*Official* English Football Season 2006-07

[Neil Pickup]

I wonder how many top-class players Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have if we use the generosity of definition above [taking Brown/Silvestre/Park as the cutoff]...

Cech, Makelele, Essien, Carvalho, Lampard, Crespo, Cole, Gallas, Geremi, Drogba, Robben, Ferreira, Cudicini, Wright-Phillips, Terry, Shevchenko, Ballack. 17.

Therein lies the pointlessness of the exercise, so much so I can't be bothered to continue. If you're going to say top-class, actually mean it as someone who's gonna play a regular part in a season for a decent XI...

 

[Loony BoB]

Hell, if you're going to put Chelsea into the frame and decide who is top class, you may as well throw out every club on the planet. They win on that. Easy. No contest whatsoever. Nobody is stupid enough to say that a team has more top class players than them.

However, I'm saying that the players I named are good enough to do well on their day against any team, and I stand by what I said, although admittedly was pushing it when I considered Silvestre. But if you're going to cut Saha from 'top class' then I'll happily cut every one of Liverpool's existing strike force out too and say they have no chance either. Saha is just as class as Crouch is, after all.

EDIT: I think Saha would play regularly for Manchester United's first XI and I think that's a decent XI. So there you go. The same goes for the rest of the players - Park played the second highest amount of games last season for United, if I remember correctly, and that was for a team that bettered both Liverpool and Arsenal last season, so I'd say they are also regulars for a decent XI. Brown, too - althoguh he and Vidic are so close in quality that it's hard to decide who will play in front of the other.

EDIT:

Except those things you posted were not facts.

Which parts? Most of them were pretty factual after a quick glance-over.

 

[roseboy64]

I wonder how many top-class players Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have if we use the generosity of definition above [taking Brown/Silvestre/Park as the cutoff]...

Cech, Makelele, Essien, Carvalho, Lampard, Crespo, Cole, Gallas, Geremi, Drogba, Robben, Ferreira, Cudicini, Wright-Phillips, Terry, Shevchenko, Ballack. 17.

Therein lies the pointlessness of the exercise, so much so I can't be bothered to continue. If you're going to say top-class, actually mean it as someone who's gonna play a regular part in a season for a decent XI...

I'd disagree with Geremi definitely and maybe Carvalho and Ferreira. Same level as Brown and Vidic if not worse.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I'd disagree with Geremi definitely and maybe Carvalho and Ferreira. Same level as Brown and Vidic if not worse.

Carvalho = Nominated for World All Star squad of 23
Wes Brown = Not even at World Cup

 

[roseboy64]

Man Utd 1st Team Squad 2006/7 (so far):

GK
Edwin Van Der Sar- One of the best currently.
Tim Howard - Potential to be very good. Concentration problems.
Ben Foster- Bright Prospect

Defenders
Gary Neville - One of the best rightbacks in England.
Rio Ferdinand - Top class.
Gabriel Heinze - One of the bets leftbacks in England IMO. Don't become a fan favourite so easily.
Mikael Silvestre - Inconsistent
Nemanja Vidic - Looks a good signing so far.
Patrice Evra - Undecided
Wes Brown - Coming on but not lived up to his potential.
Phil Bardsley - Prospect. Not sure about him.
Gerard Pique - Looks like he could become very good.
John O'Shea - Decent player.

Midfielders
Paul Scholes - Aging but can still maker good contributions.
Ryan Giggs - Same as Scholes.
Darren Fletcher - Not lived up to the promise he supposedly has. Still got a little time though.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro - Amazing talent. Needs more production.
Liam Miller - Looks like a dud.
Ji-Sung Park - Impact player. With a season under his belt better is expected though.
Kieran Richardson - Potential but inconsistent.
Michael Carrick - Good player. Made the big jump to CL. Undecided.
David Jones - Good prospect. Undecided.

Forwards
Wayne Rooney - Not much needs to be said here.
Louis Saha - Unproven through a full season at Utd.
Giusseppe Rossi - Talented. Will he able to handle the jump from Reserves to PL if he becomes a fixture?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Unknown. Coming back from a long layoff. Needs to regain the form that kept Becks out of the team.
Alan Smith - Won't score a lot of goals but can change things up and is versatile. Was coming into his own in midfield last season.

A fair review I'd say.

 

[roseboy64]

Carvalho = Nominated for World All Star squad of 23
Wes Brown = Not even at World Cup

And your point? Walter Samuel didn't make the World Cup either and he's better than both.

 

[Goughy]

A fair review I'd say.

Agreed. I think thats a fair analysis. I think you overrate Rio, though there is no doubt he is a good player and at the end of the day its all about opinions.

From that list of assessed players 2 points jump to mind.

1) Bardsley, Fletcher, Miller and maybe Richardson should leave and find clubs closer to their level. They will not help United win much and need to be replaced with better squad players

2) The striking depth looks very thin. Common wisdom suggests you need 4 good forwards and I don't see them (Rooney, Saha, Rossi, Smith). Its not exactly Sheringham, Yorke, Cole, Solskjaer is it?

Anyway, good to read a fair and unbiased assesment of a team from a fan.

 

[GIMH]

Man Utd 1st Team Squad 2006/7 (so far):

GK
Edwin Van Der Sar- One of the best currently.
Tim Howard - Potential to be very good. Concentration problems.
Ben Foster- Bright Prospect

.

Howard is at Everton for a year, and I'm sure I read that Foster was doing another year at Watford, so who will play in goal if van der Sar gets injured?

 

[ash chaulk]

Mark bosnich

 

[ash chaulk]

Just saw that WIlliam Gallas lost his shirt number 13 to Ballack now thats a huge insult.

 

[Loony BoB]

Foster looks far less likely to go to Watford since our hopeful deal for Kuzsczczcaqckk fell through. Expect both him and Rossi to stay at United - Rossi will only be loaned out if we get another striker in to the squad, I'd imagine.

Re: Goughy's suggested sales. Don't forget Evra. Sell Evra, too.

 

[PY]

Just saw that WIlliam Gallas lost his shirt number 13 to Ballack now thats a huge insult.

His fault for not turning up to training.

Has anyone made any references to a Fantasy League this season? I haven't been around for a while so not sure.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah. Brumby has started a thread. Can't be bothered to find it so...

 

[marc71178]

Hell, if you're going to put Chelsea into the frame and decide who is top class, you may as well throw out every club on the planet.

Well, Neil was only using the example of so-called "quality" players and pointing out that it was a very very loose definition being applied.

 

[marc71178]

Which parts? Most of them were pretty factual after a quick glance-over.

Erm now let me see - the years left, the bit about Scholes not giving him a chance, the budget talk, the should be able to, the hyping of Saha and the depth.

None of those are facts whatsoever.

 

[roseboy64]

Sure about that?

 

[ash chaulk]

His fault for not turning up to training.

Has anyone made any references to a Fantasy League this season? I haven't been around for a while so not sure.

well i dont think he likes training.

 

[Craig]

Just saw that WIlliam Gallas lost his shirt number 13 to Ballack now thats a huge insult.

I think Gallas will be sold in the next week or two.

Might look to buy line-time covert Vincent Kompany instead.

 

[marc71178]

Sure about that?

Yes, because none of them are facts, they are opinions that have been spun to make the readers all think "yes he's talking facts"

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think Gallas will be sold in the next week or two.

Word in our tabs is we want him as part of the deal that takes A Cole to to them.