*Official* English Football Season 2007-08

[roseboy64]

As in the case of Chris Eagles, a footballer who couldn’t even make NEC’s first team last year. Yet, somehow Chris has a better chance of playing first team football than Nani, a Portuguese international with Champions League experience. The only thing Eagles will be doing next year is playing in the Championship or playing reserve team football with Solskjaer, Bardsley and Kuszczak.

Nani and Anderson being internationals does not mean they'll be playing a lot. The positions they'd most likely play in have very good players in them and they'd have to do a lot to displace them. Also, I'm pretty sure the English Premiership style of play would be completely foreign to them and they'd have to do quite a bit of adapting to play regularly next season. And where did I say Eagles had more of a chance? I said he'd have a chance of breaking into the first team. Nani and Anderson would quite clearly be in the first team. Also, Kuszczak won't be playing reserve football as Foster will be out for most of the first half and I expect Solskjaer to play a fair amount of first team games. Bardsley may well be sold as even though he looked decent he might not have the quality to make the step up.

And Roseboy, you somehow hope Owen Hargreaves will be playing first team football next year. Not many clubs spend £17 million on a player who should be pushing for a regular place.

Well considering the competition he has it'd be foolhardy to say he's a definite starter. Carrick and Scholes were a good partnership last season so unless there's a change in formation he's not necessarily guaranteed to start but has the quality to do so.

Surely such ‘unbiased’ and well considered critiques of the footballing qualities of Chris Eagles and Dong Fangzhuo should be confined to the Man Untied thread or some Man Untied forum? Where 10,000 pages are devoted to the genius of some guy called Evans, who was solid at Sunderland but you haven’t seen him play enough to know such a thing.

Considering Keane wants him back I'd agree with the reports of him being solid but haven't seen him to form a valid opinion on him. It was just to see if I was right that most people on here wouldn't agree with me really. And of course I'd be biased but you can't say I didn't highlight faults in some of the players and that others need to improve their games such as Heinze and Carrick. Smith is recovering after an horrific injury so he'll improve most definitely and it would be unfair to analyze his performances last season considering the circumstances. Is he good enough? Maybe but he'll have to play a full season fit to make an assessment as he was rather good in his first season at United but then played as a midfielder and injured after.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Van der Sar - Quality keeper.
Kuszczak - Talented keeper who could start for most teams.
Brown - Good defender. Could push for a starting spot on most teams.
Silvestre - Good defender. Makes mistakes sometimes but solid. Quality crosser.
Evans - may break into the first team.

Giggs - Absolutely brilliant. Wales will miss him.
Park - Good winger. Improved his finishing as the season went on. offers good options.
Richardson - Definite potential.
Eagles - Looked good in his few appearances last season. May command more of a place in the first team.

Solskjaer - should play a decent amount of games in his final season.

Quoted solely that which I disagree with.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Why? Do you think they've been signed off the youth teams of Sporting and Porto? Hell no, they've had first team action for quite a while now, including European ties. How that doesn't equate getting more starts than a very poor Fletcher is beyond me. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Nani started more games than Giggs this season. Anderson was injured for much of last season, so he'll start playing once he gets into form.

Because simply they're not as good as our other players, yet. Think both of them were bought more with Europe in mind anyway.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Chelsea will still be my favourite to win the EPL, can't really see that changing for a few years either given their ability to buy in a load of people if they want.

Buying too many central midfielders undoubtedly hurt them last year. Whoever really is making the decisions needs to judge it all a bit better this year, though essentially I agree in that Chelsea are favourites, just.

 

[Tom Halsey]

1) Nope not just me. I don't really expect to win everything TBH but some others do.

No-one sane does.

 

[roseboy64]

Quoted solely that which I disagree with.

I can see why you'd disagree with Evans, Eagles, Richardson and Solskjaer but how can you justify the rest? Since when did Edwin not become a quality keeper? But for a few weeks he was great the entire season.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I can see why you'd disagree with Evans, Eagles, Richardson and Solskjaer but how can you justify the rest? Since when did Edwin not become a quality keeper? But for a few weeks he was great the entire season.

Utter liability the last two(ish) months of the season.

 

[roseboy64]

No-one sane does.

They might be sane but overly optimistic.

 

[roseboy64]

Utter liability the last two(ish) months of the season.

It was only for a couple of weeks really. Saved a penalty against City as well in those two months. Anyway I don't see why that small period should remove him from quality 'keeper status.

 

[roseboy64]

Buying too many central midfielders undoubtedly hurt them last year. Whoever really is making the decisions needs to judge it all a bit better this year, though essentially I agree in that Chelsea are favourites, just.

Can't see Chelsea as being favourites TBH. Last year yes, even though I predicted Utd to win but they have defensive issues to sort before anyone could class them as favourites.

 

[headhunter]

Id be fairly confident on united retaining the title.Will expect chealsea to be 2nd and liverpool who i predict will be up there for 3/4 of the season to come a close 3rd.Arsenal will struggle to get 4th and may even miss out on it.
i see newcastle,spurs man c and possible sunderland all having good seasons and will all be going for the remaining european places.

 

[Craig]

Man City have agreed a fee for Reggina's 24 year old striker Rolando Bianchi worth £8.8m to be paid over three installments. Bianchi scored a credible 18 goals last season to save the Calabrian outfit from near certain relegation after Calciopoli rocked the club. The transfer should be completed over the next 24 hours.

Craig Bellamy joined West Ham for £7.5m.

 

[roseboy64]

Tevez deal definitely happening then. I really do hope it's just a loan.

 

[TT Boy]

Man City have agreed a fee for Reggina's 24 year old striker Rolando Bianchi worth £8.8m to be paid over three installments. Bianchi scored a credible 18 goals last season to save the Calabrian outfit from near certain relegation after Calciopoli rocked the club. The transfer should be completed over the next 24 hours.

Haven’t seen Bianchi play but according to Italian based journalist Paddy Agnew, Rolando is a “poor mans Luca Toni”. Although, his height and strength means he should have the necessary requirements to play in the Premiership. Bianchi was earmarked as possible signing for The Old Lady, so City may have made a decent coup. However, the last tall, strong Italian forward city signed was Bernardo Corradi and we all know what a success he has been.

 

[Tom Halsey]

It was only for a couple of weeks really. Saved a penalty against City as well in those two months. Anyway I don't see why that small period should remove him from quality 'keeper status.

Because of his age, it is not unreasonable to assume he's on the way down. And saving one penalty doesn't really change anything. Best 'keeper we've had since Schmeichel no doubt, but it's time for someone else one feels.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Can't see Chelsea as being favourites TBH. Last year yes, even though I predicted Utd to win but they have defensive issues to sort before anyone could class them as favourites.

Chelsea are favourites because they don't have defensive issues that I can see, unless something major has happened that I don't know about (been away from the world of footie for a couple of weeks tbf, relying mainly on CW for news).

They have the resources to fix any problems, and also have a marginally better squad.

 

[Tom Halsey]

They might be sane but overly optimistic.

Nah, they're simply not sane.

 

[Craig]

Liverpool agree a fee with West Ham for Yossi Benayoun. Freddie Ljungberg could be off to Fiorentina soon according to his agent. Ljungberg is 30 so I guess it would be wise to off load him and get what they can out of him.

European wise Javier Saviola will get a nice warm reception at the Nou Camp this season after joining Real Madrid (If you can't work out the sarcasim there then you are struggling). TT Boy how do you rate Bernd Shuster as a manager?

 

[TT Boy]

Liverpool agree a fee with West Ham for Yossi Benayoun. Freddie Ljungberg could be off to Fiorentina soon according to his agent. Ljungberg is 30 so I guess it would be wise to off load him and get what they can out of him.

European wise Javier Saviola will get a nice warm reception at the Nou Camp this season after joining Real Madrid (If you can't work out the sarcasim there then you are struggling). TT Boy how do you rate Bernd Shuster as a manager?

Did a tremendous job with Getafe but Bernd’s CV isn’t that startling. Schuster’s never won a trophy or indeed achieved much success outside of Getafe, with his side’s style of play being traditionally not the most attractive (win at all cost and when in doubt foul) and polar opposite to what the Real Madrid fans expect. But if Schuster can maintain the new sense togetherness at the club he should do ‘ok’.

Although, he was not so happy with the signing of Chris Metzelder (does not rate him), so it will be interesting to see how he copes with the heavy-handed involvement of Calderon/Mijatović (with decent odds being offered that he will be gone before Christmas).

 

[roseboy64]

Because of his age, it is not unreasonable to assume he's on the way down. And saving one penalty doesn't really change anything. Best 'keeper we've had since Schmeichel no doubt, but it's time for someone else one feels.

No IMO. Still got another year or so left in him.