Football Talk 2006/2007 Season

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by yesman

Hopefully there is some truth in this report........

Well this bit is true The midfielder, recently dubbed the best player in the world by his manager Sir Alex Ferguson

[iadom]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Well this bit is true The midfielder, recently dubbed the best player in the world by his manager Sir Alex Ferguson

Spot on there, he was in his own penalty area when he collected the ball, ran the full length of the pitch, exchanged passes with Rooney who chipped the Bolton keeper for one of United's four goals last Saturday, defender, midfielder, winger, striker, the full monty if you ask me.

Jim.

[iadom]

Well, seeing as United have no game and Oldham Athletic don't play until tomorrow, it is down to my other team to take the limelight. Stockport County recently set a league record of nine wins on the trot without conceding a single goal, at Edgely Park today Rochdale beat them 7-2, "Up The Dale"

Jim.

England, one word - Rubbish

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ls/6469805.stm

[Osem]

Got to agree - another benign, ponderous and inept performance from players who seem unable to raise their game when it matters most. Yes Israel played defensively but the only thing England ever threatened was to send their supporters off to bed early!

I really don't understand the lack of passion apparent in the current England team but it might have something to do with the fact that Steve McLaren has all the flair, tactical awareness, charisma and leadership qualities of a stuffed shirt.

[iadom]

How can you play a right sided central defender at left back, a right sided winger on the left wing and call yourself the England manager. Thankfully I spent most of the time watching the cricket and just dipped into the footie in between overs.

Jim.

[nffc]

Steve McClueless really is Gary Megson in drag isn't he? So striking are the similarities in their style of play, general tactical awareness (hooooooooooo...ooof), awareness of playing players in position, love affair with 5-3-2, lack of desire to attack, play for the 0-0... oh and they're both ****e and have red hair.

Clueless fishface Platt really annoyed me as well; not only what he did to my club, but to the U-21s will always annoy me, not to mention the fact the guy talks **** and can't help it. Either that or he states the blatantly obvious.

As for the team - well, we all know there's nothing really wrong with the defence, but if playing Phillippa Neville (a player who despite being right footed has played countless times at left back) at right back, and Jamie Carragher (a right footer) at left back was not bad enough, then playing our most creative player Lennon at left mid certainly was - his workrate was not to be faulted, and he has pace and trickery in abundance, but that's all negated when he has to cut in! There aren't that many options, but again, playing both Gerrard out of position down the right, and Lennon down the left, is stupid when you could avoid it by playing Lennon right and Gerrard left, that way, you have only one! Or the unthinkable - dropping Lampard or Gerrard altogether (doesn't matter which, they're so similar, there's not really anything between them) and playing Downing and Lennon or even Lennon and SWP (there has to be an alternative to Downing!) at least then you have natural midfield width.

Andy Johnson is just pure ****. Well, in the international scene anyway, he just doesn't have it. We looked a lot better when Defoe came on, which was too late. As for hoofing it to little AJ and Rooney, fat hope. Useless. Where's Crouch?

If we don't hit 3 vs Andorra, McClueless has to go.

Originally Posted by nffc

Steve McClueless really is Gary Megson in drag isn't he? So striking are the similarities in their style of play, general tactical awareness (hooooooooooo...ooof), awareness of playing players in position, love affair with 5-3-2, lack of desire to attack, play for the 0-0... oh and they're both ****e and have red hair.

Clueless fishface Platt really annoyed me as well; not only what he did to my club, but to the U-21s will always annoy me, not to mention the fact the guy talks **** and can't help it. Either that or he states the blatantly obvious.

As for the team - well, we all know there's nothing really wrong with the defence, but if playing Phillippa Neville (a player who despite being right footed has played countless times at left back) at right back, and Jamie Carragher (a right footer) at left back was not bad enough, then playing our most creative player Lennon at left mid certainly was - his workrate was not to be faulted, and he has pace and trickery in abundance, but that's all negated when he has to cut in! There aren't that many options, but again, playing both Gerrard out of position down the right, and Lennon down the left, is stupid when you could avoid it by playing Lennon right and Gerrard left, that way, you have only one! Or the unthinkable - dropping Lampard or Gerrard altogether (doesn't matter which, they're so similar, there's not really anything between them) and playing Downing and Lennon or even Lennon and SWP (there has to be an alternative to Downing!) at least then you have natural midfield width.

Andy Johnson is just pure ****. Well, in the international scene anyway, he just doesn't have it. We looked a lot better when Defoe came on, which was too late. As for hoofing it to little AJ and Rooney, fat hope. Useless. Where's Crouch?

If we don't hit 3 vs Andorra, McClueless has to go.

My thoughts almost exactly

[nffc]

Originally Posted by yesman

My thoughts almost exactly

Well, maybe not the bit about G M*gson or fishface but hey.

[Osem]

Just been listening to Sir Clive Woodward making the point that creating a successful international team doesn't necessarily involve always picking the most talented players. His point was that to achieve success you have to select players who rise to the international challenge and drop those who can't live up to the job regardless of their fame, popularity etc. McLaren is staring failure to qualify in the face like a rabbit stares at rapidly approaching car headlights. He was never the right man for the job and the suits at the FA are solely to blame for appointing him. The only soultion to England's problems is to ditch him, drop some of the underperfoming primadonnas and play those who are hungry for success and passionate enough to represent their country.

[TheBlueRaja]

Poor old England.... snarf!

Scotland romped home to another victory again yesterday and were still above France and Italy in our group.

That could all change on Wednesday night though when we have to play Italy (if we win that one i might just start to believe in miracles).

COME ON SCOTLAND!

[Osem]

I would drop Lampard to start with. He hasn't done much of any great significance for quite a while and whilst Gerrard has had a few real stinkers, overall I think he's the better player for England. Likewise Rooney, he's a great player but has underperformed since his injury and that can't be doing his confidence much good. If he's passionate about England and the great player I believe he is, being dropped will inspire him to try harder and rise to that challenge. Knowing deep down inside (as Beckham did under Sven) that he'll never be dropped no matter what isn't any form of motivation.

If you look at great teams like the NZ Rugby Union side and the Australian Cricket team they have something in common - imaginative, inspirational leaders and fierce competition for places which leaves virtually nobody in any doubt that they will be dropped if they loose form for a significant period of time.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by TheBlueRaja

Poor old England.... snarf!

Scotland romped home to another victory again yesterday and were still above France and Italy in our group.

That could all change on Wednesday night though when we have to play Italy (if we win that one i might just start to believe in miracles).

COME ON SCOTLAND!

Injury time winner is hardly romping home is it, Scotland the only team whose ranking goes up when they don't play

Rooney rages at McClaren after Israel flop

The first cracks in Steve McClaren’s reign as England coach appeared as it emerged that he had a major dressing-room row with Wayne Rooney after the 0-0 draw in Israel.
Sportsmail can reveal that a furious McClaren told Rooney he was under-performing and claimed the striker has failed to deliver since Euro 2004. Rooney, who has not scored a competitive goal for his country since they beat Croatia in Portugal nearly three years ago, snapped back at McClaren and threw his kit across the dressing room in disgust. The Manchester United striker told McClaren that he was not the only player in the team responsible for scoring goals.

I wonder who McClaren would get to replace Rooney? A Downing lookalike no doubt

Daily Mail

If this is true, then I get the feeling McClaren could be looking for a new job.

The end is nigh...........

Gus Hiddink should have been awarded the job imo

[danielf]

Originally Posted by yesman

Gus Hiddink should have been awarded the job imo

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Guus Hiddink (born 8 November 1946 in Varsseveld) is a Russian football coach

I love wikipedia