*Official* English Football Season 2009-2010

[Uppercut]

If by "one of the best tacklers" you mean "good at giving away hundreds of free kicks in relatively harmless positions". In terms of actually winning the ball he's terribad.

 

[Uppercut]

Never been convinced by this at all.

I can accept that if you create twenty clear cut chances and miss them all then you do not deserve to win but what I cannot agree with is that the side they are playing against who win 1-0 from a goalkeeping howler actually deserve to win the game.

There is such thing as luck in sport you know.

You only need to be better than the other team on the day to deserve to win, you don't need to be good. Being better than the other team can just mean having a keeper who doesn't bash the ball off Titus Bramble's head and into his own net, or having strikers who don't miss all their chances, or having a top-class keeper the other team can't get past. There's such thing as luck in sport, it just doesn't apply here.

 

[Craig]

Wasn't Sotirios Kyrgiakos rubbish when he played for Rangers? If so, if you're too dire for the SPL...

 

[GIMH]

Have it on good authority that you have to be at the game to appreciate what Lucas brings to the Liverpool side.

Make of that what you will

 

[Craig]

Have these people ever said what Lucas brings to the Liverpool side?

 

[Ikki]

If by "one of the best tacklers" you mean "good at giving away hundreds of free kicks in relatively harmless positions". In terms of actually winning the ball he's terribad.

He is in the top 3 (I think he is 2nd) most successful tacklers in the league. How much of Liverpool have you seen? True, he does give fouls away but he certainly is a good tackler. He has such a high-work rate he is bound to give fouls away. Anyway, calling him a bad player, let alone the worst Brazilian, is over the top. Reckon he'll be a good squad player for us.

Have these people ever said what Lucas brings to the Liverpool side?

Basically what Mascherano brings to a lower level. Although he is a bit better going forward.

EDIT: have just checked the Optastats, he has just fallen out of the top 5 but still is and has been a very successful tackler this season.

 

[GIMH]

Have these people ever said what Lucas brings to the Liverpool side?

Basically that he does a lot of the 'water-carrying' and off-the-ball work that allows the rest of the midfield to function. I don't watch Liverpool at the ground obviously, and I'm not saying that I agree, but a lot of matchgoing reds have said this. I can certainly empathsie with the general opinion, I remember Mark Rankine winning our player of the year (or maybe coming 2nd) in 04-05, we played a few games on TV that season and I was reliably informed by my friends who saw him on TV that he was 'crap'. Sort of player you need to be there to appreciate.

edit - Mark Rankine
Bumped into him at a service station on the way back from Bournemouth once. Had no shoes on and a bottle of lambrini in my hand. White trash FTW.

 

[Pothas]

You only need to be better than the other team on the day to deserve to win, you don't need to be good. Being better than the other team can just mean having a keeper who doesn't bash the ball off Titus Bramble's head and into his own net, or having strikers who don't miss all their chances, or having a top-class keeper the other team can't get past. There's such thing as luck in sport, it just doesn't apply here.

I was certainly not refering to the Wigan game, Arsenal obviously did not deserve to win that game and N'Zogbia scored a wonderfull goal to win it. This debat pretty much alway come down to how you define 'deserve' so there is little point in really discussing it.

Anyway Arsenal fans, if you want to feel any worse about your choice of Polish keeper for the weekend, check out the save at the end of this match.

BBC Sport - Football - Highlights - Bristol Rovers 0-0 Brentford

 

[GIMH]

Hopefully that's the last save of that kind he'll be making for a little while

 

[sledger]

Play him Arsene, for god's sake at least give him a chance. I don't know what more he could have done to earn himself a shot at Arsenal to be honest, because it seems he has had an amazing year with Brentford.

I did laugh at the commentator suggesting that "Carl Cort has a habit of scoring at the right end" though, hmmm yes.

 

[duffer]

Not accesible in Aus, but so many Arsenal fanboys on other forums pinning all their hopes and dreams on a barely 20 year old keeper. Ridiculous that it's come to this. Then again all I have to do is turn on an Arsenal game these days to see why.

 

[Furball]

Wasn't Sotirios Kyrgiakos rubbish when he played for Rangers? If so, if you're too dire for the SPL...

No.

Was terrific for us in a 6 month loan spell in 2004/05, certainly made sure Boumsong wasn't missed.

Had a few moments the following season but he was absolutely rock solid for us in the Champions League, which makes me suspect that his occasional brainfarts in defence had more to do with a lack of concentration due to the standard of the league than a lack of ability.

 

[grecian]

Alan Brazil was a decent player, to be fair. crap pundit and obviously a source for some rubbish " which goalkeeper kicks the farthest" jokes.

 

[Pothas]

Play him Arsene, for god's sake at least give him a chance. I don't know what more he could have done to earn himself a shot at Arsenal to be honest, because it seems he has had an amazing year with Brentford.

I did laugh at the commentator suggesting that "Carl Cort has a habit of scoring at the right end" though, hmmm yes.

The lad is so good but he is obviously not ready, needs at least another year in league 1 football

Carl Cort has had a new lease of life in the last couple of games......well he has actually managed to play a couple of games.

Still Cort dodgy knees and all is about 1000 times better than Mr Strevens.

Trying to decide whether to go tomorow or not, being back at home makes it slightly more tricky, need to convince my dad to go.

 

[duffer]

Gutted we let Mart Poom retire. He'd be the undoubted Arsenal #1 about now.

 

[sledger]

Bring back Warmuz and Rami Schaaban too.

Edit: One that has always annoyed me is how Hector Carini's deal fell through.

 

[duffer]

Fabian Carini surely? Bullet dodged there however it happened.

 

[sledger]

Fabian Carini surely? Bullet dodged there however it happened.

Héctor Fabián Carini Hernández tbh

Not really sure how he turned out, but he looked good in the one game he played for us pre-season, and I find it hard to imagine he is worse than our current 2.

 

[duffer]

I find it hard to imagine he is worse than our current 2.

I concede.

 

[sledger]

I concede.

Not as much as they do.

Best joke ever? Thought as much.