Football 2011-2012

[The Nal]

Yeh. Fluffed it completely.

Missing an open net after ranting and raving throughout a game makes you look like a right twit.

[Wooderson]

Happens to the best of them.

[The Nal]

The "best of them" don't spend 89 minutes giving out 'king yards at their teammates only to fluff the easiest chance of the game. I can understand Luis getting frustrated at Charlie Adam's perfectly inept performance, but it doesnt endear you to anyone when you fail to achieve the lofty standards that you set others yourself.

He needs to knuckle down and get stuck into the opposition. He's not concentrating 100% chief.

[eFestivals]

So what's going with Torres? Is the manager trying to find a way to force him to the margins while avoiding flack from Roman for doing so? It seems odd that - unlike every other time this happens - he's not being accepted at his word for being mis-quoted.

Mind you, seeing as he put up the slagging of his team mates on his own website, I guess it's not quite every other time a player claims they were mis-quoted.

It still seems odd tho.

[The Nal]

So what's going with Torres? Is the manager trying to find a way to force him to the margins while avoiding flack from Roman for doing so? It seems odd that - unlike every other time this happens - he's not being accepted at his word for being mis-quoted.

Mind you, seeing as he put up the slagging of his team mates on his own website, I guess it's not quite every other time a player claims they were mis-quoted.

It still seems odd tho.

[Wooderson]

Whether Torres was misquoted or not, what good comes of making it into a big deal? My read is similar to yours Neil, he is being marginalised by AWB. This fella looks like he will ship people out asap - and when Sturridge comes out with Kanu-style magicianship at the weekend whats stopping him?

Very, very rare thing for players to leave either LFC / Manchester Utd and go on to have the best years of their career. McManaman only one that comes to mind straight away and he was our most capped player in the 1990s - no issue with his move at all in hindsight.

Ronaldo may be scoring goals for fun but is he winning anything substantial at Real? How he must look back at the Utd team now and kick himself.

[The Nal]

Whether Torres was misquoted or not, what good comes of making it into a big deal? My read is similar to yours Neil, he is being marginalised by AWB. This fella looks like he will ship people out asap - and when Sturridge comes out with Kanu-style magicianship at the weekend whats stopping him?

Edited September 13, 2011 by The Nal

[TheGayTent]

it was interesting seeing David James on footie focus the other day - he clearly believes that Reina is streets ahead of the other possibilities for best goalie in the Prem.

[TheGayTent]

Got my tickets for The New Den next Saturday

[Ed209]

If your considering united too, then Forlan springs to mind, and apparently Djembe-Djembe is tearing it up in the Danish league right now

[The Nal]

Why would you give anything James says credibility?

Not even in the top 3 goalkeepers we've had in the last 25 years.

[TheGayTent]

Hes been around a long time (Davis James and Neil) and James is right in this case. Since Van Der Man retired, Reina is the best keeper in the league by a distance. His distribution has him ahead of anyone else. Ive also been impressed with De Geas distribution at times. Must be a Spanish thing.

Although, Freidels form thus far has been mighty impressive. He has that perfect positioning that keepers of that age get (except David James), where they don't have to make great saves. Game looks easy to them.

[eFestivals]

Why would you give anything James says credibility?

Not even in the top 3 goalkeepers we've had in the last 25 years.

Being a great goalie isn't required to spot a great goalie. And that aside, James is one of the few footie players with half a brain instead of none.

Anyway, I mentioned it more for the way he was pushed to say that others were in the same ballpark as Reina, but wouldn't go with it - especially with Hart.

[eFestivals]

The point was, why is James saying it interesting?

see the post I've just made.

Why Liverpool let Friedel go in the first place is one of modern day footballs great mysterys.

my take on that was that he was too slow. He's got all the skills in the other areas, but he's not the fastest.

I'd also say (from memory) that his form had dipped a little at that time too.

[TheGayTent]

see the post I've just made.

my take on that was that he was too slow. He's got all the skills in the other areas, but he's not the fastest.

I'd also say (from memory) that his form had dipped a little at that time too.

[kaosmark2]

it was interesting seeing David James on footie focus the other day - he clearly believes that Reina is streets ahead of the other possibilities for best goalie in the Prem.

[eFestivals]

Again I'd have to disagree.

James has half a brain? This is the guy that put mistakes he had made down to spending hours and hours playing tomb raider....

yes, he has half a brain - that's half a brain more than nearly every other footballer.

It's a different thing to saying he's smart, but for a footballer he is.

Friedel hadn't been able to show any lack of form as he hadn't been given any game time...the great Sander Westerveld was keeping him out of the side. Friedel too slow? Not from what I've seen even now at 40 for Tottenham, let alone the last 10 years at Villa/Blackburn.

keeping him out of the side because....?

He got plenty of games at Liverpool as I remember it (tho it might be that my memories are a little warped, as it's possible that my memories of Friedel coincide with a point I was more interested in footie, with less interested spots each side of that).

And yes, he is slow compared to most other 'top' goalies.

[The Nal]

Arsenal wilted again last night. Would've been a good result from them. What a goal though!

Barca/Milan was fairly boring in the 2nd half, which is usually the case when Barca have most of the ball. Came back to bite them on the arse. Defensive masterclass from Nesta and Silva. They were unreal.

[pink_triangle]

I would still say a draw against dortmund is a good result after the start to the season Arsenal have had this season. Missed Barca v Milan but would have loved to have seen it. Im glad Nesta can still perform at the top level, one of the best centre backs I have ever seen. I think from memory he missed the 2006 world cup which is a great pity. Then again they may not have won it without costacurta there to wind zidane up.

Really looking forward to man u v chelsea this weekend, chelsea games dont tend to result in classics but it will be interesting to see how man u react to their first real test and also give an indication on whether the media have been correct in writing of chelsea this season.

[The Nal]

Im glad Nesta can still perform at the top level, one of the best centre backs I have ever seen.

Edited September 14, 2011 by The Nal

[Jaybles]

There is plenty of James hating here.

His last few years in the top flight for Portsmouth he matured into one of the best keepers in the premiership in my opinion.

[TheGayTent]

There is plenty of James hating here.

His last few years in the top flight for Portsmouth he matured into one of the best keepers in the premiership in my opinion.

[TheGayTent]

keeping him out of the side because....?

He got plenty of games at Liverpool as I remember it (tho it might be that my memories are a little warped, as it's possible that my memories of Friedel coincide with a point I was more interested in footie, with less interested spots each side of that).

And yes, he is slow compared to most other 'top' goalies.

[eFestivals]

hmmmm ... interesting games last night.

City looked a combination of nervous and trying too hard, and kept on falling over their own feet as a result. And Napoli weren't too shabby either, I'm guessing better than City expected them to be. That was one hell of an attacking front line City put on the pitch, but having only got a draw at home they'll need to pick up their play if they're going to get out of the group.

I saw less of the Utd game, but what stuck me from that is that Utd have a far weaker second string than City have, that too many on the pitch weren't anything special - only Lindergard and Giggs stood out in the bits I saw. Jones looked like he'd swallowed his press cuttings in the bit of the game he got, and I guess fergie will be having words.

Most of all with Utd is that I'm wondering if fergie's made a huge fuck up by putting out that different team last night. While I totally get that he wanted to keep the better players fresh for Sunday, he's messed around with a set a players that were on fire, and after last night's damp squid I'm wondering if those players will gel back together again as they've been for Sunday. I hope they do tho, cos I'd like to see Utd destroy Chelsea, which I think is far from impossible if they come out as hyped up and on fire as they were for the Arsenal match.

Edited September 15, 2011 by eFestivals

[eFestivals]

Then your memory is poor. Friedel played only 25 league games for Liverpool in 3 years at the club. This was not due to poor form IMO, it was due to both Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier believing that first David James, and later Sander Westerveld were better goalkeepers. Which IMO is complete piffle.

My memory might well be poor .... but am I right in thinking that Friedel's first season on Liverpool's books was spent on loan at another club (I'm guessing in Europe somewhere) because they couldn't get him a work permit or something?

He is/was not slow compared to most of his peers.

I disagree. I'd have said that James was quite a lot quicker than Friedel, tho that's not saying he was the better goalie.