Soccer • Football • Voetbal • Futbol • Calcio 2011/2012



idfnl said:

So then why did he want out of Old Trafford?

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I'm not disagreeing with you by any means that Tevez is a complete and utter tool. I just thought his performances for ManUtd were better than his output for WestHam. That's all.

fwiffo said:

Gary Cahill in.

He needs to move the dead weight but that might have to happen in the summer. Mikel, Alex, Kalou, Malouda have to go. Personally, I'd sell Lampard to really stamp myself on the team.

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Or Chris Samba to really mess with Terry's head...

Yeah, that team has held onto people for far too long. I'm all for the one-club player, but having so many over-30s on the team is really hurting them. It was doing so last season w/ Ancelotti (who did a great job and didn't deserve the drop, now happily employed at PSG) and Villas-Boas just didn't clamp down early enough.

Malouda's already touting he'll "follow" Ancelotti to PSG if not given more minutes. Cut him.

Mikel has never struck me as a player of the BPL's caliber. A squad player at best. Maybe he could flourish in France, Belgium, Turkey, etc.

Alex is really underrated by AVB. Shame he's getting the cold shoulder - he can still do a great job in central defense.

Kalou - still not sure on him (and at 25 or 26 now, that's not promising), but with the emergence of Sturridge, it's time to move on.

Torres - stop the damage now. Ship him back to Atletico where he'll be welcomed with open arms as a prodigal son and (hopefully) regain form.

Lampard - not even sure where he'd go, since be's been at Stamford Bridge for so long.

Ideal XI for Chelsea for the time being?

Mata, Drogba (beast still got it, at least 'til summer), Sturridge
Meireles, Ramires
Luiz
Cole, Terry, Alex, Ivanovic
Cech

And then revamp your bench, and get some fresh blood in rotations.

Already being touted that "Romeu could return to Barça in '13!" Couldn't have seen that one coming with all the buy-back clauses Rosell forced down Chelsea's throat (eyeroll). Pathetic. Keep your players if they're good, move them on if they're not.

I hate Barça.



El Argentino said:

I'm hating for no reason on Barça.

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Two way agreement, sir. If Chelsea didn't like the terms, they didn't have to sign him.



embowafa said:

I'm hating for no reason on Barça

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Quatsch said:

Speaking of winter transfers, I'm most interested to see what Arsenal and Tottenham do. Does Tottenham have the money to bolster their lineup? I'd like to see them impose themselves on the league and be able to challenge the big five year in and year out.
Arsenal needs to spend too. There have been rumors about Podolski, and I'd like to see that - he's always been fun to watch in his performances with the German national side. What do you guys think about bringing Henry in on loan? I'm not sure how much good it would really do except perhaps for morale.

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I wouldnt touch that Tottenham side. That team just needs some time together. Its the opposite actually, just try and keep everyone. Look at that lineup...

Bale
vd Vaart
Modric
Lennon
Adebayor
Parker
King

Thats a core. You dont need any more pieces.



El Argentino said:

I'm not disagreeing with you by any means that Tevez is a complete and utter tool. I just thought his performances for ManUtd were better than his output for WestHam. That's all.
Or Chris Samba to really mess with Terry's head...
Yeah, that team has held onto people for far too long. I'm all for the one-club player, but having so many over-30s on the team is really hurting them. It was doing so last season w/ Ancelotti (who did a great job and didn't deserve the drop, now happily employed at PSG) and Villas-Boas just didn't clamp down early enough.
Malouda's already touting he'll "follow" Ancelotti to PSG if not given more minutes. Cut him.
Mikel has never struck me as a player of the BPL's caliber. A squad player at best. Maybe he could flourish in France, Belgium, Turkey, etc.
Alex is really underrated by AVB. Shame he's getting the cold shoulder - he can still do a great job in central defense.
Kalou - still not sure on him (and at 25 or 26 now, that's not promising), but with the emergence of Sturridge, it's time to move on.
Torres - stop the damage now. Ship him back to Atletico where he'll be welcomed with open arms as a prodigal son and (hopefully) regain form.
Lampard - not even sure where he'd go, since be's been at Stamford Bridge for so long.
Ideal XI for Chelsea for the time being?
Mata, Drogba (beast still got it, at least 'til summer), Sturridge
Meireles, Ramires
Luiz
Cole, Terry, Alex, Ivanovic
Cech
And then revamp your bench, and get some fresh blood in rotations.

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I agree, I've actually thought Luiz was a better holding mid than central d. At Benfica he was a fullback. Problem with him anywhere in the defense is that he's rash and will get tossed out of games. Same is true holding the midfield where you get more action in the tackle.

Dont get me wrong, I like Luiz but he's a bit of a dummy.

Ya, Samba and Cahill in central d would be a formidable pairing.



idfnl said:

Ya, Samba and Cahill in central d would be a formidable pairing.

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I meant Samba + Terry in light of all the racist talk being thrown around. But that's a decent pairing for the EPL too.



El Argentino said:

Already being touted that "Romeu could return to Barça in '13!" Couldn't have seen that one coming with all the buy-back clauses Rosell forced down Chelsea's throat (eyeroll). Pathetic. Keep your players if they're good, move them on if they're not.
I hate Barça.

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Both parties agreed to the contract. No reason to hate Barca, other than being jealous.



Jabonator said:

Both parties agreed to the contract. No reason to hate Barca, other than being jealous.

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That could be part of it, but lets not split hairs here.



Quatsch said:

Arsenal needs to spend too. There have been rumors about Podolski, and I'd like to see that - he's always been fun to watch in his performances with the German national side. What do you guys think about bringing Henry in on loan? I'm not sure how much good it would really do except perhaps for morale.

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I'm sure he'll have the same impact as Sol Campbell's return. He may have been a top scorer in MLS but I doubt he has the pace to compete in the Premiership.

I like the Henry loan but may be a bit biased as when I first found out about soccer, he quickly became my favorite player and Arsenal my team. I like it because it is a short term commitment that will provide cover for Gervinho and Chamakh as they'll be playing in the African Cup of Nations. While I'd like Arsene to slot Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into that LW role, I don't think Wenger will do so as he doesn't think he's ready. So that basically leaves Arshavin and Benayoun. Arshavin's been dog **** and I don't know if Benayoun can go the full 90 so with Henry as cover, they can play Benayoun for 60-70, and then bring on Henry to finish. Plus he provides cover for RvP with Chamakh gone and Wenger hesitant to plug in Park.

It will also bring excitement to Emirates which is always a plus and will give the young guys like AOC some time to gain some insight and maturity in the game from a legend.

I'm curious to see what his(Henry) fitness and form will be like. Its possible he could still compete - look at Ryan Giggs, who is, by the way, just been offered another year of contract extension. If he takes it he'll turn 40 before next season wraps up, I think. Remarkable.

Who all is losing people to the African Cup? Are Drogba, the Toures, and Kalou heading out for Cote d'Ivoire?


Liverpool looked decent today against Newcastle. Carroll was nonexistent then bad. It seemed like he either gave the ball away attempting to make the turn or gave a terrible pass out which made the target either adjust his run or stop completely. He had such a terrible touch on a beautiful feed from Gerrard I believe. Carroll was unlucky with a solid header late, but it was just for his play earlier in the match. Gerrard looked nice today once he came on with a couple of crosses and his goal. Gerrard's crosses can be so beautiful and may be exactly what Carroll needs to bust out during Suarez's ban. Bellamy just continues to go hard like no other, and is proving Dalglish knew what he was doing when he gave him time earlier in the season.

I have the aching suspicion that Carroll will never amount to anything. Hyped-up purchase who never really proved himself.

Well well. How the mighty are fallen.

Mad props to Blackburn, but I'm still not quite sure how they did it. There were a lot of missed or poorly executed clearances in that last 25 minutes. The penalty given for the first goal was certainly deserved - if you're going to grab somebody's shirt you've got to be prepared to pay the piper if you fall down and drag them down with you. Second goal was sort of a fluke but Yakubu made the most of it. Third goal - wtf, de Gea?


And apparently Blackburn's left back Adam Henley was born (and raised?) in Knoxville, TN but is a Welsh national?