Posted 01/07/08 10:46 | www.football365.com | The Mailbox
Chelsea - Cocking It Up Again
So Chelsea have signed the Portuguese party boy Deco.
Once again Chelsea choose to sign a fading former superstar on ridiculous wages. Why not go for the double and sign Deco's fat-bodied wingman Ronaldinho aswell? Deco certainly needs someone to go clubbing with (that will probably be Cashley's job).
When will the Chelsea board stopping worrying about the club's inadequate global profile/reputation and learn to invest in youth and build a squad that can sustain domination? Why can't they sign emerging talent like Manchester United and Arsenal do? Hell, even Spurs are now investing in talented up and comers like Dos Santos and Bale.
Instead clowns like Abramovich and Kenyon are still desperate to sign 'reputation' players. Let's see how that's worked out shall we?
Juan Sebastian Veron - At least Man Utd couldn't have known of the Argentinian's inability to adapt to the English game. Chelsea had no such excuse. How many games did he play for Chelsea again?
Adrian Mutu -What a car crash of a signing. Did no one at Chelsea think to analyse his character before buying him? At least he still owes Chelsea money.
Hernan Crespo - Remind me, how many seasons has he been on loan at Inter?
Didier Drogba - One great season, but a chronic malcontent and a destroyer of team morale that most Chelsea fans will be glad to see the back of.
Michael Ballack - Should have 'the nearly man' tattooed on his forehead - rubbish first season, better second, but at 32 how many seasons has he got left before he's ready for the glue factory?
Andrei Shevchenko - Chelsea FC have actually ruined this player. I hope you Chelsea fans are proud. This guy was a predator, a striker even great defenders truly feared. This guy could have retired in Milan a legend of the game, but look what Chelsea have reduced him to. Shevchenko will now only be remembered as the punchline to a joke involving a priest, a rabbi and the worst way to spend 30 million pounds.
Nicholas Anelka - 15 million pounds. I'll say that again, 15 MILLION POUNDS. For what? For a guy whose goal-to-game ratio was never great, not to mention the most detestable attitude to be possessed by a footballer this side of Ashley Cole. The excuse for initially refusing to take a penalty against United in the CL final was beyond pathetic. Not being warmed up! Excuse me but when does taking three steps and striking a football 12 yards require ANYONE, let alone a professional footballer, to be warmed up? This guy is simply a loser, a footballing charlatan, and Chelsea paid the price.
The only upside I can see for Chelsea in signing Deco is that they have at least now made that gormless goon Lampard surplus to requirements.
Robert Vard
.First of all I am a Man Utd fan and am pleased to see the Deco deal go through. You may be wondering why I like to see an accomplished player join a rival club, well here is your answer...
I dont doubt that Deco has been a recognised star by the world of football for many years and rightly so, and here's the big 'but'...Man Utd and Arsenal have the perfect formula - mix experience with the will, desire and energy of the youth players. Since Mr Abramovich has taken control of Chelsea all he has done is make mistake after mistake using his authority as the 'Big man' in town. Selecting purchase after purchase based on his belief that experience and previous ability is the key to success.
To put it basically, buying ageing stars at extortionate prices is exactly what I like to see Chelsea do...time and time again we see them as failures in the Premiership because our game is too physical, fast and demanding for them to adapt to. Deco will be more proof to the point that 30-odds will fail in the English game we see today.
More of this please, Roman, I look forward to seeing you falter again in the 08-09 season.
Lee Durrant, Derby
It's Not A Good Time For Spurs
Yippee dee we stand to lose two players who between them have scored over 80 goals in all competitions in last two seasons. If Keane goes to Liverpool and Berbatov to United we may as well all pack up and go home. The dull monopoly of the Big Four will continue as the likes of Villa and Spurs have their best players nicked. Frankly Berbatov has stopped playing since the League Cup final and he can go to Europe but Keane going to Liverpool as Crouch's replacement he'll have a few splinters in his arse by season's end. Still there we've always got Jermaine Jenas...
Dave, Hong Kong
English Players: Not That Good
Steady on Tim Collins - is Ashley Cole really an 'excellent full-back'?? I've been watching Euro 2008 closely and comparing our national team with certain players to see where it all went wrong.
1) Can Cole swing in one superb cross after another like Fabio Grosso? No.
2) Can Cole use his right foot for anything other than standing on, like the Romanian, Polish and probably every other left back? No.
3) Can Cole hit 35-yard shots either on target or just past the post like we saw from Rat, Zhirkova among others? No (on this point, wouldnt it be nice if we had a player who could strike a ball like Golodin....)
4) Can Cole regularly skin the opposing full-back giving himself a clear run down the line to supply the strikers? No.
5) Could Cole carve out a 90th-minute chance and finish with his wrong foot inside the near post like wee Lahm did? No chance.
Yes, he can defend sometimes, but at international level it's clear you need a little more than that. Not wishing to pick on Cole, but Bridge can't offer what we are missing either, and between them they pick up 165k a week! If Cole had two feet, would Chelsea pay him double?
Having watched Luka Modric against Turkey raised a few more points in comparison to our midfield golden boys. Modric never stopped moving, he spent 95% of the time behind the ball - yet was the most creative player on the pitch. He was all over the place, making good tackles, getting in the way, breaking play up. He was always looking to fill in somewhere for his team when needed - up front, at the back on the flanks. He didnt try and hit hollywood balls into row z, he just kept it simple, making passes that count. The only time he stood still was in the 118th minute (knackered by that point I guess), yet in the 119th minute he set up what should have been the winner. He never strutted back into his own half like the preening turkeys we have in midfield, be busted his balls to get back behind the ball. All in all, he was bloody superb in that game and it just made me wish England had a player who puts so much into playing for their national team.
I could go through the rest of the England team but frankly I think you get my point. Until we all wake up and realise we are so unbelievably technically deficient to the rest of Europe, we are going nowhere people!
Lec, Camberley
It's Not Your Triumph
You see, yesterday's emails are the exact reason why I didn't want Spain to win the European Championships. I just knew you'd have all the Liverpool and Arsenal fans banging on about how their players won the thing for Spain, arguing over whether Fabregas or Torres were the bestest people on the pitch etc etc.
B*ll*cks. It's only because neither Liverpool or Arsenal got anywhere near a trophy last season that they have to delude themselves into thinking they've somehow achieved something. Well they haven't, alright, Man Utd, Portsmouth and Spurs did, Liverpool and Arsenal DID NOT!!
And then you've got the even more deluded Fabregas coming out and saying this is for the Arsenal fans. We won nothing for them last year, now at least they have one player who's won something. Then he says it makes up for Paris! He actually thinks the Arsenal fans will feel like they've won something. Well they haven't, Spain have, and once again Arsenal, DID NOT!
Nothing like that can make up for your club team winning a major trophy, just ask the United fans after Moscow, or Spurs fans after Wembley.
David Glen, Manchester
Arse Bandits
So when Cesc has a quiet game he's taking people away from the game or contributing in other areas. But when Ronaldo or Gerrard doe's it, they're invisible or big-game bottlers. But don't let your homoerotic thoughts of Cesc change that.
Greg See, Australia
Aragones: Genius Not A Fool
Re: James, perplexed exiled Manc in North London. The reason Aragones deserves all the praise he gets is because he decided on a SYSTEM and picked the players that fitted that SYSTEM, unlike Eriksson and McClown who were too scared to leave out the big names (square pegs, round holes???). He had the balls to leave Raul at home. He took Torres off most game to keep him fresh for the next game (his work rate was phenonmenal, which was a crucial part of his SYSTEM - Guiza proved a more than adequate replacement) and he played Fabregas only when Villa got injured (so he also had a Plan B). The fact that Xavi, Iniesta and Silva played so well justified not picking Fabregas from the start of the tournament. Spain have the longest unbeaten run in international football, played great football and are European Champions and you call the manager lucky!!?? FOOL.
Adam, Birmingham
...The mailbox on Monday afternoon was one of contrasts. On the one hand you have Tim Collins saying it's not all about (supposedly) world-class players, it's about the best team and tactics (largely correct IMO). Then you've got the popular view in this country, as expressed by James, perplexed exiled Manc in North London, saying it all about the players, and Aragones was lucky (as was Scolari in 2002???). Aragones was lucky apparently because he dared substitute Torres and not start with Cesc. Stop believing the Premiership hype machine for f***s sake! Torres was excellent at times but poor and very tired (long debut season in a physically demanding league) at others. Safe to say Aragones got the best out of him, no? Cesc is one of the best midfielders in the world, but Aragones wanted to start with an experienced central midfield (not exactly lacking in quality), that he thought would be best FOR THE TEAM, and used Cesc to great effect from the bench. Basically Aragones got lucky because he didn't make the star players from the bestest league in the whole world the focal point of his team? Jesus wept.
I don't understand how people in this country continue to refuse to accept it's about picking the best team not the best players.
Richard Strzelecki
Loving That Boy Senna
I am sure there will be plenty of answers to Rob's mail on the overhyped holding midfielder. Just a couple of questions then - where was Arshavin in the semi final and Ballack in the final? Could it be their threat was reduced by some excellent play by Senna who in my opinion was the best player from Spain. This does not make me more intellectual on all matters of football but I can appreciate a good footballer and good football when I see it
Danny Koor
...I was really angry with Rob's letter.
He slates people (like me) that dare suggest that Senna was the player of the tournament. Well this why we think it:
It has nothing to do with bigging up the little man and certainly not to do with us trying to make out we're intelligent football watchers. It's because Marcos Senna was the most important player for the winners of the tournament. That's enough said for me. For all of their wealth of attacking talent, anyone of them could have been replaced with someone else but not Senna. Rob likens them to Carrick and Barry, what nonsense! In Carrick and Barry you will get good simple passers of the ball but not much else. In Senna you get a player that is physically strong, athletic, incredible stamina, great passing ability but he's not just some lump in front of the back four, he reads the game brilliantly.
As for the other players short-listed, the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Ballack, Fabregas, Arshavin, Villa etc you can find one or two games where they were disappointing. In Ballack's case every game except Portugal (how people thought he had a better tournament that Frings I don't know but that's a whole other rant) but Senna played at least 8 out of 10 every match. He was the fulcrum and the most important part of a championship-winning team. So in my book that's why he is the player of the tournament.
Bradley Kirrage (Dartford)
Good Riddance To Gareth Barry...
Gareth Barry you are a disgrace.
Going to a rag of a newspaper to insult the manager who made you the player you are shows you up to be a despicable human being. Randy Lerner and Martin O'Neill, along with all of the backroom staff, have done their utmost to reverse the fortunes of the club.
We have a new training ground, the area around the ground has been refurbished, we are branding our jerseys with a new crest and promoting a children's hospice as our 'sponsor'. Most inmportantly, however, the dealings of the club are now handled professionally. No running to newspapers a-la-Benitez/Harry Redknapp, no public bids for players, no sordid pursuits. We are a club with dignity, and you are starting to prove that you don't fit into that mould.
To all Liverpool fans, you are welcome to the overrated, overhyped and overpriced midfielder. Ask yourselves these questions:
1. Would you have wanted Barry to join your midfield 12 months ago? Not a chance.
2. Are there much better players available for less money? Definitely.
3. Will Barry greatly improve your chances of challenging for a title? No f****n way.
4. Would he be worth anywhere near the 18m we value him at if he wasn't English? Michael Carrick anyone?
If we get anywhere near to the 18mill we are looking for, I would be ecstatic. Alonso for 14m, or Barry for 18? I know who I'd choose any day of the week.
If the fat Spanish waiter stumps up the cash, I'll be delighted to see the back of you.
John (an angry rant warrants more than three paragraphs) C, AVFC, Dublin
And To Bad Boy Barton...
I sincerely hope that Newcastle now do everything in their power to rid themselves of Joey Barton. He's an awful person and has proven himself to be nothing more than a liability, whilst giving little back in return on the football pitch. I for one have had enough of players who come to the club, and consistently drag it's name through the mud. I had hoped that we'd seen the last of this when the old regime departed (them themselves were proven to be a disgrace), but it would appear not.
The club now has to get this one right, because keeping Barton on the books could be extremely damaging in the long term - in terms of PR and also attracting players to the club. After all, who would want to sign for a club that has such a man behaving the way he has and ultimately gives him license to do so?
Some people are s***e and will always be - no matter how many chances they are given.
John Burn, Newcastle
No comments:
Post a Comment