Football Focus

[Keef]

Just fancied a change, sure Keef will be back... :)-D

[Keef]

Thank God for Torres, Liverpool have been pretty sh!t. Just annoyed I took him out of my dream team!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

We're on our way to Wembley! [Well, a girl can dream]

[Annasfield]

I don't thinkm we were shit. If it wasn't for Niemi we could have had another 3 at least.

[SeanMacGabhann]

oooh - I got 3 scores bang on and several other results right - best Ive done in a while

Shame I actually WATCHED some of those games on TV - bloody rubbish (I'm looking at you Portsmouth and Man City fans!)

[Keef]

Annasfield Wrote:

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> I don't thinkm we were shit. If it wasn't for

> Niemi we could have had another 3 at least.

Perhaps I was quick to judge, but whether the goal keeper was good or not (he was), Man U or Arsenal would have taken them apart a lot earlier than we did.

I'm usually a posative kind of fan, but at the moment I just don't believe in the pool as contenders...

[atila the gooner]

I don't think Liverpool were shit, but as Slosh pointed out Manure and the Arse would have taken Fulham apart. But that's the joy of football and why we all love it so much, where would we be without the worry of how our team is going to perform on Saturday, ............er sorry Sunday.............erm...................possibly Monday, or Wednesday..............................................

[mockney piers]

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Derby County won't be staying in the premiership next season. Call it a sixth sense...

[atila the gooner]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that

> Derby County won't be staying in the premiership

> next season. Call it a sixth sense...

Mockney, you are obviously a visionary with a gift of being able to see into the future. >:D<

[AnotherPaul]

It seems Derby aren't actually in Premier League this season.

[Keef]

Do you think they might beat Sunderland's record of lowest points tally at the end of the season... Bless them, I love an underdog, and hope they get at least a couple of big surprise results for a bit of pride and the memories.

[Annasfield]

Keef/Slosh - I prefer you as Keef.....

[Keef]

... do you have a new favourite forumite? ;-)

I'll be Keef again soon I promise, just wanted to see if a new name would take off... I still love Liverpool though, I promise!

[Jah Lush]

Annasfield Wrote:

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> Keef/Slosh - I prefer you as Keef.....

Me too.

[Annasfield]

Yeah KEEF!! Sort it out ;-)

[citizenED]

"Reading 1 - 3 Arsenal"

top prediction atila - but only 1 - 3, so easily could have been more. Pure finesse.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Steve Coppell is someone I like a lot but one could never accuse of him of being Mr Smiley - but even he looked as happy as I've seen him last night... I think he is more than chuffed the result wasn't much worse for him

I was worried in the first half we were never going to take a shot but pretty good in second half...

BTW - Liam Brady was interviewed in the paper this morning and was giving his 2 cents on the "too many foreigners ruining the English team" debate.

He quite rightly pointed out that England weren't very good before 66 and for much of the time after and haven't qualified for major chamipnships on several occassions - all long before the current demographic of the premiership

The truth is our friend...

[atila the gooner]

citizenED Wrote:

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> "Reading 1 - 3 Arsenal"

>

> top prediction atila - but only 1 - 3, so easily

> could have been more. Pure finesse.

Thank you

I'm pleased with the result, not because I predicted it, but because we won, and Mark Lawrenson predicted a 1 - 1 draw. TWAT!!!I can't stand the guy!! I thought we played within ourselves ( whatever that means!!) It would have been nice to have run up a cricket score, but with the whole Reading side camped behind the ball in their own half, it wasn't going to be easy to achieve it. Roll on the international break ( YAWN!!!!!)

[Jah Lush]

lozzyloz Wrote:

> to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club whom the boy

> firmly believes are

> incapable of beating anyone

Yes, quite an old joke this one and very good it is too but wholly inaccurate of course and you really don't think I'm going to let you get away with this now do you lozzyloz? Hmm? If it applies to any team in the Premiership it's got to be Derby hasn't it? There are far too many smug Gooners on this Forum for my liking.

[atila the gooner]

The whole debate about all things foreign being detremental to the premiership is crap espoused by people who are looking for easy scapegoats. If we started at grass roots level to teach our kids about technique, skill, touch, and ball control, this debate would soon end. Once the authorities recognise that they do not put enough money and resource into teaching kids how to play properly as the French, Spanish, and the Dutch, we may have a good crop of players in 10 to 15 years time. Until that day, I can't see it myself, we will still rely on overseas players. Why? Because they are better than what we have here and less expensive. End of story. We in this country are still banging on about the physical side of the game, which has got us precisely nowhere in the international arena.

[Ladygooner]

I believe lozzyloz is a chelski supporter.........

[Jah Lush]

Atila, I agree with all you say there about the grass roots of the game but coming from someone who supports Arsene Wenger's Foreign Legion is a bit much.

[atila the gooner]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Atila, I agree with all you say there about the

> grass roots of the game but coming from someone

> who supports Arsene Wenger's Foreign Legion is a

> bit much.

Sorry Jah you're missing the point. If we as a nation can't produce decent players, we shouldn't look to point the finger of blame elsewhere. The problem of teaching kids at grass roots to play properly is ours, not Arsene Wengers. Also Spuds have quite a few foreigners, albeit not as good as those imported by Le Boss.>:D<

[Jah Lush]

Atila, I don't think I'm missing the point at all. True, we have a few foreigners in our side and I'm not saying they aren't good for the game, of course they are but the spine of the team is English, if not British. I think it's very a sad indictment of English game that teams like Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea consistently field teams that don't have one single Englishman on the pitch apart from maybe the odd one or two and Arsenal are clearly the worst example of this.

Having said that people like Trevor Brooking have been banging on about the poor level of skills at grassroots level for years. He must feel he is banging his head against a brickwall for all the good it's done.

[atila the gooner]

Sorry Jah, we will have to agree to disagree on this point. I don't see why Le Boss should field English players just because they are English, especially if he doesn't think they are good enough to play for us.

The England team since 1966 has been at best average on the international/world scene. This makes the argument that foreigners are bad for the English game null and void.Foreign players have been over here in large numbers for the past 10 years, and not since 1966 onwards. Bearing that in mind, it would seem to me that this argument is wrong and is just a way of deflecting the blame for Englands poor showing.