Bow before the mighty Javoo!
Well, there we are then. Totally outclassed. After the way Barca cleaned up what is likely the best that the rest of Europe has to offer, you'd be hard pressed to find a squad that is better than that from the last 20 years, at least. I just hope Rooney knee-skidding along the pitch after his goal hasn't damaged the turf for the REAL game on Monday!
there was a picture here
>> The black orb glitters ominously... but nothing happens..
Aye, you can only applaud Barcelona, they deserved it. I have to say I was immensely proud that we attempted to attack rather than defend, even if I would have hoped for Fletch to have played at least at some point. Oh well. Hats off to the opposition, we were outplayed by the best team in a generation.
I wonder how long Barca (and Messi) can carry on in such a way. I guess they would need to have Xavi and/or Messi to suffer a very long term injury for their squad to be tested, but I imagine even then they would still be a very good team. I think until both Puyol and Xavi retire, they will remain on top of the chats. Even then, with Iniesta (still only 26) and Messi both in the side, let alone their other younger players, you can only wonder how far this side can go. Great respect to them. Obviously, though, I hope they get worse soon
Also, Messi - greatest player ever? People are saying it already and I can't help but look at past award winning players and how long they were at their peak for. Ronaldo, Zidane - both won world player of the year three times. Messi has two already - could he get five, six, seven? Or will another player step up just like other players have over the many years of football? He's something special, either way.
EDIT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13588813.stm
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
Disappointing, but no complaints - Barca are the best team out there, and by some distance. They deserved it entirely. I always said the best player I seen in my lifetime was Zidane, but Messi is seriously challenging. But hey, great season overall. We'll be back next year.
Str8 Pimpin'
I still cannot believe Messi is only 23. He should be able to continue playing the same way for another decade at least. If that ends up being the case, he will almost certainly among the two or three greatest players ever.
The really scary part is, can he still get better?
As for Barca, it really was fun to just watch them play. I'm not a Barca fan but can appreciate what they do. Xavi is easily the most underrated player of his generation. Man Utd tried to attack, which I give them credit for, but frankly no team, save for maybe the Spanish national team could have beaten them.
Good season, looking forward to see what transpires in the transfer window!
Take care all.
^ Yeah, and considering Giggs is 37 and still playing great for a central midfield player, the thoughts of Xavi at 31 & Iniesta at 27 is scary. Looks like this team will be here for another few years at least.
Str8 Pimpin'
To be fair, over half of the Barca starting XI is the Spanish national team.Originally Posted by The Captain
Piqué, Puyol, Iniesta, Busquets, Xavi, Villa, Pedro. And Valdes is the second goalie for Spain, too.
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
No he's not.And on the subject of, I am glad you lot got De Gea instead of going after Pepe. For my money he's been the best keeper in the Prem over the past 5 years.
Also I have to wonder how one of the classic United sides would've done. A midfield featuring Keane and Butt (hey, he made Argentina his bitch in 2002!) would've stifled Barca's passing game I think. This United side, while the best team in the Prem currently, isn't up to the same standard as the various other United teams over the past 20 or so years. There's a real lack in midfield steel at the moment. If only Owen Hargreaves wasn't dead or whatever it is that has happened to him, eh?
All this ~*~Barca~*~ hype is vomit-enducing. I want Jay Spearing to challenge Messi to a midget boxing match. Then we'll see who the best player of all time is!
EDIT: Welcome to the big boys table, Manus. You must be on another god damn planet right now. Can't even imagine how good it must feel. Congratulations! I look forward to giving you 6 points next season like we did with Blackpool.
I tell anyone who asks me - Scholes is the best English player. - Laurent Blanc
There isn't a player of his mould anywhere else in the world. - Glen Hoddle
My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation. - Zinedine Zidane
I would have liked him here. Who would not want Paul Scholes? He is a fantastic player. - Arsene Wenger
One of the greatest football brains Manchester United has ever had. - Sir Alex Ferguson
No celebrity bull, no self promotion - an amazingly gifted player who remained an unaffected human being. - Roy Keane
I love watching little Paul Scholes, he’s so in control of what he’s doing and is always so accurate and pinpoint with his passing – it’s just beautiful to watch. - Sir Bobby Charlton
I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It's Paul Scholes. Many great players have worn the shirt of Manchester United. Players I worshipped, then lost with my youth in Munich. Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the Alex Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite. - Sir Bobby Charlton
For me, it's Paul Scholes. He'll do ridiculous things in training like say, "You see that tree over there?" - it'll be 40 yards away - "I'm going to hit it". And he'll do it. Everyone at the club considers him the best. - Rio Ferdinand
England have lost their best player. - George Best, on Scholes retiring from international football
He's always in the right position, always seems to be at the end of the box when the ball drops in. The complete midfielder - when he's fit, he's the best. Some go missing but he's in the right place at the right time. He's my favourite player of all-time, unbelievable. - Micah Richards
People say he is a great player, but you have to define what a great player is. For me, it is a player who has a bottom level that means his worst performance is not noticed. If he is having a bad game, a teammate might feel Paul Scholes is not quite on his game, but a spectator wouldn't notice. Scholes, of all the players I have played with, has the highest bottom level. He has an eye for a pass, for what the play or the game needs at that precise moment, that I have never seen anyone else have. These days he doesn't get into the box too many times, which is where you can see his age, but he has developed tactically. He controls and distributes the play and the game better than anyone I have ever seen. - Peter Schmeichel
Everyone of us should emulate him. We can all learn from Paul Scholes. - Edgar Davids
Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team – that goes to show how highly I have always rated him. An all-round midfielder who possesses quality and character in abundance. -Marcello Lippi
Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Scholes. He knows how to do everything, and he is one who directs the way his team plays. On top of that, he has indestructible mental strength and he is a genuine competitor. - Thierry Henry
He's unbelievable - he's one of the greatest of all time. - Wayne Rooney
There is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play. You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career. - Zinedine Zidane, August 2010
Why isn’t he playing for England? It is crazy. Only in England. Scholes is a great, great player. So experienced and still, for me, one of the best in the world in midfield. - Jose Mourinho
Fans in Spain rate him very highly and I admire him a huge amount. - Xabi Alonso
A role model. For me, and I really mean this, he's the best central midfielder I've seen in the last 15, 20 years. He's spectacular, he has it all, the last pass, goals, he's strong, he doesn't lose the ball, vision. If he'd been Spanish he might have been rated more highly. Players love him. - Xavi Hernandez
There is not a better midfield player in the world. - Sam Allardyce
I'm not the best, Paul Scholes is. - Edgar Davids
For any football player in the Premiership, Scholes is a player you want to emulate. One player does not make a team but there is no doubt that the presence of some players add extra motivation and confidence. Scholes is a player with character and is capable of transmitting that mental strength to his team-mates. - Cesc Fabregas
I just love Paul Scholes. He’s been the best footballer in our division for the last ten years. He’s a a wonderful player. - Ray Wilkins
He is one of the top three to five players to have ever played in the Premier League - his passing, movement and technique set examples to everyone, not just younger players. - Alan Hanson
I’d go for Scholesy as the club’s greatest ever player. I’ve seen him do things that no other player can do. The way he can control the tempo of games, and his range of passing, are both incredible. We’ve seen over the years that players just haven’t been able to get near him. And you can’t forget his goals either. - Ryan Giggs
When he passes the ball it stays passed. The ball goes exactly where he wants it to. I have always loved him for that. I played against him once or twice and he is an absolute genius. He is a role model for anyone who wants to play football. He is a joy to watch. In fact, I wish he was 21, then I could see his career all over again. - Ian Holloway
He’s the best midfielder I’ve ever seen. He can pass, score goals with his left, right, his head – he can do anything. And he can beat a player too, plus he loves to nutmeg you! He's unbelievable. - Nani
Scholes and Giggs are living legends. They are examples for us and for youngsters who dream of triumphing some day. - Andres Iniesta
I don’t think there is anyone in the Premier League who can touch Scholes at the moment. He's not just three passes ahead of everyone else, he's three or four shots ahead of them. - David May
Scholes can play both ways - indulging in a battle or showing off his artistic side. That is why he is still playing and still influencing games in a major way. He is absolutely top notch. - Kevin Keegan
I'm more an admirer of Paul Scholes than I am of Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a fantastic player, but he has 10 other great players around him every week...Scholes is one of the most complete footballers I've ever seen. His one-touch play is phenomenal. Whenever I have played against him, I never felt I could get close to him. - Eidur Gudjohnsen
If you ask footballers to pick out the player they most admire, so many of them will pick Paul Scholes. He can tackle, and his passing and shooting is of the highest level. He’s the most consistent and naturally gifted player we’ve had for a long, long time. - Alan Shearer
The player in the Premiership I admire most? Easy - Scholes. - Patrick Vieira
Paul Scholes has been the best England midfield player for 30-odd years. You'd probably have to go back to Bobby Charlton to find someone who could do as much as Scholes. When the ball arrives at his feet he could tell you where every player on that pitch is at that moment. His awareness is superb. - Gordon Strachan
As evidenced by many of the quotes above... the player's player and the legend's legend.
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
I'm absolutely ecstatic. What a game, voice thoroughly lost. I'd put the plaudits on Scott Sinclair's hat trick like most of the media but it was very much a team effort. Nathan Dyer was our best player imo. I could never have imagined we would be 3-0 up at half time, it's just a shame that they scored those goals in front of the Reading fans up the other end. New trousers were needed when they hit the post but at the end it was the proudest moment in my long years of following the Swans. Take that, you glory-hunting Cardiff bandwagoners!
I smurfING MET LEE TRUNDLE. And John Hartson was behind me in the queue to get in the stadium, he'd said in the local rag that he was asked to be a pundit on the BBC or something, but he'd rather watch the game with the real fans. What a guy.
Finally, I wore my 2003 strip to the game yesterday. It's what they wore when we were at the bottom of Division 3, and had to beat Hull City on the final day of the season in order to stay in the Football League. We won 4-2, and now we win 4-2 to get into the Premiership, only 8 years later. Emotional moment.
there was a picture here
what!
Enjoy retirement Scholes. Best midfielder of his generation. No question.
Seconded. The progress of Swansea is amazing - just a couple of years ago I was playing with them in FIFA 10 in League 1. Congrats Manus!what!
Scholes will always be a legend. Delighted he's staying with the club in a coaching role.
Str8 Pimpin'
Just saw next seasons Utd shirt - don't like it. I'll be sticking with the current one until they change it again.
Also, well done to Swansea for getting in the prem. I'm a closet Swansea fan so it was hilarious reading all the Facebook comments my friends were making about it, who are all Cardiff fans.
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