English Football Thread 2012/2013

[puddleduck]

Not like I've been saying Walcot is a natural striker for the last however many years

Not quite the same obviously, but it's fair to say that Owen would have been a cack winger just as Lennon would be a pants striker.

 

[War]

It might start for you tomorrow, but it is actually round 3!

Ha my bad, i saw a commercial on skysports yesterday that they are showing some game 2moro, so i just randomly presumed it was now starting.

However my gripe for years is that its a competition is useless, the big clubs hate it makes the season unnecessary long especially with no winter break and needs to be scrapped.

Other major leagues La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga have no equivalent competition. The League and the FA Cup is all that is needed in the English football season.

 

[Auwais]

You mean he got a team that had been in the Premiership to the play-offs? Result

They did well considering they had to juggle Europa League football in the first half of the season, no mean feat for a Championship side.

 

[War]

Not quite the same obviously, but it's fair to say that Owen would have been a cack winger just as Lennon would be a pants striker.

Welllllllll i'd say Owen at his peak circa 98-2004 before he went to Madrid could have played the wing forward role at least. Similar to what David Villa does @ Barca, cutting in from the left in a 4-3-3 like formation.

But of course those days was all about 4-4-2, so Owen never really needed to play that role.

 

[puddleduck]

They did well considering they had to juggle Europa League football in the first half of the season, no mean feat for a Championship side.

But they were a Premiership side/Europa League side... not a Championship side that had randomly sneaked into Europe. He did an ok job at Birmingham, nothing more, nothing less. He did what should have been the minimum at Newcastle and has so far looked to be struggling to get the same performances from a Norwich side that overperformed last year.

I'll offer odds to just about anyone that Hughton will not manage in the Premiership next year, and potentially will struggle to get back there.

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Welllllllll i'd say Owen at his peak circa 98-2004 before he went to Madrid could have played the wing forward role at least. Similar to what David Villa does @ Barca, cutting in from the left in a 4-3-3 like formation.

But of course those days was all about 4-4-2, so Owen never really needed to play that role.

Really? He was a fox in the box, he never really possessed the same technical ability as Villa. Had a blistering start, but his goals once he was older than about 21 were mostly from playing on the shoulder of the last defender or reacting first to loose balls in the box.

 

[spooony]

Welllllllll i'd say Owen at his peak circa 98-2004 before he went to Madrid could have played the wing forward role at least. Similar to what David Villa does @ Barca, cutting in from the left in a 4-3-3 like formation.

But of course those days was all about 4-4-2, so Owen never really needed to play that role.

No Owen is like Fowler, Torres and Van Nistelrooy. They are poachers. Once they lose their speed they find it hard to score goals

 

[thedon5]

The useless carling/capital one cup starts 2moro, hooray!

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I know Walcott gets some fair stick due to his inconsistency, but i think he makes a fair point here about wanting to play as a striker.

BBC Sport - Arsenal's Theo Walcott says new deal dependent on striking role

Fact is though, Walcott came up from Southampton as a striker. Even when he scored that hat-trick for England that was always his strong point and it true that for years he being played out wide for the Gunners in an unfavourable positions.

The same things seems to be happening to Sturridge as Chelsea, so maybe we should consider that before we criticize.

He's just far too limited, that's what leads to his inconsistency. That's where almost all of the criticism he gets comes from. Yes, he has a decent finish and he is extremely quick, but he can't do much else. If he were able to dribble, perhaps everyone would be slightly more forgiving of him. The truth is he will most likely never cut it at Arsenal. He isn't a player who can thrive playing possession football, he will really thrive in a counter-attacking set up where he can use his pace and 'ability' to kick the ball really far and run after it fast.

I'm not against playing him as a striker. Wenger is though, I feel that's why he keeps making these statements that Walcott will eventually be a striker, he wants to keep Theo happy without actually playing him there. There are still question marks over our centre forward position, so I have no problem with him getting a game or two there. Even Gervinho got a game there, so he'll probably get his chance soon enough. Perhaps in a cup game.

My opinions are all entirely based on him playing for Arsenal, so if everyone else is basing their opinions on him at England, your opinions will obviously be different to mine.

 

[Skater]

I'll offer odds to just about anyone that Hughton will not manage in the Premiership next year, and potentially will struggle to get back there.

I think he will still be in the Prem next season, with us.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

You're bloody kidding me.

Vidic is set for two months out with a knee problem.

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No Owen is like Fowler, Torres and Van Nistelrooy. They are poachers. Once they lose their speed they find it hard to score goals

As soon as I saw Owen fold up at that World Cup game, I thought he was finished even back then.

 

[spooony]

You're bloody kidding me.

Vidic is set for two months out with a knee problem.

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As soon as I saw Owen fold up at that World Cup game, I thought he was finished even back then.

Yeah its really sad to see potent finishers with just pace. Not much ability to hold up the ball or a big creative side or movement to drop deep etc etc.

In their prime they were brilliant. But Liverpool seem to have the knack to buy them and sell them at the right time.

One of my fav players was Tony Cottee. The 5 yard king. He did not had bundles of talent but 5 lose ball in the 5 yard area Cottee is there to finish it. He scored a lot of goals from 5 yard out lol

 

[Auwais]

But they were a Premiership side/Europa League side... not a Championship side that had randomly sneaked into Europe. He did an ok job at Birmingham, nothing more, nothing less. He did what should have been the minimum at Newcastle and has so far looked to be struggling to get the same performances from a Norwich side that overperformed last year.

I'll offer odds to just about anyone that Hughton will not manage in the Premiership next year, and potentially will struggle to get back there.

Yeah, I agree with you, although I thought the same thing about Di Matteo, good enough to get WBA promoted but would be found out in the Prem.

Guess I was partially right given his sacking when WBA were struggling.

 

[Epic]

You're bloody kidding me.

Vidic is set for two months out with a knee problem.

Misses 4 big games in the league really, Spurs at home, Newcastle away, Chelsea away and Arsenal at home.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Misses 4 big games in the league really, Spurs at home, Newcastle away, Chelsea away and Arsenal at home.

So nothing too bad then.

 

[Haarithan]

Fine read.

Jonathan Wilson - Liverpool Tactics Under Brendan Rodgers Undermined By Individual Mistakes

 

[puddleduck]

Anyone read the Secret Footballer yet? There's quite a few posters on here who could do with getting some insight into the football world