***Offical*** English Football Season 2004/05

[twctopcat]

I'd go to inter purely because of adriano, that guy is awesome. I hate the way brazilians keep coming out with them! In 2006 they will have kaka,adriano and ronaldinho which will be awesome to say the least. But then again they never do very well in europe. Haven't won it here since 1958.

 

[Simon]

Adriano has already been linked to Real Madrid (Cause we all know they need more strikers) but usually if someone is linked there he ends up there....

 

[twctopcat]

Probably to replace the buck toothed wonder boy!

 

[Magrat Garlick]

b) They've reached the quarters a few times, and won it in the mid 90's, the quarters recently too - more than PSV have done.

Ajax past seven years:

98 UEFA Cup QF
99 Champions Cup First Stage
00 UEFA Cup 3rd Round
01 UEFA Cup 2nd Round
02 UEFA Cup 2nd Round
03 Champions Cup Quarter-Final (but were nearly knocked out by Lyon and even more nearly knocked out by Arsenal - 3 wins, 7 draws, 2 losses in the group stages)
04 Champions Cup First Stage

PSV past seven years:

98 Champions Cup First Stage
99 Champions Cup First Stage
00 Champions Cup Second Stage
01 Champions Cup First Stage, UEFA Cup QF
02 Champions Cup First Stage, UEFA Cup QF
03 Champions Cup First Stage
04 Champions Cup First Stage, UEFA Cup QF

Fairly even to me. Ajax had a bunch of great youth pulls in the early 1990s, best youth academy in Europe, and also managed to scour Suriname for talent...they surfed on that until they sold all their best players. van der Sar, Davids, Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer, Kluivert, Kanu, Overmars, Seedorf, Reiziger all played for Ajax when they won stuff. But the performances of sold players can't affect the current skill of a team, surely?

 

[Scaly piscine]

Ajax past seven years:

98 UEFA Cup QF
99 Champions Cup First Stage
00 UEFA Cup 3rd Round
01 UEFA Cup 2nd Round
02 UEFA Cup 2nd Round
03 Champions Cup Quarter-Final (but were nearly knocked out by Lyon and even more nearly knocked out by Arsenal - 3 wins, 7 draws, 2 losses in the group stages)
04 Champions Cup First Stage

PSV past seven years:

98 Champions Cup First Stage
99 Champions Cup First Stage
00 Champions Cup Second Stage
01 Champions Cup First Stage, UEFA Cup QF
02 Champions Cup First Stage, UEFA Cup QF
03 Champions Cup First Stage
04 Champions Cup First Stage, UEFA Cup QF

Fairly even to me. Ajax had a bunch of great youth pulls in the early 1990s, best youth academy in Europe, and also managed to scour Suriname for talent...they surfed on that until they sold all their best players. van der Sar, Davids, Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer, Kluivert, Kanu, Overmars, Seedorf, Reiziger all played for Ajax when they won stuff. But the performances of sold players can't affect the current skill of a team, surely?

As I said before, PSV should be easy pickings for most English, Spanish, German, Italian sides and are worse than Lyon.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I was comparing Ajax to PSV, and didn't mention Lyon (well, apart from the fact that Ajax beat Lyon). However, I do believe PSV is on the level of most German sides, but that's because the Bundesliga has fallen behind Ligue 1 in quality IMO.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Yes but getting a side like PSG is one thing, and then beating them is only slightly in PSV's favour IMO.

In the same way that if City drew Man Utd in the third round, there'd only be slight favouritism involved there. Do you pay even the remotest attention to European football?

 

[Neil Pickup]

a) Didn't know they were so far ahead, but that doesn't change my opinion.

b) They've reached the quarters a few times, and won it in the mid 90's, the quarters recently too - more than PSV have done.

They hardly have a remaining player from the 90s heyday.

The statement "Ajax > PSV" is utterly illogical.

 

[marc71178]

Hopefully Sol Campbell won't sign his new contract at Arsenal

Erm, I believe he has already confirmed that he will be signing.

 

[marc71178]

But if Campbell wants to stay at Arsenal it looks like he will have to take a pay-cut in his wages,

It won't actually be a cut, because his signing on fee has been paid over the period of his contract.

Basic will remain about the same, but he won't have the big wedge in with it.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Fifa have shortlisted Henry, Ronaldinho and Shevchenko for the 2004 World Player of the Year award. What a crappy shortlist - What's Henry the international flop doing on there? I haven't seen anything of the other 2, but Ronaldinho has always come across as an overrated player who's all flair and little substance. From that lot you may as well have had someone like Rooney shortlisted.

 

[twctopcat]

Fifa have shortlisted Henry, Ronaldinho and Shevchenko for the 2004 World Player of the Year award. What a crappy shortlist - What's Henry the international flop doing on there? I haven't seen anything of the other 2, but Ronaldinho has always come across as an overrated player who's all flair and little substance. From that lot you may as well have had someone like Rooney shortlisted.

Ronaldinho has resurrected Barcelona to the point where they are going to win la liga this year, and i would say its between barca,milan and chelsea for the CL. I've seen quite a bit of him this season this season and last and he is so much more than flair and little substance. The guy is like scholes on heat. Comfortably the best player in the world.

 

[Neil Pickup]

This is the point where I begin the recruitment drive for Saturday's FA Cup Match.

It's SIX QUID people, and you get to see history potentially being made. Can't go wrong.

UTC

 

[twctopcat]

U referring to exeter vs doncaster neil or something special???

 

[Simon]

Fifa have shortlisted Henry, Ronaldinho and Shevchenko for the 2004 World Player of the Year award. What a crappy shortlist - What's Henry the international flop doing on there? I haven't seen anything of the other 2, but Ronaldinho has always come across as an overrated player who's all flair and little substance. From that lot you may as well have had someone like Rooney shortlisted.

id say Ronaldinho will win it....

 

[Scaly piscine]

id say Ronaldinho will win it....

Probably, but I don't care as long as Henry doesn't win it - all those extra commercials would be too annoying and it'll build character for when Arsenal win nothing this season.

 

[Craig]

Adriano has already been linked to Real Madrid (Cause we all know they need more strikers) but usually if someone is linked there he ends up there....

They have Ronaldo, Raul, Michael Owen, and Fernando Morientes can't even get a go at Real, and Javier Portillo (another striker) is on loan in Italy.

What more could they possibily need?

 

[Craig]

This is the point where I begin the recruitment drive for Saturday's FA Cup Match.

It's SIX QUID people, and you get to see history potentially being made. Can't go wrong.

UTC

Get me a plane ticket, a visa, and I will renew my passport, and I will be there.

 

[Simon]

They have Ronaldo, Raul, Michael Owen, and Fernando Morientes can't even get a go at Real, and Javier Portillo (another striker) is on loan in Italy.

What more could they possibily need?

because its real madrid and they want all the best players...
even if they dont need them...

 

[Tom Halsey]

Campbell is one of the most overrated players I think I've ever seen.

He's not a bad defender by any means, and is a very good blocker - but he has no pace and can't turn, and decent teams tend to exploit it and it goes unnoticed.

I couldn't believe how biased Arsenal were when they said they wanted a free-kick for the 2nd goal - they made a real mess up of it and wanted a free-kick to save them.