You've had some right thugs in lillywhite lately, so the injured amour propre doesn't really wash.

These rules are pretty silly, because they're so easy to circumvent for big clubs - just move the whole family over. The whole concept of a 'local' player is a bit daft in itself anyway - is Fabrice Muamba (arrived 1999 as an asylum seeker from the Congo, signed for Arsenal as a 16 year old) more or less 'local' than Sol Campbell (from Newham), who came through the youth system at another club and didn't sign until he was 26? There are plenty of other examples.

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

One in the eye for Ferdinand maybe ?
Premier League

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

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About man u been hated I have my own reason's I am just unsure if its the same as most other's. People tend to see them as a glory club with fans supporting them because of their glory, man u seem to have more fans outside manchester then in manchester with most manchester football fans supporting manchester city. I also hate them because they take so much tv coverage up, itv love them, and they take too many of sky's slots also.

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

In my opinion Ferdinand should never captain United again after what he has done with the contract talks. He wasnt showing any loyalty to a club that stood by him during the time he was banned so he shouldnt be rewarded with the captaincy. His recent performances also show why he shouldnt be captain aswell :rolleyes:

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

I am glad I do not fall into any of the above categories. :rolleyes: apart from being outside Manchester that is.

I have been a fan of united since 1963.

I do admit that there are glory hunters fan wise, I think I could be right in saying Chelsea's gates have risen.
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I couldn't agree more :tu:

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Name me a team that doesn't have glory hunters ? In the last 10 years I have seen blackburn and arsenal shirts on the streets of manchester. And a few years before that, Leeds shirts.

Propoganda spread by our rivals Man City, Bolton, Liverpool etc etc. There have been several polls on the manchester radio station Piccadilly, stating everytime that man u fans outnumber city by 2 to 1.

This is called supply and demand, if you were a television executive wouldn't you want to have as large an audience as possible ?

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

well said Keane half current Utd players need reality check they think they are better players than what they are!!!

O'Shea is an average defender, who needs to put more work in every match, take Heinze as an example John!

Rio is Rio ive never seen him play route one defending, when 9/10 it calls for it to be lobbed up field.

Fletcher don't even get me started on him, how does he get onto Utd team? would he even get on any other premiership squad, i somehow don't think so. hes a championship player at best! get him out Fergie!

We are missing key players yes, thats true, but its no excuse, the fact of the matter is fergie hasn't bought right in last few windows we need to be bringing in not only first teamers but squad players too to help us when we are missing players.

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

well i've got to say I agree with alot of what Keano says..

despite what the papers say Van Der Sar punches the ball too many times.. do they not realise that if the ball is in your hands no one can touch it but if you punch it it can go in the back of the net.. he's looked shakey a few times

O'Shea 0 has looked rubbish every since his first season when he could do no wrong.. can't believe he was offered a new contract

Fletcher - does well in the odd game then goes missing but never been given a clear defined role for us yet

Ferdinand - never really delivered on his price tag or weekly wages.. happy to get the money and not bothered about putting the effort in

Richardson - not a defender anyway and not great as a winger. might look good at West Brom but not Man U class

Smith- the only one i don't agree with.. he's been played out of position all season but his levels of commitment and passion but the rest of the team to shame.. if he could learn the Keane roll will do a job for us

add in

Scholes - no confidence and showing poor form for the past 2 years

Giggs - plays well in one game every 3 years.. if that

Ronaldo - to greedy and wants to dive all the time ( abit of a Forlan player here.. but him in Spain and will be brilliant each week ) still not really a replacement for Beckham

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Hi mate lol not sure i agree with some of what you say haha,

Giggs - has been a legend for Utd his level of commitment and passion is always their to see, even in his later years he stills tracks back puts the tackles in and delivers for us.

Van Der Sar - may look shakey sometimes but how many points has he already saved us from loosin this season alone so far!

rest i agree with, scholes is off the pace but then who else can you play?? i go back to my point that we lack depth in midfield. need alot of signings their. and possibly let some people go. Fletcher and Richardson need to shape up or be shipped out.

Ronaldo is greedy and dives alot but! he is only 20 and has alot of time to develop and more importantly mature.

question on i think most Utd fans lips are who can we bring in for midfield, and not just one signing we need 2/3 maybe 4!!!! you just have to goto man utd website and look at the squad for tonight and look at midfield section and see how thin we are.

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

well we'll agree to differ on Giggs.. i've seen them quite a few times over the past few seasons and giggs my look ok on some of the TV highlights but during a game he doesn't he goes out of it for long periods and relies on past glories.. he great at running very quickly into a player from the other team but not at going past them and crossing the ball.. which is what a winger should do ( would like to Ronaldo do more of that as well)

Giggs hasn't had a great season since 99.. a season goes on for 40 games or more and playing well in a few of them isn't good enough at least not for United

i've said a few times we need to spend about 60-80m on a new midfield..

we need to buy Ballack ( get him in January and not in the summer when his contract expires), he can replae Keane.. we need to get Schneider from Ajax who can play on both wings .. plus add in anyone from Mescarano ( not spelt that right but he plays in Argentina.. very similar to Keane and only 20 ) Ferdandes from Benfica.. plys try bring in Eagles, Jones or someone from the youth ranks.. can they really be any worse than what we have at the moment.. could drop Rio and give Pique a few games at centre half.. he's only 18 and does brilliant for the reservers.. plus we have Rossi who can play in the Scholes type role or as a striker

i've heard all the comments from Fergie and the team before about bouncing back from bad performances and not see it so far and frankly i don't think some of the team are capable of performing any better any more.. remember we started pre season training early so we could come out of the blocks flying.. thank God for that eh or we could be in a worse state

Re: [Merged] The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

yeah, totally, ive always said that we need to rebuild the midfield and one signing a season isnt good enough; where would you include park/ronaldo in new midfield, on their day they are excellent players. park especially has been great for us. Ballack do you not think is more of scholes role gets close to box for late goals? i ve never really seen him play a deep deep role. Id buy in someone else for that role, i ve heard gattusos' name knocked around but i don't think hes good enough. I really believe we missed out big time on Essien! he is a powerhouse.

i just don't see were a new midfield is gonna come from. and were Utd is gonna get money for it? ? ?

i don't worry as much about defence or attack we have options at each end in rossi/rvn/ole/ebanks/saha until we get rid lol (still think we should have signed owen) etc. . and in defence we have baardsley/brown/pique coming through to name a few.

look at were we need to buy;

Ronaldo Ballack?? ?????? Park?

thats my midfield four only one of them i would confirm as starter and rest who would go in?