Gerrard is a roy-of-the-rovers, harum scarum player who I love to watch play. Nonetheless, Scott Murray’s article is pretty much spot on, he has a way to go before he is truly top class. If the RS can get a good price for him and use it to fund the purchase of some more Bruno Cheryous/Vladimir Smicers/insert any Houllier purchase here, then that would be a great piece of business .
Murray does make the mistake of using match-up arguments, which are way over-emphasised in football commentary IMO, eg Keane is giving Vierra a lesson in the middle of the park. You can talk about match-ups in a sport like basketball, but the beautiful game is just too fluid to be amenable to such simplistic analysis, especially in the middle of the park. That being said it does have its place, as it would be fair to say that Gary Naysmith did not “match-up” well against Cristiano Ronaldo in last Saturday’s ManU game.
Anyone fancy the Mancs to go all the way in the CL? They are getting people back to fitness at the right time, I guess their performance in the away leg to Milan will be the real litmus test.
[QUOTE=roger thornhill]
I never saw any of The Sun articles and photos, but IIRC the thing that most outraged people was the report that some fans had urinated on the dead.
[QUOTE]
Ithaka’s already provided it, but I’m amazed you didn’t know about this. At least now you do. It’s the number one reason why Liverpudlians despise The Sun so much.
Can’t see it myself, much as I would like it. I’ll be setting the alarm for 3.30 in the hope that United can get an advantage in the home leg. If van Nistelrooy plays, as seems likely given his European record, his sharpness is going to be iffy. Still, Milan are without their star player and if they can lose to Livorno away and Messina at home, they might trip up.
I’ve got money on them to at least make the final. But then I had money on Liverpool to lose.
A feeling that I get is that MUFC are a team on the way up. Ronaldo is playing well, Rooney is finally looking like £20ms worth of footballer and the rest of the squad (apart from the goalies) are all doing their bit. Keane seems to have found a second wind.
I fancy Barcelona to win the thing if I had to bet outright (and their odds are woeful). I’m actually looking forward to seeing their game with Chavski tonight (and I hate Chelsea MUCH MORE than I hate Arsenal - and that’s a lot).
Boumsong just came back from injury and he seemed to have a good effect on Bramble, who I was CONVINCED was going to let in a late, bad goal (like usual) against Chelsea. They played really well. The entire back line did. It seemed they were very much stablized with Boumsong in the back.
I think it’d be a mistake to sell the Magpies short at this point. If their defense is to the point Sourness expected when he signed Boumsong and Babayaro, NUFC could be tougher than they have been all year.
Thanks for the Hillsborough comments. Sorry about your friend’s dad, SentientMeat.
Not a good two days for the elite of the English League. Strange how Liverpool has come out the best of the four Engliish teams. I would say Chelsea still have a reasonable chance being one down coming back to Stamford Bridge. I would actually rate Arsenal’s chances slightly higher than Man U’s at this time of going to the round of eight.
Though, you really have to wonder what Sir Alex Ferguson was thinking in taking out Christiano Ronaldo so early. He was the only one out there making plays, being a force. That, and what do you expect from your side in the CL, when you have merely an average Goalie at best.
Milan controlled the game and looked a class side. United need another night in Italy like they had in 1999. As for Carroll, he should be sent to Coventry - or back to Wigan.
I wouldn’t count any chickens about Liverpool just yet. I hope they get through - I would hate the bloke on the BBC to be right and all four “English” sides get knocked out. Leverkusen are in a different class to Milan, Barca and Munich.
I wouldn’t write off MUFC and CFC just yet (I think AFC are dead in the water). I think both have the possibility of getting through and CFC’s away goal could be very important - they only have to get a 1-0 win to go through.
After “the goal that never was” there was something kharmic about Carrol spilling the ball.
I would be very suprised if both the only team in the league not named after a place and MUFC both made a bid for Robinson in the summer.
I don’t know why you are writing off the Arse so quickly. I think a lot of it depends on who they get back from injury for the second game, I think Cole should be back, not sure about Campbell. I definitely think a 2-0 result at Highbury (even with the dodgy defense) against a inconsistent Bayern Munich is more likely than a victory over AC Milan, with a returning Scheva, at the San Siro. I would not rate both as likely at all, but I would shade Arsenal’s chances better than ManU.
Very few teams have ever come back from 3-1 at this level. Also Campbell is out for the game (see earlier posts on this) and they will be forced to chase the game.
Dodgy defence + having to attack = conceding at least one away goal.
BTW Reyes has just been given a three match suspension - not sure if it covers the CL though.
I’ll also admit to a little bit of wishful thinking
I was just thinking as I drove to work who might be available Europe-wide, and who would want to go to England? Can’t see Toldo or Buffon leaving Italy, so your prediction (I think another “not” is needed in there somewhere) is probably spot on.
Just saw the Drogba sending off last night, and thought it was the wrong decision. The ball was there to be gone for. Bloody Euro prettyboy refs.
I agree, alhtough I did not see whta the first yellow was for so I don’t know how well deserved that one was. Getting a dodgy second is always the risk of getting an early yellow card, though.
I agree that ManU is going to find it difficult to beat Milan at home with Shevchenko back in the starting lineup. I just simply don’t see it happening.
Neither did I see what led up to the first yellow. The HK blokes doing a voiceover in the studio here mentioned when he was sent off that Mourinho should have substituted Drogba because he was already on a yellow. They also mentioned that he had committed a few fouls between the first booking and the second. However, from the ref’s point of view that should make absolutely no difference if the challenge is legitimate, which I thought it was. If he honestly thought it wasn’t legitimate, then okay. But, as one of the sages in the studio said there remains the suspicion that the ref was looking for an excuse to send him off. That’s bad reffing.
The mighty lillywhites are catching up Bolton fast!
I’ll admit to being a bit worried about Martin Jol being linked with the Ajax job.
Did anyone else hear 6-0-6 last night? There were gooners phoning up saying that Wenger should go. Crikey! I thought spurs fans were a fickle bunch, but these people were even worse!
It’s the league cup final today, and I am in the slightly (highly) odd position of hoping that Chelsea win it - so that the UEFA place goes to the league - which would take qualification down to 6th, and if there is a Arse/MUFC FA cup final then it would go down to 7th - which is doable from a N17 perspective.
Everton put in their first really good performance since Gravesen left yesterday, on a ground that we haven’t won at since HK was in charge, first time round!
The Carling cup is pulling me in opposing directions. If Chelsea win and that leads to six, maybe seven European places as owl points out, then you’d have to say Everton are a lock to get one of them at this point in the season. However, my dislike of Liverpool is so profound that I usually take a more sophisticated, long-term view of their games then simply hoping that they lose. Winning the Carling cup would just accentuate the misery and bitterness that envelopes all RS supporters, underlining that they are finished as a force in English football, and have been for several years, 100 million spent and all that they can win is the Carling cup!
I used to hate Liverpool when they were good, after Houllier’s reign I think a part of me has started to support them
The next two games will be important to Bolton’s season (Man City away & Norwich at home). Now that the unbeaten run is over, they need to avoid going into a slump. Shame about the Newcastle game. Bolton played really well in the first half but threw it away in the second. Nicky Hunt getting inured was a turning point because Gardner had to be pulled back into defence after starting in midfield, and he was doing really well as an attacking midfielder.
.
