Tackles, balls and Seaman - The footie thread

[RnT]

S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!
S?O PAULO !!!!!!

 

[Izzy]

That was mature

Didn't watch the game, hope the players aren't tired.

Apparently:

''We had 21 shots and 17 corners, hit the bar twice and had three goals disallowed. '' - Rafa Benitez.

Guess it just wasn't our day, but football has a way of balancing things things out.

[Jim]

That was mature

And that was bitter. 

But, if foootball has a way of balancing out, then you wouldn't have made it to the group stage of the Champions League this year. 

Spurs, though. Another 3 goals, eh? Pity we only got a point. I didn't see it, I was at work. Great match, appatantly...

Oh, but I did see the highlights. And.

Englands, England number 1. Englands,

Number 1. 

[2NaFish]

Englands, England number 1. Englands,

Number 1.

I'll give england credit for having the second best team on earth, but Robinson is a weak link. Yes, he's england's number one but there's not much competition for that. He and Sven are the two reasons why i don't think you'll win in germany.

[Izzy]

Englands, England number 1. Englands,

Number 1.

I'll give england credit for having the second best team on earth, but Robinson is a weak link. Yes, he's england's number one but there's not much competition for that. He and Sven are the two reasons why i don't think you'll win in germany.

Indeed, he hardly solves our goalkeeping crisis

[Jim]

I would hazzard a guess that you two have never watched Robinson play before. 

Oh, asside from for England, where he's been at fault for...What? One goal since taking over from David James?

And you clearly didn't see him play the other day. 

I haven't had this much confidence in a 'keeper for Tottenham or England since David Seaman was actually good.

Recently, he's made a few mistakes. But only one of them was actually a proper blunder, being his mistake against United. And, may I add do I beg, they were the first since he joined Tottenham. But they were cancelled out by superb performance so...Y'know...

And if you two think (you for saying and you for agreeing, eh) that our goalkeeper situation is a bigger problem than what to do with the midfield, well...

I don't actually need to say anymore, anybody who knows anything about football will see that a statement like that speaks for itself. 

[2NaFish]

"anybody who knows anything about football" - i can not honestly believe you would say that. But if you do want my credentials, i'm a qualified coach and referee, i've coached football on two continents and have had a season ticket at Tynecastle 12 of the 20 years i've been alive.

Robinson, to put it simply, is just not a great goalie. Good shot stopper, not much else. His only competition is david james and that is no competition whatsoever.

[Jim]

Sorry, I didn't read your autobiography before writing that. Didn't do my research, either. So appologies. 

Meh, read between the lines, my point is this: I watch Robinson week in, week out. I think that he's a great keeper. Some of the saves he makes, combined with the presence that he has in the box, gives me a lot of confidence in him. I just wondered how often you monitor Robinson's performance? Maybe you watch match of the day........

[2NaFish]

and you're a self confessed fan so you must admit you're hardly going to be unbiased.

Anyway, we're not going to solve anything as there is no definite answer.

[Danny Top Hat]

Paul Robinson is good enough.  He's an excellent shot stopper and that's what could really be important, cause a brilliant save can turn a world cup game around.  He's not that great at collecting crosses but we have a strong defence so hopefully that won't be too big a problem.

[grendood]

ahh Izzy a fellow liverpool supporter ever been to anfield?

Liverpool for life.

[MadmanDan]

ahh Izzy a fellow liverpool supporter ever been to anfield?

Liverpool for life.

What do you say to a scouser with a job? "Big Mac, please!"   

[Izzy]

ahh Izzy a fellow liverpool supporter ever been to anfield?

Liverpool for life.

Indeed I have. Glorious stadium, but getting tickets is such a bitch, season tickets have an 800 year waiting list....

[Jim]

Oh, but of course I am biased.

Paul Robinson is good enough. He's an excellent shot stopper and that's what could really be important, cause a brilliant save can turn a world cup game around. He's not that great at collecting crosses but we have a strong defence so hopefully that won't be too big a problem.

Minus the Gooner bias and that means that Danny thinks Robinson is the best goalkeeper in the world.

 

You know, it's weird.

I thought that I would really enjoy the problems Arsenal seem to be going through at the moment but... 

I detest New Chelsea so much that I would be happy to see anybody being able to give it a proper go of it up against them.

The Arsenal of the Unbeaten Season would have run rings around these Chelsea pretenders. At any rate, at least they were good to watch.

[Danny Top Hat]

Damn straight.

Wenger's admitted now that this is a transitional period.  Tony Adams used to say that he didn't believe in transitional periods, that he thinks of them as an excuse when you're not performing.  I agree with Tony, but it's encouraging to think that in a year or two we could be back.  Hopefully next year we will have signed a few class players (like we should've done last summer) and with our new stadium we will be strong again.

It's strange, winning is much less fun when it becomes predictable.  I enjoyed the unbeaten run as much as the next Gooner, but in my eyes it could never compare to catching Man Utd in 1998 and winning the double - that was the best season of all.  I'm sure the Chelski fans are having a great time at the moment but I also think that at the back of their minds they must know that they haven't really earned it, and i'm certain none of their wins will be as sweet as ours in 98.  When we catch up with them again it'll be worth the wait for sure. 

[Izzy]

I also think that at the back of their minds they must know that they haven't really earned it,

How so? Have they cheated?

If you are referring to the money they have spent then Arsenal ''cheat'' every year with the millions they spend, as do every other high spending team

Its not good for the game - but can anyone really complain when they know deep down if some rich Russian took over their team they would welcome it?

Chelsea deserve their league win, they are better than any one else by some distance.

I do think its a shame that the chairman's bank account is so important in modern football - its much more intresting when multiple teams of varying budgets all have a sound chance of success. I hope one day a transfer limit is imposed, say 10 million a season, would do so much for the game - whether its legal is another matter, maybe a limit of 2 new signings a season would be a more legally compliant answer, who knows....

[MadmanDan]

 can anyone really complain when they know deep down if some rich Russian took over their team they would welcome it?

Yeah, when a rich American took over Man United the fans were so happy that they threw street parties to welcome him

[Jim]

How so? Have they cheated?

If you are referring to the money they have spent then Arsenal ''cheat'' every year with the millions they spend, as do every other high spending team

Its not good for the game - but can anyone really complain when they know deep down if some rich Russian took over their team they would welcome it?

Chelsea deserve their league win, they are better than any one else by some distance.

I do think its a shame that the chairman's bank account is so important in modern football - its much more intresting when multiple teams of varying budgets all have a sound chance of success. I hope one day a transfer limit is imposed, say 10 million a season, would do so much for the game - whether its legal is another matter, maybe a limit of 2 new signings a season would be a more legally compliant answer, who knows....

I guess that maybe you're right to an extent, but I think that you're missing the point.

Arsenal won the Premiership through years of progressing, building on what they had achieved the previous season and thus being able to spend more money that way; being that they earned the right to, season to season.

Chelsea just won the lottery.

Who deserves to be rich, the guy who created his business (Branson? Gates?) or the guy who wins the lottery (that prick with all the gold rings and the like that seems to be in the paper all the time)?

On the transfer limit, it is a good idea in theory, but only in theory, as it would never work.

It would still come down to which team could pay players more.

And can you restrict that?

If you can, then it would come down to the 'benefits' that clubs can offer that player...

...Oh, yeah, that one is already in practice, actually.

It would be far too hard to monitor.

[Izzy]

Well done Liverpool, Crouch seems to be improving - with a few more signings in January I think 2nd place can be ours

[Jim]

Not a chance. When United actually show up, they play you off the park.

Nice to see we ground out another win. I don't know if we played that great, but if we didn't so what? A clean sheet and both our strikers scoring? Sounds good to me, even if it was against Birmingham....