*Official* English Football Season 2012-13

[flibbertyjibber]

For me Giggs was better than Bale. We need to remember that Bale is a shining light in a team that has won bugger all not a brilliant part of the team that has dominated English football for the last 20 years.

One thing to say, should Bale win player of the year when Michu has had just as big an impact on his team and actually helped his team to win silverware and that doesn't even include Sewer Rat and RVP?

 

[GIMH]

Well you'd be wrong.

Giggs was 23 when he scored that goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup, by which point he'd been one of the top players at the top club in the country for 7 years.

Honestly, you'd be better off not posting in this thread, you embarass yourself everytime your fingers hit your keyboard.

No he wasn't. That goal was in 1999. He would have been about 26/27 then wouldn't he?

EDIT - 25 apparently. Still incredible, mind. Felt like he'd been around forever, but then again he had been the whole time I'd been following the sport.

 

[Pothas]

Who cares anyway? Could not give a **** about individual awards in Football, is a team sport.

 

[GIMH]

It's a **** sport is what it is, when are the Ashes?

 

[Pothas]

It's a **** sport is what it is, when are the Ashes?

It could be a great sport come 9.30 tomorow night, or yeah it could be a bloody awful one.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

It's a **** sport is what it is, when are the Ashes?

Agree with that. Roll on summer, particularly if my shower stop up in the football.

 

[GIMH]

It could be a great sport come 9.30 tomorow night, or yeah it could be a bloody awful one.

My top tip is us to square off in the play-off semis

 

[sledger]

It's not a bad tactic; it's just not tactic you just decide upon before the game. You need your defensive line very well drilled.

I actually think Arsenal are a very good team and will get better. Like Liverpool they lack concentration and a couple of players in certain positions that will greatly impact the team. IMO you're badly missing a world-class CB and a forward that will give you 17-20 league goals.

When it clicks for Arsenal they are a brilliant team. Liverpool have lost games this season but I don't remember being so embarrassed against a side like the first leg of the season against Arsenal.

I think it's almost a de facto poor tactic to deploy against a team with an extremely fast, and extremely good, front line. Particularly when there's a player like Bale lining up against you, who can pretty much operate on either flank and through the middle.

If you're going to use it against a player like that, you need a defence which is not only extremely well drilled, but extremely mobile. With the best will in the world, Mertesacker and Jenkinson are not exactly the embodiment of great pace and agility. Attempting to play a player like Bale offside with Mertesacker in the centre of defence is asking for serious trouble.

You're right that Arsenal are missing a really decent centre back and centre forward, but they're missing a lot more than that. A midfielder who could actually kick some heads in would be good. They needn't even be that good technically, given the other players around them, but someone who can really put the boot in and cover a lot of ground is a pre-requisite for next season imo. Was one for this season too, and several of the previous. But never mind.

 

[sledger]

Speaking of world class centre forwards:

BBC Sport - Nicklas Bendtner gets Denmark ban after drink driving arrest

 

[The Sean]

Who cares anyway? Could not give a **** about individual awards in Football, is a team sport.

Ha ha, indeed - I'm sure blokes with a few Premier League winners medals don't give a **** if they've ever made the Team of the Year.

 

[Furball]

No he wasn't. That goal was in 1999. He would have been about 26/27 then wouldn't he?

EDIT - 25 apparently. Still incredible, mind. Felt like he'd been around forever, but then again he had been the whole time I'd been following the sport.

Yeah, maths fail on my part.

 

[sledger]

Ha ha, indeed - I'm sure blokes with a few Premier League winners medals don't give a **** if they've ever made the Team of the Year.

Only good time was when Pires won FWA Footballer of the Year. That was gun.

 

[Uppercut]

You're right that Arsenal are missing a really decent centre back and centre forward, but they're missing a lot more than that. A midfielder who could actually kick some heads in would be good. They needn't even be that good technically, given the other players around them, but someone who can really put the boot in and cover a lot of ground is a pre-requisite for next season imo. Was one for this season too, and several of the previous. But never mind.

I don't really agree with that at all, to be honest. It would just be really jarring to have some big lump in the middle with Arteta, Wilshere and Cazorla. Much better to have all lumps or all passers than a mix of both.

Unless you can find another Vieira-type who can pass as well, of course. Even a proper replacement for Song would be handy. Or maybe you can get him back, he's been **** for Barca.

 

[sledger]

I don't really agree with that at all, to be honest. It would just be really jarring to have some big lump in the middle with Arteta, Wilshere and Cazorla. Much better to have all lumps or all passers than a mix of both.

Unless you can find another Vieira-type who can pass as well, of course. Even a proper replacement for Song would be handy. Or maybe you can get him back, he's been **** for Barca.

I'm not saying get someone who is technically deficient, but the priority has to be someone who can dig in and fight. The recent Arsenal trend of compromising by playing someone, obviously not suited to the role, a bit deeper just doesn't cut it against good opposition. Particularly when the defence is also hugely suspect at the best of times.

 

[Pothas]

My top tip is us to square off in the play-off semis

I don't even want to think about the play-offs, they make me feel quite sick.

 

[Ikki]

I always like to see who makes PFA Team of the Year and find it interesting but I'd not necessarily consider it an irrefutable guide. Cantona only made it that once (and not for his 95/96 season), Bergkamp also just once - in his 11 years in English football - and Zola never made it at all. Andy Cole scored 34 League goals in that 93/94 season and didn't make the Team of the Year.

That being said, Giggsy has made the Team of the Year plenty of times even if not that particular season so he's been at least the best in his position often enough.

I agree with you re the importance of the inclusion but generally...if you're in the top 3 players of the league you're gonna be in that team. So for someone to name a particular season where 4 of his teammates are included is a bit ********.

As an aside; although I'd say that Cole had an argument, the 2 forwards that did get picked had just as good of a season (if not better). Shearer scored only 3 less than Cole - was a more complete player at the time as well; Cantona was there as well, and he was the best player in the league at the time.

Zola too had the misfortune of being a forward (he was more a trequartista, though) in an era littered with great forwards: Shearer, Wright, Cole, Bergkamp, Yorke, Fowler, Anelka, Henry and Owen.

 

[Ikki]

I think it's almost a de facto poor tactic to deploy against a team with an extremely fast, and extremely good, front line. Particularly when there's a player like Bale lining up against you, who can pretty much operate on either flank and through the middle.

If you're going to use it against a player like that, you need a defence which is not only extremely well drilled, but extremely mobile. With the best will in the world, Mertesacker and Jenkinson are not exactly the embodiment of great pace and agility. Attempting to play a player like Bale offside with Mertesacker in the centre of defence is asking for serious trouble.

You're right that Arsenal are missing a really decent centre back and centre forward, but they're missing a lot more than that. A midfielder who could actually kick some heads in would be good. They needn't even be that good technically, given the other players around them, but someone who can really put the boot in and cover a lot of ground is a pre-requisite for next season imo. Was one for this season too, and several of the previous. But never mind.

The thing with using that tactic is that it really disrupts the other team, and not only do you need an organised back-line you have to ask your goalie to play as a make-shift sweeper at times. If you can hold possession and push the opposition up into their half, then you're gonna be dominating them although they'll still have those chances, inevitably. I agree with you about Arsenal not having the tools though.

I think the bad choice is simply because Wenger is a great coach but not necessarily an amazing tactician.

I don't really agree with that at all, to be honest. It would just be really jarring to have some big lump in the middle with Arteta, Wilshere and Cazorla. Much better to have all lumps or all passers than a mix of both.

Unless you can find another Vieira-type who can pass as well, of course. Even a proper replacement for Song would be handy. Or maybe you can get him back, he's been **** for Barca.

I agree with this. That match I brought up earlier featured Diaby (who is probably your Vieira-type player), Arteta and Cazorla; and they ran rings around us. You look at United and they don't really have a tough-man either.

Its probably as sledger says that they're having a make-shift play that role. I don't know how people outside still rate Lucas (at Liverpool, he is a star) but a player like him in Arsenal would own. He has a high amount of tackles/assists, never goes hiding; is strong physically but technical enough to play the passing game. I thought Song made the worst decision of his career going to Barca.

 

[Furball]

I don't really agree with that at all, to be honest. It would just be really jarring to have some big lump in the middle with Arteta, Wilshere and Cazorla. Much better to have all lumps or all passers than a mix of both.

Unless you can find another Vieira-type who can pass as well, of course. Even a proper replacement for Song would be handy. Or maybe you can get him back, he's been **** for Barca.

Podolski was a crazy signing when Reus was available for €17m.

In fact, his German business has been flat out bizarre, full stop.

 

[Furball]

I'm not saying get someone who is technically deficient, but the priority has to be someone who can dig in and fight. The recent Arsenal trend of compromising by playing someone, obviously not suited to the role, a bit deeper just doesn't cut it against good opposition. Particularly when the defence is also hugely suspect at the best of times.

We'd be fine if Diaby wasn't make of glass.

 

[sledger]

We'd be fine if Diaby wasn't make of glass.

Maybe, but even when he is fit he blows hot and cold. He's definitely got the best physical presence and work rate of all the current midfielders at the club, but I wonder if this can at times obscure the fact that he's defensively still pretty dodgy.

Still having said that, I'd defo start him every match if he was available.