: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:16 pm  

OoOGazOoO wrote:

Jermaine Beckford...

Nothing happened.



Daft keeper for chinning your elbow.

He was a cocky liitle git in his interview.

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:16 pm  

carl_spackler wrote:

Very short-term memory you have there. Bergkamp, Henry, Zola, Gullit, Cantona, just off the top of my head. There have been some players with magical first touches in the recent past, inclusing some of the lesser-remembered names. Robinho is without doubt class, but I think perhaps you're building him up a shade as an almost all-time great, which he isn't (at least yet).

Bergkamp and Zola both had a great first touch, better than the others you listed. Henry's first touch wasn't as great as you suggest. Many others have had a better first touch than Henry.

I still think that Robbihno and Berbatov have the best first touches I have seen in the PL.

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:18 pm  

fredie wrote:

world cup cup tonight australia vs japan .asia. we are comming too get you mark veduka was going too play

I haven't kept an eye on Australia's qualification for the next world cup. Are they on target to qualify?

Must be tough playing the likes of Thailand rather than Samoa. Big step up in class

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:19 pm  

Superbowl Scott wrote:

Wow, when we won the PL people was saying they bought it, now people saying you cant buy class

Strong rumours that Abramovich is ready to sell up to 5 businessmen in Germany. I think Wilkins will be in charge for a couple of months before this is sorted tbh.

Bernie Ecclestone was at the game on Saturday, sat in the back row behind Abramovich.

If you're going to sell the club though, surely you don't just get rid of a new, highly paid manager and install a caretaker in his place. That'd be retarded. Wilkins has never done a thing as a manager or coach so having him in charge could be the thing that costs us a CL place. If Scolari was kept in the job then he'd have either sorted things out or if things had got worse then the blame would clearly be with him. But if we fall out of the CL placings now then the blame is obviously with Abramovich for making another dozy decision.

TBH the only situation that would make sense to me is if we already have a manager lined up to take charge instantly. Putting a caretaker in charge for the rest of the season and then bringing someone in at the end of the season just means more instability. We'd have been better off leaving Scolari in charge so he had the chance to sort things out.

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:22 pm  

Enfield Exile wrote:

Bergkamp and Zola both had a great first touch, better than the others you listed. Henry's first touch wasn't as great as you suggest. Many others have had a better first touch than Henry.

I agree he was the weaker of the 5 due to being hit and miss on occasion, but it was still sublime at times. Gullit and Cantona were every bit as classy as the other 2 IMO.

Enfield Exile wrote:

I still think that Robbihno and Berbatov have the best first touches I have seen in the PL.

Fair enough if that's your opinion, I just wonder if your judgement's clouded a little. In Robinho's case because you're probably seeing him on a more regular basis so you can think of more examples, and I think the Berbatov thing is often because people don't expect him to have such ball control because he's tall and gangly.

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:25 pm  

Enfield Exile wrote:

I haven't kept an eye on Australia's qualification for the next world cup. Are they on target to qualify?

Must be tough playing the likes of Thailand rather than Samoa. Big step up in class

yes we are leading our group just a win and draw will get us through now win the oceana group .then play the 5th best south american side . and thats what we did last world cup . last time we played eeengland .we won we are comming too get yer .we made the last 16 world cup germany

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:30 pm  

fredie wrote:

yes we are leading our group just a win and draw will get us through now win the oceana group .then play the 5th best south american side . and thats what we did last world cup . last time we played eeengland .we won we are comming too get yer .we made the last 16 world cup germany

Frederick, you are my favourite "Other Sports" poster.

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:36 pm  

£19 season ticket for under 16's at Sunderland
wow

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:48 pm  

Ande wrote:

£19 season ticket for under 16's at Sunderland
wow

It's about the same at Wigan. For, what, 6 or 7 games. Great value.

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:12 pm  

Enfield Exile wrote:

Please answer my question: What has he done in the last two years? If he is wortld class he would still be an excellent player





Ronaldo? Nowhere near as effective as Robihno at international level. I'll judge him once he has played in Spain (next season).

Messi? Best player in the world

Ribery? Don't be daft.

Robben? IMO he's the equal of Ronaldo

Interesting that you regard Robihno as an out-and-out winger. He's more of a forward. It's his best position. IMO he's the best No10 in the PL.



Your specifying the type of midfielder. Can I say then that in terms of wingers, Robihno is the best 'predominantly right-footed but plays on the left and scores a few' in the world?

Robihno and Mascherano cannot be compared. Being a good tackler and keeping it simple doesn't make you one of the best players in the world. If it does, then you you are easily pleased. He can do a specific job and be effective, but never world class. Meanwhile Robihno has been excellent for Brazil - arguably the best team in the world.

Please explain how you can be top class and not be able to pass the ball consistently over 20 yards to a player in your own team?

Do you even know what you said, seriously?

Enfield Exile wrote:

None of those are or were world class IMO

I didn't say Crespo is still world class, he's an old man now and he's past his prime, but in his day, he was world class, Lazio broke the world transfer record to sign him, any player of that quality is world class. Crespo's not done much in the past two years, but he was world class, you said he wasn't.


As for Mascherano, I think he's the best defensive midfielder in the world, if your opinion differs, then fair enough, but I think he's world class.

Also, international football, for me, only adds to about 10% of my opinion on a player. We all know how well David Healy done for NI in the Euro qualifying, but I wouldn't use that in argument to say he's better than a good striker who's disappointed at international level. Club level is a higher level than international football now, in my opinion. Besides, Ronaldo hasn't been that bad for Portugal in his international career, he's been very good actually, he just had an average Euro's.