Jun 20
Familiar guff from Messi, and a word on England fans/Rooney
So yesterday some journalist — for the 43406th time — asked Lionel Messi who his favourite footballers were. And Messi listed out familiar names — among them, to our interest, was Wayne Rooney.
“At the moment, there are maybe Ronaldo, Rooney, Xavi and one or two more – but I can’t think of one that plays with the desire of Rooney,” he said, conveniently forgetting his Argentine team-mate and resident grafter — or in Ferguson’s words, trier — Carlos Tevez. We actually like this slight, however inadvertent it might have been.
“It would be a dream to play with Rooney if Manchester United ever came to the point where they needed to sell him,” Messi told the Daily Star.
You know what Lionel; here’s an idea. You love the game a lot. Rooney loves the game a lot. Money is not a factor for you. You love playing with Rooney. So why don’t you come to Manchester, have a kickabout with Rooney, or better still: buy out your contract with Barcelona, and come play for us at Manchester United for £100 (yes, not million) a week, you know, because we can’t really afford you right now? I’m sure Rooney would love to play alongside you too.
Anyway, he goes on and on, and it’s a bit odd, seeing him go on and on about it in the midst of the world cup. We’ll let out a collective groan, a sigh, and move on to other things.
* * *
We all know about the Wayne Rooney outburst: “Nice to see your own fans booing you. If that’s what loyal support is.”
There’s been a predictable media storm over Rooney and it’s been tied with his piss-poor performances for England. Of course, they are also demonizing Capello — the same manager who presided over a fairly successful qualification campaign for England. [There have been some glaring blunders by Capello, over the past two matches, but that's a discussion for another day.]
The issues at hand here are two-fold. One: the booing of the players in the dying minutes of the game by England fans, and two: Rooney losing it in front of camera, taking a shot at said fans for said behaviour.
I’ve always held the view that booing one’s own players is very counterproductive and retarded. Especially on the pitch, during the match. As it is players are down, and if you’re booing them, you are sucking out the very remnants of confidence they may have left in them. In club football, in England, fans of almost all clubs have been tolerant of their players. United fans, I know have had very few instances of actual booing in stadiums. There were a few isolated incidents in the past when Nani and Berbatov got stick. But even when that’s happened it’s been largely muted. As Scott pointed out, in his article yesterday that during the 1-4 defeat at OT against Liverpool, fans chanted, “We love United, we do.” And I’m glad we see that level of support with not only United fans, but by and large, most clubs in the league.
With England fans I have little sympathy, especially the kind we see at Wembley, where instances of booing have been much more frequent. United fans have justifiably — however irrational it might be — a lot of reasons to not show any sympathy for England fans given the history with Beckham, Neville, Rooney et al. But after the Algeria draw, I felt, even in my moment of schadenfreude at another England failure, a sense of sympathy for those fans who either quit their job, or took time off their lives, for an expensive trip to South Africa for the privilege of having to see — in Valdano’s words — shit served on sticks. A sober man would be livid to be in the midst of this madness — a nightmare, surely. What of 10,000 inebriated supporters then?
So, I can understand where they’re coming from (England, of course, but that’s not what I meant, obviously) and I can make an exception on this occasion. However — there is a ‘however’, but you have to read what I have to say about Rooney first.
Just as the crowd’s boos were from a raving-mad, angry mob, Rooney’s outburst was the result of a player’s reaction to a no-confidence vote from his own fans. That and Rooney’s own temperament, which has been reigned in under the Capello regime. [Now there's a debate on whether Capello should have allowed Rooney to be himself, but it's not a debate I am interested to get into, because that's once again digressing from the points I want to make here.]
But just as the crowd’s boos are perfectly understandable, so is Rooney’s reaction.
We could revert to the cliched argument that players are paid by the millions and are supposed to reign themselves in even if a crowd insults his entire family lineage. But that argument is really not meant to be applied to every scenario involving a player. Yes, Rooney and co deserved every bit of blame for such an insipid performance, but let’s not forget the context. He’s not used to repeated failures at United. Even in moments of abject failure, as some matches last season have been, he’s got the undying support of his fans. And he’s used to playing in a system with players of arguably higher calibre and technical skill for much of his United career than he’s with England. All things considered, it’s perhaps liberating for someone like him to vent when tempers were frayed. And, guess what, he apologized the next day. Most players are supposed to do this anyway.
Sure, he might not have meant it. Or maybe he might have. But publicly he’s offered something, as players usually end up doing, to the fans, and one hopes England fans in South Africa understand that and move on to giving them the full support they will need.
But will they understand? Will the English tabloids understand?
Oh wait, who are we kidding here? News of the World are already doing their bit. “ROONEY OUT OF CONTROL!” apparently. Sigh.
The article is a bit unclear because it seems to talk more about general player dissent over Capello’s attitude than a few throwaway lines that Rooney is behaving like a spoilt-brat.
As United fans we know that despite the red mist that envelopes him, he’s usually been a selfless player for his side, often to his own detriment. Unless there’s been a team-wide unrest among players, I find it odd Rooney would be acting like a prick.
There’s little good about this England side anyway. I don’t really care if they beat Slovenia. They aren’t going that far if they put out the same side. Right now it’s begging for someone creative. But then there are many other articles offering expert advice to Capello on how to put out a decent side. So I’ll pass.
Related items from Red Rants:
- United related links
- Et tu, Rio?
- United End 2009 With a Flourish
- Ronaldo’s Alligator Adventure + Cannavaro – Zola – Eriksson – Pele – Banks – Ferdinand
- Derby County v Man Utd: Preview
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Stephen (454)
Craig Mc (344)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
@Grognard: Gourcuff was sent off for me somewhat harshly in the final game, he has a poor World cup but you can blame that certainly on the manager.
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@Redrich: Actually mate, the Germans are themselves pretty free wheeling these days. They certainly are not the Germans of yesteryear. Organized and practical at the back but up front they change position, overlap, weave and do all kinds of running off the ball and with it.
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@Stephen: Well I saw different mate and I have the games on tape to prove it. That victory at Stamford Bridge and the win vs Barca at the San Siro tell an entirely different story than your argument. My love affair with him however is his personality is something I like and frankly, the man knows how to win and winning sure beats losing in terms of entertaining.
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@Stephen: Domenech is an idiot but his players like England players have to take a lot of the blame for not being mentally focused on the job at hand and not allowing their ego’s to take over the dressing room. The bullies made it impossible for a team to actually be born. If Capello keeps his job he too must realize that there are several bad apples in the batch who are poisoning the whole team. Lampard, Terry, Cole, Carragher and Gerrard are problems but I really feel it’s the Chelsea players who are the real problem. Amazing things would happen if he just banned Terry. The man is a cancer.
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Just saw this at NewsNow. Looks like I hit the hammer on the head with my previous comment. A no brainer i guess.
http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/833707-steven-gerrard-and-john-terry-fued-ruined-englands-world-cup-bid?
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@Grognard: I couldn’t agree more, Terry pretty much has carte blanche to behave how he feels fit at Chelsea, remember the “vowed to stand by him” after he was having it away with Wayne Brige’s other half.
He is the classic case of an over pamapered, over paid frankly over rated Premiership player. I see Rooney behaving in a similar way of late and Fergie needs to curb that quick smart.
For me for the next England game I would play:
Hart
Gibbs
Richrads
Dawson
A Cole ( an arsehole but a good player)
Cattermole
Wilshere
Rodwell
Walcott
Johnson
Rooney
Simply start again.
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@Grognard: I can’t stand his personality
For me he loves himself more than his side, we are poles apart on this subject and will never agree, but I do agree he does win.
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the secret to germany’s awesome form maybe its a tradition! i dont know!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA803thhgA0&feature=player_embedded
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@Stephen: #
Yeah, against Egypt, we have to start again.
Hart
Richards Dawson King Gibbs
Rodwell Cattermole
Walcott Wilshere Johnson
Rooney
Fuck it. Why not?
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@Traverse: I totally agree, England need to simply start again bring youth through dispence with the old guard and build 2018.
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Hernandez and Smalling are now officially our players. Joe Cole is now a free transfer. Things should start picking up.
Everyone who wasn’t involved in pre season training will report for training next Monday.
Hernandez will join up with the squad for our tour of USA/Canada/Mexico, and the World Cup lot (Evra, Rooney, Carrick, Park, Vidic) will join when the squad returns to England. No idea what’s happening with Ferdinand and Nani, what their injuries are or how long until they’re back.
Owen Hargreaves & Michael Owen are both fully fit for the start of pre-season, Anderson is still a month or two off.
So what do we need? Everyone in the entire world know we need to buy a Goalkeeper. Foster has gone, and VDS is 40. Neuer is theman for me, but I would probably be happy with Adler and to a lesser extent Lloris, Akinfeev or the Nigerian keeper,Victor Enyeama.
efence we are ok as long as Rafael and Fabio start to kick on. We m
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Hernandez and Smalling are now officially our players. Joe Cole is now a free transfer. Things should start picking up.
Everyone who wasn’t involved in pre season training will report for training next Monday.
Hernandez will join up with the squad for our tour of USA/Canada/Mexico, and the World Cup lot (Evra, Rooney, Carrick, Park, Vidic) will join when the squad returns to England. No idea what’s happening with Ferdinand and Nani, what their injuries are or how long until they’re back.
Owen Hargreaves & Michael Owen are both fully fit for the start of pre-season, Anderson is still a month or two off.
So what do we need? Everyone in the entire world know we need to buy a Goalkeeper. Foster has gone, and VDS is 40. Neuer is theman for me, but I would probably be happy with Adler and to a lesser extent Lloris, Akinfeev or the Nigerian keeper,Victor Enyeama.
In Defence we are OK as long as Rafael and Fabio start to kick on. We will only buy a CB if Vidic goes. Hopefully Rio will be ok.
We are in desperate need of strengthening midfield. The whole thing depends on Hargreaves. If he is back as good as ever and over his injury hell then we won’t need a CM. A left winger would be nice too.
Striker is a difficult one. Hernandez could be solid gold, but past him and Rooney we are not performing. Berbatov has not done it. Owen hasn’t done enough of it.
I fear a transfer season of picking the scraps, and a football season of disappointments.
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The papers will spin out tales of infighting in the England camp. But the truth is that we were tactically outmanouvered by Germany and pushing way too many men forward when we were chasing the game which made counter attacks inevitable.
The truth is that there is no leadership on the pitch. So the players are incapable of keeping their shape, following any sort of plan, so run around like headless chickens.
Wenger makes an excellent point that when we were a goal down we were playing like we only had 5 minutes left and showed no patience at all even when we were controlling the game. A counter attack was inevitable and we didn’t learn our lesson so the Germans did it again and again.
We must have the most stupid footballers in the world. Despite playing the game in the best league week in week out they do not seem to have any idea about tactics
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@ROOOOONEY: that was one furious pick man he got after that think
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Alright guys, bought tickets to the United vs. Celtic pre-season game at the Rogers Center, Toronto. Anyone else in?? I so hope Fergie brings along a decent squad!!!
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@Stephen: If healthy I’d still consider recalling Hargreaves because he is a real leader and also leads by example on the pitch. I love the idea of moving towards youth but not so radically. Remember, England under 21′s lost to Germany 4-0. They just aren’t as good as Ozil, Mueller, Badstuber and company. I take four of them right now and build on that. I would also keep Gerrard but playing him in his proper position without the worry of having Lampard around. Gibbs may be young but i personally think he is useless. I’d still prefer Glenn Johnson even though I think he is only moderately better.
But if England really want to get better they have to start taking a page out of Germany and France’s playbook. Take foreign nationals or kids born to landed immigrants and naturalize them as citizens so that they can play for England. Personally the English need to work harder at getting Turkish, African and other lads who’s parents are from there or who might have been born there to play for England. Look at Germany for example. Ozil, Podolski, Klose, Trochowski, Khedira, Tasci, Boateng, Cacau, Aogo, Marin and Gomez can all play for other countries if they chose to because one or both of their parents were born elsewhere and in in the case of some like Podolski, Klose and Marin, were born in other countries.
I find it funny how a nation that just fifty years ago was bent on destroying everyone who was not aryan has now opened it’s doors and turned the country into a cultural melting pot like Canada. By slackening their immigration and citizenship laws, they have made it possible for Turks, Poles, Brazilians, Serbs, Greeks and all kinds of naturalized citizens to play for Germany. It’s not just blonde hair and blue eyes anymore. Oh there are still the Lahms, Neuer’s Muller’s and Schweinsteigers but now Germany has so much more to choose from.
I’m not sure what England’s laws are like but perhaps they need to loosen them a bit in order to seduce a lot of similar cases and especially players from Wales, Scotland and Ireland who may have grown up in England but are not born there. Christ if Aaron Ramsey wants to play for England the way Owen Hargreaves left Canada behind because it would give him a better chance of playing in a World Cup, well then England needs to see what it can do to accommodate such cases. Just my opinion. I’m just looking for different ways to increase the number and the quality of the talent pool that is currently available to England. Right now it’s pretty piss poor.
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@Stephen: Fair enough. I just think the man deserves praise and respect for his accomplishments. When I hire a man to do a job, I could care less about his personality unless it cause problems with the business. If it makes business good, then who am I do argue. Mourinho is a winner, bottom line.
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@ROOOOONEY: It’s good for him, it’s protein.
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@Traverse: Neuer and Adler are the ones for me but I have to say that I have been very impressed with Portugal’s GK Eduardo, who was outstanding for them. Coentrao at LB or LM was also a real revelation that would be perfect for the club so that they can phase out the aging Evra.
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@antsBoy: I wouldn’t give the Glazer’s a plug nickel. Especially to see a bunch of reserves. Rooney will not be there by the way. I’d only buy tickets if I were spitting distance away from the traitor known as Fergie Glazer.
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@Grognard: Good points, Glen Johnson has tremendous ability but is mentally weak, I think Gibbs makes mistakes but has ability and has been raised in the right enviroment.
English football is at an all time low, we are selling our clubs out to foreign owners who are on a vanity project rather than the love for the game. Our clubs are managed by again foreign coaches like Wenger who does not promote English talent, not that we have much I must say.
Out league is swamped by average money grabbing mercenaries who are like locusts take what they want and fuck off Chimbonda, Diouf ect spring to mind. Look at other leagues Holland, Germany and even in Spain sides still play a lot of “their own” and then they move abroad, what English players play abroad??? Matt Derbyshire!!!
Most English players can barely speak their own language never mind intertwining within the fabric of another culture, we have wankers like John Terry who is paid £160k a week, to me that sums us up.
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@Grognard: His personality has caused problems with UEFA, and blatantly lied about Hans Frisk which caused Chelsea many problems, that damaged the clubs repuation and was down to him.
Yed he would win, but win ugly and by any means posible which for me isn’t United.
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Raul Meireles for £10mil from Porto is our latest rumour. Marca says we’re ahead of Madrid and Arsenal. Probably bollocks though.
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We all know that the FA have launched an inquiry to find out how a fan found his way into the dressing room.
They should have launched another inquiry into how Aaron Lennon, Emile Heskey, Robert Green, Wayne Rooney and John Terry found their way into the dressing room.
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Cinderella and England have absolutely nothing in common!!
Cinderella wanted to get to the ball….
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@Traverse: The only team we are ahead of in buying anyone is Pompey.
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Al Quieda have said the poor English performance was down to their terrorist cells operating within the FA.
British intelligence have dismissed the claim, stating that the message could have been recorded anytime in the last 44 years.
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@Stephen: I am a firm believer that the youngsters Wenger brings in are no0 better than English kids. He just has this romantic notion that if they are from some other backwater scum hole they must be good. Fact is that if British kids got their chance to play at the top level they would grow and improve like crazy. They are being kept down because of this unfair and intentional bias by foreign managers who want to inject their own selfish mark on the English game. In the late 70′s and early 80′s English clubs owned the European Cup and they did with players only from the UK. they pissed of the continentals big time with their physicality pace and determination and since then many managers do not like or respect the English game or players because they think there is something ugly about there way of play.
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Oh well, you’ve just got to smile – and not cry, right!!
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@Redrich: I’m pretty sure Terry is a terrorist planted deep inside the FA to disrupt and demoralize the team and the game in general.
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It looks like Fabio Capello is going to stay. Which means that England do not have a hope of ever improving. He will stubbornly select the same big-name players, continue to play an outdated 4-4-2 formation and select injured/unfit players every major tournament.
Capello still refuses to take any blame for England’s failing and is just blaming the players…talking about tiredness, pressure etc. OK it is about time people blamed the players as our standard response is to sack the coach letting the players off scot free.
But on this occasion Capello has a lot of explaining to do.
Why didn’t he assign Barry to pick up Ozil instead of Terry, leaving Klose one on one with Upson knowing that Terry did not have the legs to get back?
Why did Capello let our entire midfield bomb forward each time when we were chasing the game knowing that Germany were so effective on the counter attack and knowing our players are pretty slow?
Why did Capello keep Defoe on for so long when it was clear we needed an extra man in midfield?
Why did Capello after emphasising width and pace continually let Gerrard drift inside and to a lesser extent Milner?
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Hahaha Demichelis is coming out and saying that if he played like Terry against Germany he wouldn’t be allowed home!
This coming from the defender who gifted Manchester United two or three goals when we played them in the Champions League!
Unfortunately the press haven’t properly vilified Terry. Which is a shame because Terry deserves a large share of the blame for this World Cup failure. It is clear his machinations undermined team spirit and his head was obviously not in the game against Germany and he made appaling errors in positioning and was made to look amateurish.
Also it is clear that he will continue to undermine the squad and Capello until he is restored as captain.
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@Grognard: Ok, try this one on. Quotes from Ozil in today’s sun about his future. “You look at what Manchester United and Chelsea have achieved over the last five years and you see it would be easy to be successful at two clubs like that.”
Fergie. You never listen to us, but for the love of god, SIGN HIM UP. He’s only got a bloody year on his contract. Barcelona can’t buy him because they have about 7 top midfielder. Real might, and Chelsea might. Beat them to it.
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We have signed 18 year old Marnick Vermijl from Standard Liege. Seemingly on a free.
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@colver: Or better, continually left out of the squad.
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Goal are claiming we have got a bid in of £24mil for Benzema. Mourinho wants to bring in Van Persie, and Benzema is the fall guy. Real paid £28mil last season, and he has scored 9 goals, fallen out with Raul, and then missed out on the French World Cup squad. If we get Benzema, for £24mil I would be very happy.
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Fergie has been buying a lot of defenders and a lot of young ones at that…i mean our backup defense is pretty old and Rafael and Fabio as good as they are still a bit lightweight so…i was gutted at Silva being signed up by the shitty>.Ozil is great but we do have a lot of wingers…i want Fergie to get another central midfielder…even if it is youngster..currently we seriously lack bite there
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@Grognard: i thought that the Portuguese keeper kept them in the game for so long…who were absolute crap btw…no proper midfeild to talk about…another awesome keeper was the Japanese keeper Kawashima who was did some spectacular shot stopping and was strong in the air and not afraid to get stuck in with the bigger lads..
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@RMJ: The Nigerian keeper was absolutely quality in their games.
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@Redrich:
Good one mate.
Seriously though on the subject of england i suppose youve seen those disgusting pics of the england players laughing and smoking and drinking hours after their exit. Just disgusting really.
These twats dont deserve to be footballers full stop. Not only because they are shit at football which is their job, but because they are shit human beings.
There are many thousands of fans who spent thousands of pounds to follow those losers. I dont think i need to say things are bleak financially for millions of people in england and throughtout the world. So you can imagine those fans feelings when after in effect pissing their money away, the england players they spent thousand to watch are laughing and partying.
Just pathetic.
There are millions of families in england the world struggling to put food on the table and these bastads are there earning their millions and sticking 2 fingers up to your average joe. It really just makes me sick.
One of the reasons i stopped supporting the england team. I dont think i can get behind a team full of twats with a massive ego, who are losers and shit to watch. Oh and led by JT the cunt and many others.
England is full of these twats. The main players i see laughing and joking including ashley cole, lennon, king should all be dropped. Fuck these twats. Give their position to kids who are not so arrogant and full of themselves. They probably will be one day, but for the minute i would take adam johnson over lennon not just because hes a better footballer but because i doubt he is such a cunt we see him smoking a cigar hours after watching his team basically get raped on a world stage.
Im sorry for the rant but it just makes my blood boil. Even more so when i read a legend like bobby moore died and all he had left to leave to his family was a WC watch.
Players werent on the outrageous wages they are today and were down to earth.
Dont get me wrong if the player is class i can see why theyre paid so much.
But part of the problem is cunts like terry and lennon think they are cock of the walk when they are cock of nothing. Except cock heads.
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@Traverse: What i would give to see ozil in our team. The fact he only has a year left on his contract should make us jump at him. Sadly though i think even if we did have some money we wouldnt buy him. Fergie buys certain types of players and after his “typical germans” rant i dont think he would target ozil even if he had the cash lying around.
We’ll probably see him end up at madrid or barca, go on to be a star and have to put up with park, as hes the type of player fergie goes for now.
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Sneijder fucked em up
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Good riddance to overrated rubbish. All tournament long I was feeling bored and underwhelmed by the Dunga Beat. Thank God those overpaid and overrated diving champs are gone. I still think the Dutch are vulnerable and they will eventually choke because it’s their heritage to do so, but Brazil being knocked after France and Italy has made this World Cup almost perfect. There is one remaining of the 4 Horseman of the Apocalypse, that is Spain. Now if they would lose I would be truly happy. I don’t mind Argentina even with Maradona in charge and I just hope and pray my German Machine teaches them a lesson tomorrow. If not, I hope they take care of Spain who I believe will be in the Semi.
Many may say this has not been a good World Cup for the European teams but I say not so. For me the only two European teams that have ever mattered are the two that almost always played to win and attack. Germany and Holland wowed me in 1974 and it’s been a love affair ever since. To see them still around just justifies my feeling on football and seeing the Italians, French, Brazilians and other exhibitionists and cheaters gone does my heart good. Many years ago I used to love Brazil until Brazil had become Italy wearing yellow. These days the Samba Beat has been replaced by the Dunga Beat and for me their football has become predictable and boring. Sure they have their moments but for the most part, they have underwhelmed me for quite a while now. I’d much rather watch Argentina who like to attack and who have much more flair, improv and willingness to attack than the careful and calculated Brazilians.
I’m glad Dunga lost. He is anti-Brazilian in his approach to the game. I’d like to see the Samba style brought back but I think it’s dead. The pragmatism and gamesmanship of Europe and especially Italy has polluted their game and most of their players who just happen to be playing in Europe have been coached and conditioned in a way that the free thinking Samba style has been exorcised out of their systems. Let them have their rebirth in four years when they host the tournament. For now however, let teams that I like go forward for a change now that the Italy’s, France’s, Brazil’s are vanquished. Good luck to the Dutch and germans the rest of the way as I hope for a 74 final replay.
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I love what the Dutch are doing because it just confirms how fucked up Fergie was to avoid all these great Dutch players who were being let go by Real Madrid for a song and a dance yet he did nothing to sign them. How we let Scheijder go is beyond me? But we also could have had either Robben, Huntelaar, van der Vaart too. Fine many of you may not be a believer in Huntelaar but I am. And this performance only confirms what i have been saying for years , that i would not dismiss any players who come out of the Dutch Eredivisie because although the league may not be as competitive with the big leagues in Europe it is and always has been a football factory that develops world class talent. If handled properly and with care that talent can become a superstar or it could go bust if handled improperly. Kudos to the Dutch and way to go Fergie you useless blind as a bat old fart.
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@EduardoDaVinci4: And Fergie forever fucked us up by not signing Schneijder for very little last year. Thanks Fergie, you old git.
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@colver: Yeah but they’ll be playing to empty stadiums when the fans stay away. The FA will fucking panic if England fans desert Wembley if any of the present team players are picked again. I know from the radio phone ins that the fans are mightily pissed, especially those who travelled to SA. So stay the fuck away lads, boycott Wembley and watch the FA panic!
The cheats are out – oh how I prayed for this to happen. They didn’t go out quietly either did they, oh the TEMPER TANTRUMS – I couldn’t stop laughing at the shellshocked Brazil nuts. Serve them right
.
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Grognard, that is something I do not understand. It would have been so easy to insist on including Sneijder in the deal and with Sneijder in the Manchester United side I think we could have won the title if not the Champions League as well. My guess is that the Glazers made it clear they wanted just cash.
Looks like Capello is staying. Im going to go on holiday in 2012 im not going to watch them fail again. When they revamp the side and get rid of players like Terry, Gerrard, Lampard and co Ill consider supporting them again.
Even though I know Manchester United aren’t going to win anything more under the Glazers at least we will never fall as low as England have. We import so many cheap youngsters that some of them will come good and the one advantage of being a selling club is that youngsters get more chances.
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Here is a rant that is straight from the heart and one that I wrote for my own blog but that I thought I’d share with you here. As usual, it’s pretty lengthy but be patient, it might be worth your while.
Pragmatism Takes a Dumper at the World Cup…….Thank God
Today I am glad to report that the evil philosophy of pragmatism has taken a royal damper and has exited its usual perch at the top of the football world. For those who are unaware or who just don’t care, Brazil was knocked out of the 2010 World Cup today by the Dutch which for me spells a definite hiatus of sorts for those who have reduced the game to such boring and predictable standards and who prey on the game with such pragmatic values that they have for years tortured and crippled it’s entertainment value and freedom of expression.
The Netherlands 2-1 victory over the previously ranked #1 Brazilians is a victory of sorts. But it is also combined by the early expulsions of other boring, defensive minded, cowardly and overly pragmatic disciples such as France, England and especially the Anti-Christ of football herself, Italy. Yes I am being cruel and although I am letting certain nations have it for their culturally disgusting approach to football, let it be known that I have nothing against these nations or race of people in any other venue or topic of discussion. I am strictly talking football here.
For decades I have sat back and watched the game I love so much be taken over by cowards, chess players and pragmatic types who have reduced the game to a slow, dirty, overly defensive match of chess with the added dash of cheating or gamesmanship.
Why did football go away from it’s Renaissance period of the early 70’s when tactically and culturally awake nations like the Netherlands and Germany offered up gorgeous innovative “Total Football” for all to watch enjoy and try to emulate. A system built on imagination, flexibility and constant attack. We were introduced to an era where scoring goals was greatly accentuated and where the style of play offered adventure and enterprise.
This utopian period in the game last almost a decade but died a cruel death in what I call the infamous 1982 World Cup which was stolen by the defensive minded, boring as sin and ultra pragmatic Italians. They showed how a moderately talented club could defeat giants like Brazil and Germany by just reducing the game to its lowest common denominator. A team that drew its first three group games and only scored two goals went on amazingly to lift the World Cup. They were embarrassed on the pitch by the Samba swagger of the Brazilians but somehow won the game 3-2. Brazil should have scored ten in that game had it not been for the heroics of 40-year old Dino Zoff in goal. Italy, for their part had three scoring chances against the run of play and scored, you guessed it, three goals all by the previously invisible Paolo Rossi.
It is my belief that on that day the beautiful game died and pragmatism in football was truly born. That was not justice and it was not in the best interests of the game, but Italy won nevertheless. Why is it that a country with such beauty, culture and history has to reduce itself to sniveling cowards and play the game like scared Borgia’s defending a siege to their castle? Why is it their goal in life not to score goals but prevent any from occurring and in the process zap the life out of every contest and the game of football? I’ll never fully understand their way of thinking or how it actually connects with the people culturally or philosophically.
After the 82 final which Italy defeated a very tired and beaten up German team who were coming off an epic penalty shootout win vs a spunky and attack oriented French side in the semi-final. It is my belief that had the Germans not been so gassed after 120 plus minutes of intense fast paced football in over 40 degree Celsius Spanish heat, that today’s game might very well be different. For that Italian World Cup victory was the birth of pragmatism and gamesmanship and the game has not recovered since.
Manager Enzo Bearzot constructed a system and a team that so sucked the life out of a game and was enhanced by tactical cowardice and despicable gamesmanship (aka Cheating) that many learned from that victory how they must confront the game and help their team’s or nations improve or be more competitive. It opened the doors for the minnows of yesteryear to actually improve so much so that one of them could steal the European Championships in 2004 by averaging a single goal a game. Apologies to my Greek compatriots because although I ma of Greek heritage, my football mind is completely German/Dutch.
Pragmatism so engulfed the game from that period that even the top club teams and the top national squads adopted parts of it. Why risk losing if a pragmatic approach to all problems is to play it safe and play on the law of averages? For those who are not aware, I am a die-hard Manchester united fan. Why? Because up to recently, this club carried the banner in European football for playing fast paced attacking football and not compromising it’s principles for the pragmatic approach. That is of course until their legendary manager faced with aging players and financial calamities within the club was forced to invoke a pragmatic approach to their tactics so that the club could remain successful. And thus Manchester United’s era of champagne football has ended.
Now back to this current World Cup. A competition that has been plagued by injuries to key players, a ball that is closer in design to a beach ball than a football, refereeing that has been abysmal at best, the constant irritating and disabling noise of a cultural embarrassment called a vuvuzela and countless boring and overly pragmatic contests that were being starved of goals and thirsting for entertainment. Up until today the negative pragmatists were still in control. Even though their creators, the Italians had been embarrassingly eliminated and along with them the French and English who had also recently adopted such disgusting methods of play, the World Cup was failing to live up to it’s reputation for entertainment due to the oversaturated number of boring games with relatively few goals.
Today Brazil was the last of the evil four horseman of pragmatic football to be eliminated. Many may wonder how I could possibly lump the Samba loving Brazilians in with those other cowardly lions? It’s very easy really. Ever since 1982 when the Samba Beat died one summer afternoon at the hands of an Italian assassin, the Brazilian way of playing the game with flair, and improvisation also died. Oh many may say hang on there, since that time Brazil has won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups and also lost in the final of the 98 Cup. How can you say that they have died? Well the team’s success hasn’t necessarily died. Instead it’s the team’s mojo and personality, it’s cultural uniqueness and improvisational beauty followed up by a wonderful swagger and artistic confidence that was like watching a living Monet or Picasso painting dance across a pitch. Long gone is the Samba Beat and beautiful rhythm of their game.
Brazil has not been the Samba Kings since after that crushing 82 defeat to the Italians. On that day something died in the hearts and minds of many Brazilian players and coaches. That 82 squad was littered with eclectic talent like the legendary Zico and Socrates as well as wonderful artists like Falcao and Eder to name a few. For that team to lose was a wakeup call in the hearts and minds of many who saw that way of football as being a dinosaur and a sure path to certain failure. So much pressure in this day and age to win at all costs has overtaken the game and it’s various personalities and transformed the once beautiful game into the present pragmatic chess match. Always thinking one move ahead but with your hand on the pawn and always oh so cautious.
In 1994 Brazil was rewarded for their personality change. They beat their pragmatic mentors the Italians in a God awful World Cup final that went into penalty shootout tied 0-0. It was the beckoning of a terrible age in football that has not yet died unfortunately. When attack minded and stylish football nations like Brazil abandon their natural tendencies for pragmatism and gamesmanship, then you start to lose hope for the future of the game. But this World Cup may have been a wake up call to all those countries and especially to FIFA that radical changes need to be made to bring back the life and the energy of the game. Enough with all these boring 0-0 or 1-0 games. People want to see talent on display and goals scored. We are all tired of watching boring football saddled with chess playing tactics, divers, actors and clowns making a mockery of the game in order to waste time or to get the sympathy of the referees.
Now that the major culprits of negative football are eliminated, perhaps this will help open a new era in football where the adventurous and creative once again take over the game. Although the current Dutch team is nowhere near the class, quality and imagination of their previous masters from 74, they are at least trying to win with a positive outlook. They too have a little bit of the gamesmanship problem in their blood but they are not bogged down with negative thinking.
For me the breath of fresh air and the glowing light of hope from this World Cup sit on the laps of Germany and Spain. Even though I am not a fan of Spain, I do absolutely and positively love the Germans who both play the game in the manner in which it was intended, by attacking and scoring goals. More of that and less of the Italians and this game may well resurrect itself from the list of culturally declining entities that are too fat and too greedy to cowardly to ever be saved from themselves. I can only pray that this is the case.
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@colver: I just posted a major rant all about pragmatism in football and this whole idea of keeping Capello is yet again, another example of those in power being overly pragmatic rather than risk taking or adventurous.
Money and the fear of losing it is the only guiding power in the world game today. Fear of rocking the boat too much keeps many teams and nations from digging themselves out of the mud. We can now include England in that group.
And as for Schneijder, well I just don’t even want to think about that anymore. I’d just like to smack Fergie upside his head. And if the Glazer’s are to blame, I’d like to still slap Fergie upside his head for agreeing to their demands.
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@Grognard: what pisses me off about not getting sneijeder is his price tag, he got away with a low price it was what 12mil?…
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