So Tiote gets a straight red in Ivory Coast's friendly... I hope CAF ban him from the entire tournament, thus meaning he can come back to Newcastle...
I'll jump on this for you, as a Blue. The bad out the way first; I'm not sure I buy your Toy Story analogy, or the severity of it. Lampard has been a great servant to the club - and hasn't been injured for any great length of time - unlike Gerrard. There's never been a time when the side has missed the presence of Lampard - again, unlike Gerrard.
No disrespect to the Liverpool side - but Gerrard walks into it. Henderson? Adam? Spearing? As good (see: decent) as they are - Gerrard displaces all of them. The same isn't true of our side - Ramires is a nailed on starter, Romeu has been an important asset to the team - which leaves one position open for Lampard, Miereles, Mata (if AVB only listened to me), Malouda and Mikel to compete for.
Can you honestly tell me that if Liverpool were sitting in the top 4, playing well (not that we are) - with the midfield performing well (not that ours are) that Gerrard walks back into the side? I'm not doubting his qualities, or his influence in particular - but let's be realistic - football is a results business and Lampard, and the side, aren't playing well. No footballer should be guaranteed a place in the side because he was "signed at the age of 8 as a fan" - the simple question comes down to whether or not the player warrants a place in the side; that should be the crux of your argument. There's nothing romantic about it.
Can a West Ham or Portsmouth fan tell me the proper course of action I should take when Grant was made the manager.
Should I just jump from 40 story building or pour myself with gasoline and light the match?
What do people think, which clubs could he be referring to and why?
If we do anything it will be a full back in either case. Basically the side we have is the side we will finish the season with. If we can keep RvP fit we will have a big chance at making the top 4 but a little too much reliance on 1 player for my liking.Don't think there'll be any exciting business this window. Just aggravation, mainly.
I'll agree the analogy was hyperbolic, and was a way of me injecting some lighter emotion into the piece, but I personally back the general sentiment of it; irrelevant of past injuries, Lampard is no longer top dog at the club, he's no longer centre of attention. There are fresher faces who're like you've well pointed out below pushing their way into Villas-Boas' team selection on a regular basis.I'll jump on this for you, as a Blue. The bad out the way first; I'm not sure I buy your Toy Story analogy, or the severity of it. Lampard has been a great servant to the club - and hasn't been injured for any great length of time - unlike Gerrard. There's never been a time when the side has missed the presence of Lampard - again, unlike Gerrard.
No disrespect to the Liverpool side - but Gerrard walks into it. Henderson? Adam? Spearing? As good (see: decent) as they are - Gerrard displaces all of them. The same isn't true of our side - Ramires is a nailed on starter, Romeu has been an important asset to the team - which leaves one position open for Lampard, Miereles, Mata (if AVB only listened to me), Malouda and Mikel to compete for.
Can you honestly tell me that if Liverpool were sitting in the top 4, playing well (not that we are) - with the midfield performing well (not that ours are) that Gerrard walks back into the side? I'm not doubting his qualities, or his influence in particular - but let's be realistic - football is a results business and Lampard, and the side, aren't playing well. No footballer should be guaranteed a place in the side because he was "signed at the age of 8 as a fan" - the simple question comes down to whether or not the player warrants a place in the side; that should be the crux of your argument. There's nothing romantic about it.
Any Lyon, Celtic or Barcelona fans remember Marc Crosas. He's pretty young 23, came up thru Barcelona and just signed with Santos Laguna in Mexico. Joins another former Barcelona and Liverpool player Luis Garcia(Puebla) in Mexico.
He any good?
Can a West Ham or Portsmouth fan tell me the proper course of action I should take when Grant was made the manager.
Should I just jump from 40 story building or pour myself with gasoline and light the match?
Luis and DeMarcus Beasly were teething today about government officials seizing the Puebla stadium. There were pictures of the police confiscating televisions and the like. What's going on?Any Lyon, Celtic or Barcelona fans remember Marc Crosas. He's pretty young 23, came up thru Barcelona and just signed with Santos Laguna in Mexico. Joins another former Barcelona and Liverpool player Luis Garcia(Puebla) in Mexico.
He any good?
:lol Sorry to hear about that, Splatt!
Last season was pure comedy to me. Just laugh at your club's stupidity, it's much easier![]()
I can't rule out the possibility that I've lost my mind
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Ibra "When I see Thiago Silva play, I see myself - but as a defender
Luis and DeMarcus Beasly were teething today about government officials seizing the Puebla stadium. There were pictures of the police confiscating televisions and the like. What's going on?
Robbie Rogers stuff...
Ibra "When I see Thiago Silva play, I see myself - but as a defender
£225,000!?! Surely not.Harry said:"The other week, one of the lads told him that he had not paid his £50 fine for being the worst player in training on a Friday morning. One of the lads said to him: 'Bl**dy hell, Ade, you are on 200 grand a week and you can't afford to pay a £50 fine!' He replied: 'Don't insult me, it's 225!'"
Looks like Cahill to Chelsea is very close to completion. Means he probably won't play for Owen Coyle when he brings his football club to Old Trafford tmrw, but not soon enough to feature for Chelsea.
80k a week is the wage they're rumoured to have settled for.
Does anyone else think that Cahill is overhyped? He's a good defender but I don't think he's deserves all the attention thats been given to him.
I have to wonder how much of this deal is to prepare for Terry and Lampard retiring in a few years, as a way of keeping the quota of English players at the acceptable level.
Would AVB have looked twice at Cahill when he was as Porto?
Does anyone else think that Cahill is overhyped? He's a good defender but I don't think he deserves all the attention thats been given to him.
The highlight of being an Arsenal fan these past 6 years has been Henry returning for 6 weeks
The highlight of being an Arsenal fan these past 6 years has been Henry returning for 6 weeks
"I believe we can turn this table round and even maybe end up winning the championship and people are going to be praising Andre and saying that he is the best manager in the world," Luiz states emphatically
The English requirement is a good point. Cahill is a good defender, he's quick at doesn't lose the head when under pressure but I don't see him as being significantly better than Alex who is deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea.I have to wonder how much of this deal is to prepare for Terry and Lampard retiring in a few years, as a way of keeping the quota of English players at the acceptable level.
Would AVB have looked twice at Cahill when he was as Porto?
United (Probable, 4-3-3): Lindegaard; Rafael, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Park; Nani, Rooney, Welbeck.
Telegraph's probable United side:
Not my highlight. The glory of watching how we played with Cesc Fabregas will always be remembered. Disappointing that we didn't win anything in those years but the beauty of our football was a joy to watch regardless.The highlight of being an Arsenal fan these past 6 years has been Henry returning for 6 weeks
Not my highlight. The glory of watching how we played with Cesc Fabregas will always be remembered. Disappointing that we didn't win anything in those years but the beauty of our football was a joy to watch regardless.
Telegraph's probable United side:
I just had a read through your article. Firstly, fair due as you're a decent writer and all the rest of it.I'll agree the analogy was hyperbolic, and was a way of me injecting some lighter emotion into the piece, but I personally back the general sentiment of it; irrelevant of past injuries, Lampard is no longer top dog at the club, he's no longer centre of attention. There are fresher faces who're like you've well pointed out below pushing their way into Villas-Boas' team selection on a regular basis.
Perhaps it was unfair of me to make an apples to apples comparison, considering Lampard is two years Gerrard's senior, but again, the general sense of it works.
I'm not quite sure I buy this. I personally think Gerrard would walk into the Chelsea team tomorrow, if AVB were able to select him. And I wouldn't say the Chelsea midfield is vastly beyond Liverpool's at the moment, in fact I think it'd take some doing to convince me they were superior.
Mata, of course, is the obvious exception, but the rest of them are comparable to what's available for us. I think Lucas is the best defensive player out of the lot, Meireles has been pretty subdued for you whilst Henderson's flourished somewhat these last couple of months, and Adam's been a steady signing so far, similar to Romeu.
I think if both squads were at full fitness, Gerrard would start for either. The class he's showed since his return has proved as such. His passing, delivery and ability to attack the goal is still superb, after more or less a year out of the game.
Well this is an extremely hypothetical and almost unanswerable question. As both teams are playing without consistency I can say, right now, that Gerrard would walk into both sides yes. And that was half of the argument. Gerrard has lit Liverpool up since returning. He's a presence as much off the field as he is on it, as has been shown in just a few short weeks.
And as for Lampard, I agree that players have to earn their place in the team, I'm not arguing that Lampard should automatically walk into this current Chelsea squad. I'm saying there's a degree of understanding needed from both parties. Chelsea might not need Lampard to play 90 minutes each week, but they need his experience and leadership abilities to help bed in the younger players and push the team on mentally. Similarly Lampard needs to understand that he isn't the heart that keeps Chelsea beating anymore, but that doesn't mean he can't provide an invaluable service.
Finally I want to make clear that I don't think Gerrard is immune to the sort of form Lampard is currently exhibiting. A time will come when Gerrard isn't needed to play every minute of every game, however when it does I foresee the transition being far more harmonious than the one currently happening at Chelsea.
Thanks for the feedback though, honestly, it's much appreciated.
Thank you Sir.Great post Kyle
Who wants to join Galatasaray this days?
why not? he will not get a guaranteed starting spot if he goes to a big club like real madrid
i think it would benefit him to play 1-2 years in a smaller league and then move to a big league like epl, serie a or la liga
He hasn't come in from behind, so I don't see the problem," the Liverpool manager said.
He should move to a decent league like bundesliga, serie A, la liga, etc
Basel is better than any turk team right now, in my opinion. I hope Shaqiri moves to a better side, in a better league... then we can get him![]()
Gala, though, are hopeful of pushing through a deal and the player is seemingly open to the move.
"I have always admired Galatasaray," he said.
"They are a top club and Fatih Terim is a great coach.
"If such an offer is there you have to look and even though I really do not want to go to Turkey, I cannot exlude anything."
Shaqiri's quotes came after Terim revealed he wanted the 20-year-old.
why not? he will not get a guaranteed starting spot if he goes to a big club like real madrid
i think it would benefit him to play 1-2 years in a smaller league and then move to a big league like epl, serie a or la liga
He can move to a big league right now. As of this moment, Arsenal, United, Dortmund, and Inter can all guarantee a starting spot.
Wait, none of those teams are Real. What would be the point?