The Official Football Thread 2005/2006 (2 Viewers)

[johnny_87]

Brown is definitely better than Silvestre. With Silvestre, you are guaranteed a reasonably bad mistake per match. Brown is a good foil for Rio, very much in the John Terry mould (but not as good). Rio's pace and passing with Brown's 'natural defender' attributes, like tackling and reading the game, are a good match. Remember his performance against Chel$cum at Old Trafford this year? I don't recall Silvestre doing anything like that.

 

[- L1n -]

Brown is definitely better than Silvestre. With Silvestre, you are guaranteed a reasonably bad mistake per match. Brown is a good foil for Rio, very much in the John Terry mould (but not as good). Rio's pace and passing with Brown's 'natural defender' attributes, like tackling and reading the game, are a good match. Remember his performance against Chel$cum at Old Trafford this year? I don't recall Silvestre doing anything like that.

Bown has his momemnts but either way i would never use any of em in the starting lineup after the players willl bought this yr in Evra and Vidic, not to mention O'Shea> Brown > Silvestre.

i would start this as my defence

O'Shea Ferdinand Vidic Heinze

as much as Gary is a great defender his age is getting to him.

 

[withoutaface]

I was generalising just like him, did i mention whites? retard.

Telling someone to get out of the country is a generalisation?

 

[copious]

Can we all just settle and talk on the topic of football please.

I completely forgot about Evra! With Heinze back and fit, will Evra push to the midfield on the left? And Ole is going to be fit as well, all the sudden the striking options look good especially with a fast developing Rossi.

 

[johnny_87]

You're kidding right? If we buy Ribery maybe things will change, but as long as Ronaldo plays right wing, we need a good crosser of the ball at right back who can overlap Ronaldo.

Another thing - I think that during our run of wins towards the end of the season our frontline was a fluid, constantly changing front 4 when in attack. I think this is why Fergie continually played Saha (apart from the drama with Ruud). He pulls defenders out wide, creating space for others.

I still think that if Ruud has a good world cup we should do everything in our power to keep him, and he can do this. For Holland he plays with 2 wingers either side, holds the ball up, and often drops back to make a run. In the so-called 4-2-3-1 (or 4-3-3) at Barca, Eto'o often does this. I don't see why it couldn't work with Ruud, with Rooney (at his best when running at defenders), Ronaldo (same) and Ribery just behind. The 2 CMs in this formation would need to be a deep-lying playmaker (could Scholes do this, making the odd run forward? Remember he has a great passing range) and the defensive mid who breaks up play (Diarra).

Just a thought

 

[Benny_]

The problem with the world cup (and other international sporting events) is that perfectly rational people turn into utter dipshits on account of national/racial/ethnic pride... or maybe those people were always utter dipshits and were just waiting for an event like the world cup for those tendencies to surface.

 

[johnny_87]

Unfortunately I don't think we can rely on 2OleLegend any more as a starter. He is someone we can call on from the bench occasionally, but I think it would take a bit of an injury crisis for him to start (we have Rooney, Ruud, Saha, Rossi and Smith).

Benny - good to see another fan of The Shins and The Strokes!

 

[copious]

He'll be great off the bench. No doubt he will stil have his skill.

On side note, my hammers are on the verge of signing Luke Young and Lee Bowyer. Nfi where Bowyer is gonna play, maybe central mid.

 

[johnny_87]

Who plays alongside Reo-coker in CM now? Benayoun? Not sure it's a massive improvement, plus you get the added baggage. I'd stay away from Bowyer if I was West Ham.

 

[- L1n -]

Unfortunately I don't think we can rely on 2OleLegend any more as a starter. He is someone we can call on from the bench occasionally, but I think it would take a bit of an injury crisis for him to start (we have Rooney, Ruud, Saha, Rossi and Smith).

Benny - good to see another fan of The Shins and The Strokes!

Isn't smith classified as a DMF now. Fergie will never play Smith upfront again unless everyone is injured.

 

[copious]

Who plays alongside Reo-coker in CM now? Benayoun? Not sure it's a massive improvement, plus you get the added baggage. I'd stay away from Bowyer if I was West Ham.

Hayden Mullins plays alongside Reo-coker atm, he is solid but not sure if he is european football quality just yet. Benayoun looks dangerous in central midfield as well, so maybe we are in the hunt for a right mid as well.

 

[Jimmy_B]

so politik, have you argies figured out how you're gonna stop ruud, robben and persie? lube up argentina!

 

[Benny_]

The thing i've learnt from all this is that you have no idea about football in the least, and you're just a supporter. Therefore, noone will pay any attention to your rants anymore.

Apparently you have no sense of humour

 

[my sharona]

I'm sorry, i have to disagree with what some people said about the Aus keeper a few pages back.

Schwarzer may be experienced and have super fast reflexes, but i honestly think Kalac is a much better keeper for Australia in the WC. Kalac is much better at holding the ball is and is quicker to get up.

Schwarzer is not only injured, but he tends to just knock the ball wherever is convenient - not a good idea if you're playing against world class players constantly searching for an opportunity when your goalie is getting back on his feet.

Hi Benny!!!!!

 

[copious]

I'm sorry, i have to disagree with what some people said about the Aus keeper a few pages back.

Schwarzer may be experienced and have super fast reflexes, but i honestly think Kalac is a much better keeper for Australia in the WC. Kalac is much better at holding the ball is and is quicker to get up.

Schwarzer is not only injured, but he tends to just knock the ball wherever is convenient - not a good idea if you're playing against world class players constantly searching for an opportunity when your goalie is getting back on his feet.

Hi Benny!!!!!

err so your saying, Kalac should be first choice keeper because he can hold the ball and get up quicker? As opposed to making 10+ saves against a strikeforce of Ruud and Van Persie and co? and not to mention the amount of reflex saves he made against Uruguay to get us in the WC in the first place?

When you need to make the saves that he does, I dont think any keeper in the world could 'hold the ball'.

 

[my sharona]

Schwarzer has an injured cheekbone, so while not as bad as other parts of the body, he isn't perfectly fit.

And while he has played, against Brazil i dont think its a good idea to save goals by knocking them back to Ronaldinho. He just can't hold the damn slippery thing. He knocked it back to Ruud during the Dutch game, and in he did the same thing against Seville. Do that against Croatia or Brazil, you're slightly fucked.

I'm not saying he's a bad keeper, quite the opposite - we needed him to qualify. Just that i think Kalac is the better keeper and much more suitable for Aus's wc chances, which probably won't be reliant on penalty saves.

I guess we will see what Guus thinks, come tonight/tomorrow.

 

[go_swans]

I have tried looking this up on the online tv guide, but can't find it.
Is the socceroos game on later tonight (like 3amish) or have

i got my days wrong?

 

[go_swans]

Thursday, 3am.

as in, 5 hrs from now, right?

 

[- L1n -]

Yeah, Australia showed us how. Hit them hard, and while their writhing on the ground we score.

By the way, have you perhaps thought about how Holland will stop Riquelme, Tevez, Crespo, Messi, Cambiasso, Cruz and Maxi?

Checkmate.





Thank you, oh insight into the world.

Crespo = Crap Version of Ruud, Cruz and Maxi i don't rate at all. Tevez will cause trouble, Messi will play his part, Riquelme can be stopped look what happen when villa played Arsenal. As much as i like Tevez, scoring ability wise he lacks the killa instinct Ruud has. Why did'nt u mention Saviola man? if i was Jose Peckerman, Messi would not be my starting forward. I would have Tevez and Saviola upfront. Cambiasso and cocu similar type.

 

[DRAGONZ]

Haha, sure it's on the TV Guides. Try ninemsn.com.au ..

3:00 am
SBS Sydney
Australia v Liechtenstein(150 mins)
Genre: Sport

Live. Coverage of the football match between Australia and Liechtenstein. Kick off at 3.30am.