08-10-2006, 09:38 AM | #401 | |||
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Quote:
Yeah this I understand on a rational level. Arsenal has really only become "continental" or "global" in recent years, mainly because of Wenger. However, what makes me sad is the fact that some of the players we're talking about were either homegrown and/or given the opportunity to shine in Arsenal. And it's not like they weren't paid well either. That's what's truly disappointing. Viera: He was an AC Milan reserve and groomed to the star he eventually became. Cole: Arsenal boy. Henry: Say what you will, but it seemed touch and go last season whether he would stay, which is a tad worrisome. I'm also beginning to wonder whether he chokes on the big occasion (separate issue). Cesc: Barca reserve. I guess I wonder whether Arsenal will always have to face such issues or whether it can eventually become less of one ... time will tell I guess. It's just disappointing. Quote:
Agreed, complete douche. I'm hoping the transfer takes place at some point in time for a figure between the 16 mil to 25 mil figure bandied about, simply because I don't think Cole would be in the right frame of mind. However, I'm also worried about the precedent it sets. Quote:
The problem isn't just Reyes. So far, Arsenal hasn't found the right complement to Henry, mainly because Wenger seems to be playing like players in the 2 forward spots. Reyes plays like a winger and Henry drifts out to the wing as well. That's a problem that has to be addressed. I'm waiting for that typical goalscorer/poacher type to be acquired to be honest, or one of those strong forwards that can hold the ball up. Trezeguet comes to mind to fit the first and someone like Jan Koller (though he's too old now) would fit the second. I actually think Klose would be great but that's too farfetched I think. And Reyes, for all his ability, never really got it going. He just doesn't seem to be suited for the English game. I can't say I'm overly disappointed he's leaving, it's just the manner of leaving that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Quite frankly, I think there are enough options upfront (Henry/RVP/Adebayor/Lupoli?). The midfield looks decent .. it's the Defence I'm worried about. After Toure and Senderos, there isn't much back-up at all. And say what you will, Clichy hasn't shown the ability to stay healthy and Flamini isn't a natural left-back. Wenger is putting a lot of faith in his youngsters .. though I guess it worked for Man U at the time (Beckham, Scholes, et al). |
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08-10-2006, 09:47 AM | #402 |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2003
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John Terry named as England captain. If I were an England fan, I'd be irritated - the best, most inspirational player in the country is cast aside for a good (but not great) central defender as captain ? Who's more capable of taking the game by the proverbial "Scruff of the neck" - Terry or Gerrard (see Istanbul 2005, Cardiff 2006) ? As a Liverpool fan, I'm not the disappointed though - it would be more pressure on the guy.
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08-10-2006, 09:50 AM | #403 | |
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Why irritated? Loathe as I am to say this, Terry is a really good captain. He's a leader, he's inspirational and he's proven himself at club level. As for not being great, I would beg to differ. He's one of the best in the world in my opinion. Besides, even if the captain's armband is given to Terry, it doesn't mean Gerrard can't lead .. |
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08-10-2006, 09:53 AM | #404 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2003
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IMO (and this is certainly open to debate), your captain has to be good enough to take control of the game, run the game if its needed - he doesn't have to be your best player, but he should have the ability to step his game up. I think Terry is a good player - I just don't see how he's a better choice than Gerrard. |
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08-10-2006, 09:58 AM | #405 | |
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Fair enough, I guess that's where a difference of opinion in Terry's ability lies Peter Beardsley's article in the Guardian had Gerrard ahead of Terry .. but just slightly. |
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08-10-2006, 10:12 AM | #406 |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Edinburg,TX
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Barcelona get 3 goals between the 85th and 90th minute last night to get the draw with Club America. WOuld have been nice to be there but I just couldn't afford it right now. And I would have been pissed anyways because the Dynamo lost to the Galaxy 1-0 right before that....oh well.
http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/mls_n..._mls&fext=.jsp
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08-10-2006, 11:15 AM | #407 |
Head Coach
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Peter Novak gets his name pumped up for Nats coach this week after his teams performance against Chelsea and DC's performance against Real Madrid last night. I know that Klinsmen is still being talked about, but Novak seems to be adding to his resume quickly.
I still see him as another incarnation of Arena. I think that he would have his moments, but generallywouldn't be the answer that the US is looking for.
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08-10-2006, 01:07 PM | #408 | |
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I think the most important part of a captain's role is that of tactical organizer. Terry can obviously do that well and is better equiped to do it from the backline. |
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08-10-2006, 01:27 PM | #409 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Quote:
Fair enough - I guess I see that being the manager's job - a defender can still take charge for set pieces and what not. Hell, would you have picked Terry over Gerrard ? Last edited by Crapshoot : 08-10-2006 at 01:27 PM. |
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08-10-2006, 05:42 PM | #410 | |
Coordinator
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Yes. A captain's primary role is the you go there, cover that guy, you're supposed to be over there type stuff, as well as keeping the team on an even keel. That's most easily done from the CB position since they can see the whole field looking forward. It's why you don't see many forwards as captains. The ability of the manager to get tactical corrections done is limited to the two or three players that can hear his shouts, so you need someone on the field to do it. As for the inspirational stuff, I think the important traits for a captain are consistency and even tempered level-headedness. Gerrard doesn't need to be captain to inspire people with his clutch play. |
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08-11-2006, 05:38 PM | #411 | |
Pro Starter
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Location: Bethlehem, Pa
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apparently replacing him as captain was only the beginning...
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08-11-2006, 05:38 PM | #412 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Bethlehem, Pa
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apparently replacing him as captain was only the beginning...
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08-13-2006, 12:36 AM | #413 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: VA
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Best thing about soccer: no commercials
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Chicago Eagles 2 time ZFL champions We're "rebuilding" |
08-13-2006, 02:36 AM | #414 | |
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Location: Edinburg,TX
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Quote:
But still too much advertising. I hate that crap on sports uniforms, and I will never like it.
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You Stole Fizzy Lifting drinks! You bumped into the ceiling which now has to be washed and steralized, so you get NOTHING! You lose! |
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08-13-2006, 07:23 AM | #415 | |
Strategy Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: North Carolina
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I will gladly trade jersey pollution for a constant game with no commercials. And as a bonus... any temptation to buy a jersey is removed! I could only see myself buying a national jersey. |
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08-13-2006, 09:08 AM | #416 |
Strategy Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: North Carolina
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Let's go Liverpool.
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08-13-2006, 09:24 AM | #417 |
Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Kennesaw, GA
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**Community Shield Spoiler**
That was a heck of a goal by Riise to kick things off. |
08-13-2006, 09:27 AM | #418 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Quote:
No kidding. Just.. wow. |
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08-13-2006, 09:29 AM | #419 | |
Pro Starter
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Quote:
There's no crap on the Barca jerseys. |
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08-13-2006, 09:39 AM | #420 | |
Strategy Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Hell yeah... It was pretty damn exciting to watch. Everything seems to be going Liverpool's way at the moment with Ballack off now too. |
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08-13-2006, 10:00 AM | #421 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
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Nice equalizer, maybe Shevchenko was worth all that money afterall.
Chelsea looked better the further on it went after Liverpool were controlling early on. The defence and the goalkeeping at Riise's goal was terrible, ran the length of the pitch unchallenged then Cudicini dived over the shot. |
08-13-2006, 10:45 AM | #422 |
Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Kennesaw, GA
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Finally...I was beginning to think Crouch had gotten lost on his way back the field after the break. I'm not much of a fan of the big guy, but since he's put us ahead, he can't be all that bad.
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08-13-2006, 10:57 AM | #423 | |
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I like him for the novelty... but he never really seems to do much. He's not exactly exceptional with his head, and I really never see him creating much. But I find Liverpool likeable and it's easy to detest Chelsea, so I'm happy with the result.
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Last edited by cthomer5000 : 08-13-2006 at 11:04 AM. |
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08-13-2006, 11:08 AM | #424 | |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
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Quote:
I find it easy to detest both of them. Not a bad game, Chelsea didn't look ready. The Chelsea defence in particular looked disjointed and unready, which is weird since there were no new signings in defence. Gonzalez, Aurelio and Bellamy all looked like they'll add to the Liverpool challenge, Pennant didn't look up to much though, hopefully he's just a depth signing and not meant to be a regular. Now roll on next weekend |
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08-13-2006, 11:21 AM | #425 | |
Pro Starter
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Was only a good goal because no Chelsea player challenged him, and then Cudicini made a right hash of the save. But fair play to Riise for his directness.
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08-13-2006, 03:52 PM | #426 | ||
College Benchwarmer
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Location: Providence, RI
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Quote:
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08-13-2006, 03:57 PM | #427 | |
Strategy Moderator
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Yeah, there was some bizzare decisions made in the Chelsea preseason. Seems to me the MLS game should have been their final match before the Community Shield, giving them pretty much a normal run-up to that game, especially considering the travel. I hope this means they get off to a slow start. |
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08-13-2006, 09:02 PM | #428 |
Sick as a Parrot
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Surfers Paradise, Australia
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I don't accept at this point that the loss was down to lack of fitness. The Chelsea play lacked any definitive shape and was only as good as it was because of the quality of the individuals. Was that 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-3-1-2? I'd go for the last with Robben having a free role to play on either wing or come through the centre but, in truth, neither he nor Drogma seemed to know what their roles were at all. Neither contributed much of anything to Chelsea's attacking play - Drogma went awol and Robben wandered around seemingly aimlessly.
I think it may take some time for Mourinho to sort out what his best eleven is and what formation to play. He does have the players to make a success of anything he chooses and can play several styles even during the course of one game - in one match last season he went from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 to 3-5-2 back to 4-4-2 and finally to 4-5-1 all in one game to win it. On the one hand you can see that as a proactive domination approach but on the other that it smacks of a certain desperation and confusion. With a less expansive squad and more conservative manager it would certainly be the latter but with Chelsea that's not so certain. For the good of the Premiership I hope Mourinho continues to search for the right combination and a slow start to the season but not with any great confidence that that will be the case.
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Mac Howard - a Pom in Paradise Last edited by Mac Howard : 08-13-2006 at 09:06 PM. |
08-13-2006, 09:31 PM | #429 | |
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Yeah - his touch is quite frankly, pretty bad. He's no Jan Koller. He works for Liverpool when all else fails, but his finishing is piss poor. |
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08-13-2006, 10:46 PM | #430 | |
Sick as a Parrot
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Quote:
"He's got a great touch for a big man" says Tommy-Smyth-with-a-y
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Mac Howard - a Pom in Paradise Last edited by Mac Howard : 08-13-2006 at 10:47 PM. |
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08-14-2006, 01:35 AM | #431 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Jul 2003
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Liverpool's shirt collars get a thumb down. Just awful.
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08-14-2006, 07:10 AM | #432 | |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
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I thought both the Liverpool and Chelsea strips looked ok, better than the new Man Utd anyway. Man Utd look like they're wearing a Liverpool shirt from the late 60's. |
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08-14-2006, 07:40 AM | #433 | |
College Benchwarmer
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I think lack of fitness played a part - Liverpool really took control in the last twenty or twenty-five minutes, when they just had much more energy than us. That's just a quibble, though, as our formation was definitely the bigger problem. But that's also down to our preseason, at least partly; with just three matches it's more difficult to get players used to new formations (or, in this case, figure out that the formation doesn't work), especially when the timing forces your hand regarding squad selection. |
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08-14-2006, 08:55 AM | #434 | ||
Sick as a Parrot
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Surfers Paradise, Australia
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And the first 20 to 25 minutes when fatigue shouldn't have been a problem. But I think this is partly down to the fact that Liverpool play a faster paced game than Chelsea's more technical style. Quote:
Yes. It takes time to get used to a new style of play and with new players as well then, as a Man Utd supporter, I hope it takes half a season
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08-14-2006, 09:16 AM | #435 | |
College Prospect
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Boston, MA
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I thought Gonzalez had his proverbial lunch eaten by Geremi. Three or four times in the first half he treid to take him on and failed. Seemed like he was pressing things a bit much. Saw him a few times for Sociedad last season and played fairly well, so we'll see. And yes, piss poor defending on all three goals, though Lampard's through ball over the top was perfectly timed and placed. |
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08-14-2006, 10:58 AM | #436 | |
Coordinator
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I thought the collars looked really ugly, and outdated. Chelsea's mock collars weren't so hot either. I mean what will they bring back next, 3 inch inseam shorts? |
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08-14-2006, 12:58 PM | #437 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Here and There
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Randy Lerner, owner of the Browns, will take over Aston Villa.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...la/4789693.stm "A club statement on the Stock Exchange said a stake of 56.85% of majority shareholders had been secured by Lerner at 547 pence per share." |
08-14-2006, 06:49 PM | #438 |
Strategy Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: North Carolina
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Anyone out there who watches Sky Sport News on Fox Soccer Channel (specifically the 7PM Eastern show), can you also hear the regular mouse-clicking sounds? Does it bother you as much as it bothers me? Why can't they stop it!
Am I alone on this one? |
08-14-2006, 08:34 PM | #439 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Hog Country
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hahah yeah I noticed that earlier tonight as well. crazy
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08-16-2006, 07:23 AM | #440 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
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So Rooney and Scholes have both lost their appeals and will both miss the first three games of the season. I thought the decision to send Rooney off was pretty ridiculous, but the English FA's decision to uphold the sending off and confirm the ban is even more ridiculous. I'm sure the Man Utd fans already strong paranoia about the FA will be boosted by this.
Can't wait for Saturday, I'll be in the recliner nice and early preparing for a weekend of EPL. By my counting it'll be possible to watch 8 of the 10 games on the first weekend armed only with DirecTV, Tivo, FSC and Setanta. And that will rise to 9 per week after September 16th when Setanta will be adding a second channel on DirecTV for them to use when they have the rights to two concurrent live games. And I'll have to watch the 4 Bundesliga games on GolTV too. Kickass. |
08-16-2006, 07:27 AM | #441 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
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dola....
Saturday 7.30am Sheff Utd v Liverpool - Setanta 9.45am Arsenal v Aston Villa - Setanta 10.00am Newcastle v Wigan - FSC 12.00pm Bolton v Spurs - FSC 2.15pm Reading v Middlesbrough - FSC 2.30pm West Ham v Charlton - Setanta Sunday 8.30am Man Utd v Fulham - Setanta 11.00am Chelsea v Man City - FSC Kickass again. |
08-16-2006, 05:36 PM | #442 |
College Benchwarmer
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Speaking of the EPL, does anyone have any info on Wigan Athletic? This is a squad that played in England's top level for the first time last season and did fairly well (10th place finish).
Any chance of this squad getting even better over time? What has been their secret for success, coming from what would seem to be virtual obscurity? Is this the kind of Cinderella story that would be good to follow in European Soccer?
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IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BLACK & GOLD!! |
08-16-2006, 11:47 PM | #443 |
Coordinator
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I think the backstory on Wigan is something like this:
Wigan, a rugby town, puts together a good collection of veterans and up and coming youngsters after being bought by a local sporting goods magnate and hiring an excellent coach. Playing attractive football, they stun the EPL by actually pushing for Europe. The team has trouble attracting transfers due to the general crudiness of Wigan the town, despite having some money available. They also perform better on the road, due to lack of home support, althought it is getting better. So yes, definitely a cinderella story. But I don't think they'll get better since they've lost more talent than they've gained this summer and they won't suprise teams anymore. And they still have a lot of trouble attracting players. |
08-16-2006, 11:58 PM | #444 |
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Wigan are a mini Chelsea. Their owner is rolling in the cash and has bankrolled their rise from Division 3 (now League 2) up to Premiership in the space of 7-8 seasons.
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08-17-2006, 07:52 AM | #445 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
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It's a bit unfair to call them a mini-Chelsea, they do have money behind them now, but they're not really outspending clubs that they're out-performing (most of the teams from the midlands, for example). They're just on a level playing field with them.
Paul Jewell is a great manager, he's the difference. This isn't the first time he's been successful in the EPL with an unfashionable club, he kept Bradford up too, he just knows what he's doing. Although he did spend 6mil on Emile Heskey. And Reading aren't Cinderella either, their owner is one ot the 200 richest men in the UK |
08-17-2006, 08:47 AM | #446 |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2003
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The Kuyt to Liverpool saga is finally over - it seems we've finally got a 4th striker, though shockingly, Feyenoord didn't want Kronkamp as part of it.
Any Dutch fans want to provide some insight on Kuyt ? He's been bandied about for years but he didn't exactly impress at the WC (not doubt due to Van Basten's formations) - my read is that he's a poacher and a good finisher, which is something we desperately need. |
08-17-2006, 08:47 AM | #447 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Shit - Setana doesn't appear to be available for Comcast. |
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08-17-2006, 08:57 AM | #448 | |
lolzcat
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Nope, at the moment it's only DirecTV or some other satellite thing called Globecast. |
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08-17-2006, 09:53 AM | #449 | |
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08-17-2006, 09:58 AM | #450 | |
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I was very unimpressed with him at the WC, MIJB#19, and though any player can have a run of bad games you can usually see beyond that and he didn't come across as being your typical, quality Dutch striker.
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Mac Howard - a Pom in Paradise Last edited by Mac Howard : 08-17-2006 at 09:59 AM. |
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