*Official* English Football Season 2009-2010

[duffer]

Gibbs is gone for the season, forget about him.

Also some quotes by Arsene:

Very close. Very, very close(to signing someone) but at the end of the day we have two kinds of buys. One is the players we can get back from injury and the other is the players we can get from external sources. The good news is that slowly we get the injuries back and now we have to wait till the end of the season to see if we have to buy somebody

We worked all day Monday, we worked until the last minute

Ah, arsenal.con, knowing exactly what the fans want to hear. Jeebus, the like a new signing injuries line? Heh.

 

[aussie]

Can't see how anyone could back Owen for the WC unless they have nostalgic rose tinted glasses. Rooney and Defoe are clearly out best goalscoring threats. Heskey is the preferred lump, so with it being realistically 1 other (guessing he'll go for 4 with a midfielder like Theo making up the numbers, or Gerrard/cole as the support attacker plan C), he'll either pick

Crouch - because he's gash at club but prolific for country, the new Vassell...
Bent - Because he's been quite decent for club
Carlton Cole - because he's not been too shabby for club or country, though not exactly set the world alight this year
Gabby abolonghahosuretheresmorehandosdueor - because he goes like **** off a shovel

Owen's so far down the pecking order now he's not really worth considering unless he starts to play more for us and take more chances. A Hat trick in the CL isn't enough, neithers a winner against City. Stand out for a utd fan, but not for an England manager who has no sentiment in doing the blue b***rds out of a point

Going to take the bait since i am a Owen backer for the WC squad. The bolded IMO seems to me as the goal post of reasoning to pick Owen for the WC has moved.

When Owen last season at Newcastle was out in the depths, the argument here on CW & amongst most fans was that Owen was clearly finished & his ability to score goals was gone. But yet the SAF took him to United noting he still was not finished & he has scored goals although SAF has started him in many games. Now the argument has shifted to those goals aren't enough?? My word..


Look i dont know how anyone can be 100% confident about Defoe at international level. Yes i'd admit he has looked very good for Tottenham this season, but outside his 2 goals vs Holland in that friendly last last year (who has a weak defense mind you) Defore has done nothing of note againts a quality international team. Im under no illusions, Owen clearly isn't the same as before but ATS i am far more confident in Owen coming on s a sub hypotetical high pressure WC QF or SF againts a Spain/Brazil & scoring than Defoe.

Stevie G, Walcott, J Cole can indeed play as strikers. But as you said those are emergency "Plan C' options in case of injury i'd say. I wouldn't want them to play as makeshift strikers in the WC, but rather just concentrate on their roles as mid-fidlers/wingers.

The 4 strikers i would hope Capello takes are:

- Rooney
- Heskey
- Defoe
- Owen

I personally dont see the need for a back-up target man to Heskey, since i dont see Crouch/Bent or C Cole as international quality options in that position. If Heksey can't lead the line let Rooney & Defoe/Owen start. But i am 90% sure Capello will take a back-up to Heskey anyway..

Agbonlahor is temptiong option. But his goal-scoring rate is not that superb yet, think the WC has come a bit too soon for him. Euro 2012 is his time IMO..

 

[aussie]

Gibbs is gone for the season, forget about him.

Well if that is indeed true ATS. Only Baines i woudn't mind replacing Bridge as back-up LB. But at the end of the day i'm fairly certainly Bridge will make the WC squad, after all if Capello didn't think he had a immediate future with the team would he have stripped Terry of the ENG captaincy for a player he is not going to pick?

 

[GIMH]

Probably just because my memory's fuzzy tbh.

Haha fair, just thinking that if it had been a poster other than you that made the original post we'd have had 4000 words justifying it

 

[sledger]

Sky Sports | Football News | Premier League | Arsenal | Chamakh wants Arsenal move

Hmmm...yes...I'm sure..

 

[duffer]

I want him, Arsene wants him, he wants Arsenal. Happening. Will buy his jersey.

 

[Jarquis]

Sky Sports | Football News | Premier League | Arsenal | Chamakh wants Arsenal move

Hmmm...yes...I'm sure..

Don't believe it'll happen? I don't see why not when all parties involved have openly said they want one another. Can see him being a success as well

 

[sledger]

Seen this sort of thing happen and fall through on plenty of occasions, so I'll await this with baited breath.

 

[Pup Clarke]

But yet the SAF took him to United noting he still was not finished & he has scored goals although SAF has started him in many games. Now the argument has shifted to those goals aren't enough??

I'd love to here you justify this

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

after all if Capello didn't think he had a immediate future with the team would he have stripped Terry of the ENG captaincy for a player he is not going to pick?

He didn't.

I'd love to here you justify this

Maybe he meant 2 years ago. Oh wait...

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Unbelievable refereeing. Say all you want about Mascherano being on the park, but Fellaini has had 2 red-card worth challenges and a ball to the face of Kuyt, and has not so much as been booked. Disgusting.

 

[aussie]

I'd love to here you justify this

What do i have to justify?. He has scored goals this season. Whether you want to argue if its not enough ATS of the season, to suite whatever criteria you & others may want him to pass to make the WC squad is a totally different argument.


[qyote=Mr Mxyzptlk]He didn't.[/quote]

So you are saying Bridge being a regular ENG squad member had no impact on Capello sacking Terry as skipper?.

If now it was not a regular player like Carragher or former Chelsea man Scott Parker who wife/gf JT had slept with, how would that have affected team morale?

 

[Jarquis]

Because people like Barry come out and made it clear they were on Bridge's side. If it had been Carragher's Mrs then I'm sure that Gerrard wouldn't have been too impressed, so it would've still effected team morale.

 

[aussie]

Don't believe it'll happen? I don't see why not when all parties involved have openly said they want one another. Can see him being a success as well

Yes. But shouldn't Arsenal be looking for a strong defensive mid-fielder to buy by now?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

So you are saying Bridge being a regular ENG squad member had no impact on Capello sacking Terry as skipper?

No, I'm saying that Capello didn't make the reason because of Bridge. It undoubtedly was a factor though, no matter how small.

That said, Capello being a devout Roman Catholic, would likely have made the same decision even if he'd never heard of Bridge.

 

[aussie]

Because people like Barry come out and made it clear they were on Bridge's side. If it had been Carragher's Mrs then I'm sure that Gerrard wouldn't have been too impressed, so it would've still effected team morale.

Yea sure. But surely if Bridge wasn't in the squad pretty much all the time, the likely tension that would be on the training ground wouldn't be as significant if Bridge was not being picked at all.

But either way he would has still being sacked even under those circumstances. Given that being ENG captain does determine the player becomes a big role model. Thus his personal lifestyle will have to be pretty good, to avoid the prowling media catching him in something that could affect him & the national team..

No, I'm saying that Capello didn't make the reason because of Bridge. It undoubtedly was a factor though, no matter how small.

That said, Capello being a devout Roman Catholic, would likely have made the same decision even if he'd never heard of Bridge.

This is what i was saying..

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

This is what i was saying..

Well then you really need to work on expressing yourself, because you seemed to be justifying Bridges place by saying that Terry wouldn't have been sacked otherwise. If you believed Bridge was only a small influence on the decision, as I believe he was, then you wouldn't have said it.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Vital win for Liverpool. Not a particularly good one, with some scrappy, dirty football from both sides. But the goal couldn't have come to a more deserving guy, and Liverpool really looked confident and lively in the second half.

 

[BoyBrumby]

No, I'm saying that Capello didn't make the reason because of Bridge. It undoubtedly was a factor though, no matter how small.

That said, Capello being a devout Roman Catholic, would likely have made the same decision even if he'd never heard of Bridge.

Pfft. Worked under Berlusconi for years so I doubt adultery phases him one iota.

Fab is a pragmatist; if he'd have judged maintaining Terry would've been better for the team I've no doubt that's the route he'd have gone down.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Fab is a pragmatist; if he'd have judged maintaining Terry would've been better for the team I've no doubt that's the route he'd have gone down.

Well yes, agreed. The Roman Catholic thing was a by-the-way point. The big picture here is that it doesn't matter whose girlfriend Terry was "a bit of a man-whore" with. The fact is that it was a teammate, and that's the big deal.