On the Ball (new Football Focus)

[matthew123]

Great penalty by James Milner - clearly the right kind of calibre to stand shoulder to shoulder next year at the World Cup with Lampard, Beckham and John Terry in the inevitable penalty shoot!!

 

[red devil]

Just for you Matthew, courtesy of The Guardian...

Fergie finally spends his ?80 million...

http://static.guim.co.uk/Guardian/football/gallery/2009/jun/24/1/WebbRiley-2648.jpg

[matthew123]

haha - very good!

[matthew123]

Newcastle have made their first signing of the season

 

[red devil]

Those vertical stripes are certainly slimming...

[Ladygooner]

Anyone know what time the final of the U21s is on Monday?

[Keef]

7:45 LG.

[Atila Reincarnate]

REsearch into what makes a top class footballer is clearly very valuable and groundbreaking, especially when it comes up with words of wisdom such as these taken from this mornings Metro.

The key to becoming a top class fotballer is not training but talent, it has been found. Physical conditioning had little to do with pitch performance when a group of semi professioanl football players were put through "skill" tests by scientists. "Plenty of people are as tall as Ronaldo and, if they are in good condition, can run as fast and jump as high - but are not necessarily as good at football", said a spokesman for the university of Queensland which carried out the research. Well fcuk me ragged, no shit sherlock? You mean you have to have talent to be a top footballer, well what happened with Robbie Savage, Emile Heskey, and Titus Bramble, how did they slip through the net?

[Atila Reincarnate]

red devil Wrote:

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> Just for you Matthew, courtesy of The Guardian...

>

> Fergie finally spends his ?80 million...

>

> http://static.guim.co.uk/Guardian/football/gallery

> /2009/jun/24/1/WebbRiley-2648.jpg

According to Rafa all refs are on Fergies payroll anyway, why's he wasting his money?

[red devil]

Keef Wrote:

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> Where are SP and red_devil? I want to know if

> you're pleased with the situation?

Sorry for taking so long to answer your question Keef, I was away at the time, but for what it's worth my thoughts are that off the pitch it is very good business for the club, but on the pitch we will miss him greatly. I've always thought that Fergie should follow Capello's example and build the team around Rooney, and now that Ronaldo has gone, that's possible. Valencia is probably the next best thing to Ronaldo in the Premiership as an out and out winger/dribbler, and it looks like we should be signing him up, but we also need someone to replace Ronaldo's goals. I'd like to see Benzema in a Utd shirt, he's got a presence about him, but he's not proven at the highest level, so a could be risky (I'd take Owen on a pay as you play/score contract!). Fergie spoke previously about Welbeck being in England's WC squad next year so perhaps he has already pencilled him and Macheda in to get more games next season. As for Tevez, I think his stubborness will cost him, wherever he ends up he won't get guaranteed 1st team football, ironically he probably would've got more games at Utd with Ronaldo going. If he ends up at Citeh, he'll be back at square one...

[matthew123]

>> Fergie spoke previously about Welbeck being in England's WC squad

That suggests to me the lad suffers a huge lack of confidence, if Fergie feels he has to come out and make that kind of statement. From I've seen of Welbeck he is quite a way off from being a United regular never mind international.

I don't think the big 4 (maybe the exception of Chelsea) can really move in the transfer market until City have completed their business otherwise their budgets will be blown apart by getting into price wars. I like Valencia - I am surprised he's not been linked with any other clubs.

[Atila Reincarnate]

Love the aricle below from the Gooner fanzine. Says everything I feel about Phil Brown.

http://onlinegooner.com/exclusive/index.php?id=1219

[red devil]

I don't think Welbeck suffers from a lack of confidence, he was dropped after milking it in front of the fans after he scored a great goal against Derby, Fergie wouldn't do that to someone who's confidence levels were suspect.

Up front England are short of attacking options, Fergie probably meant it wouldn't be difficult to break into the current England set-up. Fergie obviously has more faith in youth than your good self Matthew, no one had even heard of Beckham Butt, Scholes & Nevilles, and they went on to win the double in their first proper season together.

A price war with Citeh can only develop if a player is interested in playing for them in the first place. What with no European football, they'll end up with a team of mercenaries e.g Barry. I wonder where that nice Mr. Bellamy will ply his trade next?..

[Sandperson]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> >> Fergie spoke previously about Welbeck being in

> England's WC squad

>

> That suggests to me the lad suffers a huge lack of

> confidence, if Fergie feels he has to come out and

> make that kind of statement.

I don't get your logic. I think you are right that he hasn't shown whether he has the potential (although I'm sure Fergie seeing him daily would have a good idea) but now that Tevez is out of the picture I am sure there are going to be more opportunities for him and others.

[Atila Reincarnate]

red devil Wrote:

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I wonder where that nice Mr. Bellamy will

> ply his trade next?..

Any team that the odious Allardyce manages would suit him nicely.

[matthew123]

Welbeck is 18 years old, he's got a lot of hard work ahead of him to be a top player - I'd have thought the last thing you do with a kid is to basically tell him, son you've made it you could be going to South Africa next summer.. which is effectively what Ferguson's statement suggests. The comment by Fergie was made after the Italian has got ahead of him in the pecking order so it sounded like to me he needed a massive ego boost as his body language around the pitch doesn't say confidence.

[Keef]

Come on, bit harsh calling Barry a mercenary isn't it? How long has he been at Villa?

[The Joker]

Barry gave great service to Villa, but I thought he only wanted to leave 'For a Champions League club'?

City aren't even in Europe next year. He's gone ther for the money in the first instance. A definition of mercenary if ever I heard one.

[matthew123]

It'll be for the same reason Samuel Eto'o gives up playing alongside Henry, Messi, Xavi and Iniesta...

[Atila Reincarnate]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> It'll be for the same reason Samuel Eto'o gives up

> playing alongside Henry, Messi, Xavi and

> Iniesta...

Eto'o seems to have quashed any move to Citeh.

[Sandperson]

Looks like we got our man. Have to wait and see if he's good enough:

Valencia!

[ratty]

Southampton are in trubble! :)-D

[????]

2800

[Sandperson]

...Spurs 0?

[matthew123]

'Real Madrid agree a deal to sign striker Karim Benzema', for ?30m, according to his club Lyon

So where will Tevez go... If Man City sign Eto'o I can't see him getting in ahead of Santa Cruz and Eto'o. Similarly at Chelsea I think Anelka and Drogba will be the choice of Ancelotti. Tevez made a few noises about not being a first choice at United so does that mean he needs to find another club.. but whom?