FOOTBALL SEASON 07/08

[Mekong]

next Season for some Players could be their farewell.

Scholes,Giggs and maybe Red Nev running down the clock.

if so i can see Giggs and Red Nev retiring as i can't see them playing for another Team.

but i would'nt be surprised to see Scholes turn out for Bury.

 

Sayjaan, I think you are getting a little confused, Citizen Nev is from Ramsbottom and hence the Bury lad where as Scholes is from Oldham and has never hidden his desire to have his swan song playing for the club he grew up supporting.

 

Also, if this was to be Citizen Nev's last season why is his replacement not in place? I reckon at least 2 more Seasons from him.

[Steve]

I've heard of (and seen in clips) Chopper Harris and some of the guys you mentioned. In fact, I tease plastic Chelsea fans at the pub and ask them who Chopper Harris is and say 'he doesn't build motorcycles'

 

You could be right. I could have it wrong. In football back in the old days with nothing but mainly UK players playing, it was rougher and the refs did allow more.

American football was the same exact way. Basketballl as well. Just like in football, American sports instituted rules that disallowed certain types of contact. They outlawed many types of things in those sports, protected the quarterback more, etc. And you know what? Careers are still shorter nowadays due to injuries.

I'll ask this question. In the old days players seem to play for a lot longer. Nowadays I'd guess (I have no proof) that the average career has gotten shorter. I'm basing this (partly due to possible faulty logic) on American sports and the little I know of football. But would you say that players like O'Leary for Arsenal would have as long as a career if they started out nowadays? The players are faster and bigger and the game is faster. Its wreaks havoc on the knees and ankles, etc. even with the referees booking for fouls that would have been waved off 20 years ago.

The question is would you see 15 year careers nowadays for players starting out as much as you would 20 years ago? or 30 years ago?

[Zaad]

Sayjann,

 

Zaad,Zaad,Zaad, where have you been lately?.

 

Yeah, I know, haven't had much time to read the sports news lately... as a matter of fact.. first time I heard Reo-coker was joing Villa was from you

 

As for Rooney replacing Scholes.. I think he'd do great if he specifically trains for that position. He reads the game very well, is fast (great weapon for midfielders) although he'd be an att. mid. very strong physically and great stamina, good pass, fantastic long-distance shots.. he has great attributes to become better than Scholes in Scholes' best position. Put two good strikers in front him and you have a strong front line.

 

Reason that ain't happening (yet) is because the fast/skilled wingers Giggs and Ronaldo.

But he (Rooney) could be excellent in that position, certainly no laugh, but ain't happening for other reasons IMO.

[sayjann]

you are of course quite right......

 

posted that after quite a few you know what's.....

[sayjann]

you are right about the Game getting faster and yes i think it will make Players careers shorter.

 

but on the other hand better medical treatment means a Player can be healed and play again.

in the past many Players have had to retire with injuries which nowadays are quite treatable.

 

there are already Players who started there careers in the PL who have been playing for almost 10 Years and are still young enough to play for many more.

the main problem i think is that with all the Foreign Money and Players which it attracts is a bit detrimental to the Game.

Owners,Chairmen,Directors and on a smaller scale the Supporters want instant success.

 

in Days gone by most Teams had quite a few local lads who started young and had long careers,maybe not with one Club,but because there were few Foreign Players so there wasn't the Competition.

 

Competition is good? i hear you say,well yes it is.......but it does have it's pitfalls sometimes.

 

and Players are looking after themselves a lot better and maybe prolonging their careers.

 

[Barry]

West Ham will have trouble staying up with Tevez gone as well as Reo-Coker. Without a ball being kicked and purely speculation I'd say Charlton, Derby and Wigan.

 

We'll miss Tevez, should the media reports actually be true, but not Reo Coker.

We'll have Bellamy and a (hopefully) fit Ashton.

We had a lot of off field disruption causing onfield disharmony last season. I think this year will be different and we should be mid table at worst.

[Zaad]

CS,

 

West Ham will have trouble staying up with Tevez gone as well as Reo-Coker. Without a ball being kicked and purely speculation I'd say Charlton, Derby and Wigan.

 

Charlton just did,... last season

[sayjann]

 

i think the predictions for relegation have been a little silly so far.

 

obviously it's gonna be 3 Teams with no hope of winning the PL.

means 19 are in the frame...........except the current Champions.......

[Steve]

Ashton and Bellamy are a very formidable front line. That's why I didn't include WHU in my relegatioin list. Curbs is a better manager than Pardew as well and he's good enough to keep them up and even mid table.

[sayjann]

i still don't agree about Rooney playing in the Scholes role.

Rooney is more attack minded and unlike Scholes would not know when to go forward or stay back.

i don't think that Rooney could control himself in that respect.

and Rooney could never be as good as Scholes in that position.

i have never seen Rooney in the flesh but saw Scholes make his debut for MU all those Years ago and have admired his contribution to the Team ever since.

and Rooney doesn't have the self-control for the role IMO.

Scholes has a bad record for cards because he can't tackle.

Rooney is playing in a position at the moment where he has more space but still gets his fair share of cards.

put him in the hurly burly of Midfield and i think he would soon be missing quite a few Games.

look at Players like Keane and Vieira........2 of the finest Midfield Players to grace the PL but each have a terrible discipline record.

Rooney would not be fit to lace their boots and would just get in so much trouble.

 

2 Strikers?............

not the current thinking of Fergie.

even with RVN he normally played only one Man upfront.

off the top of my head lets say MU bought and played Torres and Ashton to just play upfront with Rooney behind them.

 

that means an Midfield which would not function that well because the Players would not get a long run in the Team.

3 Players to pick for most Games from Giggs,Scholes,Carrick,Hargreaves,Anderson,Nani,O'Shea,Fletcher,Richardson and maybe Brown.

i have always been an advocate of a Team which plays Week-in,Week-out with a bit of fine tuning every now and then,much better for the performance of the Team to play together most Games.

 

watching Copa America with interest because of Anderson(can't really give an opinion because he has hardly featured)and Tevez if he comes to MU.

a front 3 of Rooney,Ronaldo and Tevez would cause havoc because they are all interchangeable.

all can play on the Left,Right and in the Middle.....a nightmare for Defenders and unpredictable.

i still think that next Season Giggs and Scholes will be used to a lesser extent.

both are still top class but age and tactics come into the equation.

at the moment MU will have Hargreaves in the holding role with Carrick being the playmaker along with Scholes.

 

but all this is only my opinion,Fergie knows far more than me and time will tell if he gets it right..............

of course he will get it right and like other Managers get it horribly wrong,but that's Football.