I'm quite speechless about the decision of sacking Avram Grant...
I'm quite speechless about the decision of sacking Avram Grant...
Quite excited that we will have Stoke and Hull in the Premiership next season. I love it when new teams come up.
Dean Windass back in the premiership
I'm delighted for United, but I did feel sorry for John Terry, would have much prefered it to be someone like Ashley Cole.
Hey.. has anyone heard of Jean Carlos Chera? He appears to be the second coming of Pele! The kid is seriously unbelieveable! Real Madrid & Man United are chasing him already.
Str8 Pimpin'
Given that nothing at all shows up when searching Google News for that name, he can't be that big a deal. A "new Pele" comes up every other month these days, anyway.
After watching a meaningless match, I think a few things are quite obvious:
Rooney is still a bit too much of a firebrand to be Captain. Honestly, I think he has the intensity to lead, but he's only 22, and with those late tackles, is still too green. You can't be a leader and always be on the verge of being red carded. I'm not a big John Terry fan, and still think that Gerrard, or my darkhorse Hargreaves would make a better captain, but according to a bunch of news sources, Terry is back as the front-runner. In all honesty, is this really even that big a deal?
Lampard is the weak link in midfield by far. Barry, Hargreaves and Gerrard were all great and all three should be starting. It's something that has been bugging me a lot lately, because it seems obvious to me that Lampard doesn't fit, since he is a one dimensional player, offense and no defense. Gerrard can wander, but he is an all-around player and if the debate is between which stays and goes, Lampard needs to go. Barry is too steady to be left off and Hargreaves is a big presence in the middle.
Beckham can still cross a ball, but what else can he do? Granted, that's still a weapon, but in open play, I'm not sure if the team can use him for a full 90 minutes. Bentley is good and can strike a ball nearly as clean as Becks, but I think he needs to be tested a lot more.
I thought Defoe did okay, but he needs to put those goals in if he wants to play striker. I counted at least three times when he should have scored, and all three times he either missed or shot at the goalie. I liked his energy and creativity though and thought he, Rooney and Gerrard matched well together. I also think Crouch is effective, especially as a change of pace from a Defoe or Owen, going from speed to a rangy player.
In the next friendly, I think Capello should try some fresh faces. I want to see what Ashton can do, for one thing.
Overall, I think the game didn't reveal much, especially because so many players are still in flux: Where will Joe Cole fit in? Can Becks really stick around for the next few years? Can Gerrard play on the left?
I think it would be interesting to try some new formations as well:
Rooney Defoe
(Crouch or Owen or even Ashton at some point)
Joe Cole Gerrard Beckham
(Bentley on at some point)
Barry Hargreaves
(Bring in Lampard for PK's if you want)
Ferdinand Terry Ashely Cole
(Glen Johnson, or Wes Brown)
James
I think this could provide more offense and some flair while still having two holding midfielders to support, but Capello would never go for something like this, would he?
And as for the US, we have a lot of work to do. There were moments, but we lack a real game-changer, like Stevie G.
Freddy Adu is green and I'm not convinced yet but maybe in time. Donovan is okay, but he's way over hyped. Dempsey can play but not alone. It's too bad Brian McBride no longer wants to play for the USA because we could use his courage, and moxie.
Take care all.
Or a "new Maradona" if he's Argentinian.Originally Posted by Loony BoB
I agree with what The Captain's said about England. We can't keep relying on Beckham's dead ball ability anymore. Find new alternative strategies for scoring because against good teams they'll just head the ball away all day long.
I still think Stevie G should be captain and Rio vice captain but I've been saying that for months so eh.
That formation looks okay to me, except you'd need Ashley Cole on the left, and I suppose Barry can cover for him when he goes forward.
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