Now the dust has began to settle on the the tragic Aaron Ramsey tackle, it’s time to see if there is anything out there on the market that could help protect out players against further assaults. My first thoughts were a more protective kit, perhaps like the one below.
Tim kindly sent me in a Nike prototype, the problem with this? Well, two fold really. Firstly it’s not going to be very easy to put an eighties slant on a medieval number, secondly, it’s not going to allow the players to move freely.
So, I decided to get out there and do a little research myself and I’ve come across a new product called D30. This product is lightweight liquid body armour that is liquid until impact, then it turns rock hard and protects it’s sports star. Thus providing a level of confidence to the player, without inhibiting their play. Sounds pretty good to me. It seems crazy that we’re in the 21st century and the best protection we can offer our players is a lump of plastic strapped to their shin with a bit of velcro securing it. If D30 are working with lacrosse, I’m sure they can team up with Addidas or Nike and help design something a little more suited to defending the body against the Stokes of this world.
In other news, I had the pleasure of watching the England game last night. It was apparent from my twitter account that most people weren’t interested in the game, so I feel it my duty as an Englander to give you low down.
John Terry was rightly booed for his disgusting behaviour. I found it amazing that the press had the cheek to suggest we weren’t helping the team by doing that. Does somebody want to tell me how the press helped John Terry by firstly uncovering the story, then running it everyday for 2 weeks as a front page story? The UK main stream take hypocrisy to new levels.
The game was a drag. Egypt were by far the superior team for the first 60 minutes. They knocked the ball around neatly and with intelligence. England resorted to parking the bus like a Stoke or Bolton side. It was sad to see so many players of quality resorting to long ball tactics. It shocked me because on paper, we have many world class players.
I think the problem is, English world class is a combinations of power and workhorse capabilities. For all Rooney’s qualities, he’s no Lionel Messi. When you put 1 quality English player in team of classier foreign players, you give that team grit and passion. When you put 11 English players in the team, you don’t have the creativity to balance out our main strengths.
Theo was awful. He shouldn’t have been picked in the first place. He was still dining out from that hat trick and last night, he failed to deliver in a big way. People can point to his injuries, but lets clear that myth up right now. Theo has been pretty much solidly available since mid-November. If he can’t cobble some form together in 3 months, there is something seriously wrong.
I listened to a reporter on Talk*hite the other day telling the nation Theo was a natural player and a superb winger. How wrong can one person be? Theo Walcott started football at 13 years old. When I was 13 years old Ryan Garry had just been snatch from my German class at school to join the rest of the Arsenal players at another school. That for me is why Theo doesn’t look natural, because he only been playing the game 7 years, compared to most 20 year old pro’s who’ve been playing the game for 14 years.
Anyway, back to the England game. Zidan looked a top player. He’s the Dortmund Striker who put the Egyptians one up. England only came back into the game when they brought Crouch on who took his two goals very well. 20 goals in 37 games for England. Superb.
Looking at that team, I’d say the only way we’ll win the world cup is through solid tactics, hard work and a large dollop of good luck! If Greece can win the Euro’s using those tactics, then England can win the world cup!
In other news, I’ve been watching a lot of football over the past few weeks. Here are some players who I think are quite good.
Veloso: Long time Geoff favourite, Mr Veloso of Sporting Lisbon. He plays in the holding role and has many similarities to Flamini, except, well, he’s a bit classier. He has the physical attributes needed for the premiership and an eye for getting into the box. He’s only young and a real possibility if we wanted him.
Moutinho: Again, of Sporting Lisbon, this tricky midfielder is like a Portuguese version of Arahvin. He’s fast, skilful and ambitious with his play. Probably not for us.
Akinfeev: Arshavin’s answer to the next best keeper in the world. Sorry Andrey, I wasn’t feeling his keeping. He looked all over the place in their last 16 game against Sevilla and spilled too many balls for me. Especially for a £30mill keeper!
Perrotta: Lionel Messi’s understudy for Argentina. A real handful for CSKA with his creativity, ability to create space and his blistering pace. Could be a handy signing for us, reminded me of a young Rosicky.
Balotelli: Looks the real deal. He lost the ball against Chelsea a few times but his power and ability to read the game really impressed me. A shame he’s such a lunatic!
I was supposed to be showcasing some new Le Grove t-shirt designs, but it appears I’ve had my very own Bill Gates/Blue screen moment.
Fear not though… I’ll be back later with the goods!
Stay tuned, see you in the comments!
Morning Grovers…
Yo !
Top four???
Top 10?
Theo, Theo….the enigma….i so want to believe!
Walcott for sale this summer!
Theo was absolutely awful…!!!
We need to seriously ask ourselves?
Do we really need him in our squad?
velaa all the way !!!!
Slow
Swap Theo for one of;
- Fellani
- Milner
Or sell to Citeh & buy Eden Hazard for £15m
Which top sides have England beaten under Capello? None.
They lost to France, Spain, Brazil and drew to Holland. That shows the credentials.
You are right Pedro about the fact Rooney is no Messi or Ronaldo or Kaka, the unpredicatablity and top draw skills from those players win things like the world cup.
I am an irish fan but if England are to have a decent go I think the Carrick-Barry-Gerrard midfield is a good one. Stick Rooney up front and play Milner and Agbonlonhor down the sides. What England need is breaking pace against the top teams.
I would like a David Villa in the Arsenal side, but I believe even if we had the money and the desire to bring him to the Emirates, the player might decide against it , and might prefer to sign for any other top four side, as they get more protection than Arsenal.
In other words, his chances of suffering a leg break in an Arsenal shirt might be greater. I really believe other potential signings might be looking at this with interest……just a worrying thought for me period.
Pedro
Very Nice post
i found this out
————
Within the snowsports market, d3o has been used by Olympic GS in racing suits for the US and Canadian teams, outerwear in jackets and pants, base layers, and beanies
Football (soccer) shin guards and goalkeeping gloves have been developed by Sells Goalkeeper Products
—————————
Maybe we should contact “Sells Goalkeeper Products” ASAP
I don’t think i can disagree with any of this
“Chris Waddle has questioned Theo Walcott’s England credentials and claims the Arsenal winger “doesn’t understand the game”.
Walcott, 20, gave a disappointing performance in last night’s 3-1 victory over Egypt, and England improved after he was replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips early in the second half.
Four years ago Walcott was selected for England’s World Cup squad before he played a first-team match for Arsenal.
However his prospects of earning a place on the trip for the finals in South Africa this summer may have diminished after his underwhelming display at Wembley.
Waddle has serious concerns about Walcott’s development, and the 49-year-old former England winger, who won 62 caps and helped Bobby Robson’s team reach the 1990 World Cup semi-finals, criticised the young Gunner’s knowledge of how to fill a wide role.
“People keep saying he’s young but Wayne Rooney understood the game at 16, 17,” Waddle said.
“I’ve never seen any difference in Theo Walcott since he was at Southampton and broke into the team at a very young age.
“I’ve never seen him develop. He just doesn’t understand the game for me – where to be running, when to run inside a full-back, (when to) just play a one-two.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, Waddle said: “It’s all off the cuff. The ball comes to him and if he gets a good first touch he might be on his way if he shows pace. But he has a plan in his mind before the ball comes to him.
“He’s not looking as if to think, ‘This is where I want to be, this is where I want to go, and this is what I’m going to do’.
“People keep saying to me, ‘Oh he’s young and he’ll learn’.
“I keep thinking, ‘Fabregas has learnt and he’s young, Rooney has learnt… they all read the game so well’.
“I just don’t think he’s got a football brain and he’s going to have problems.
“Eventually he could play up front but would he know where to run? Let’s be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time.
“I just don’t know whether he studies the game, learns the game, or what. He’s at a great club where they play fantastic football week-in, week-out, and I’m just surprised he’s never developed his game.”
Waddle was baffled as to why Fabio Capello picked Walcott last night, citing his lack of action for Arsenal this season, and suggesting his hat-trick in World Cup qualifying against Croatia was a blip.
“I’m surprised Walcott was in the squad,” Waddle said. “He doesn’t play a lot of football, he hasn’t done anything. he hasn’t done anything for a long time and I think Croatia was a one-off. I just think he’s got a lot to learn.
“I’ve been more impressed by Adam Johnson at Manchester City than Theo Walcott.”
Waddle’s assessment was backed up by former England boss Graham Taylor, who said: “I’m not going to be in any disagreement at all.
“I haven’t seen the improvement of Theo Walcott in terms of what Chris is saying of reading the game. I just haven’t seen it. I just see a problem there.”
By the way my laptop case has D30 in it so it must be good
Although I’m English and proud, I find it extremely difficult supporting the national team which includes knobheads such as Terry, Cole, Cheating diving scouser, Lumplard, Dope cheat and Granny shagger.
If only the national team contained players I don’t loathe. I would find it much easier supporting this team:
————- Hart ———–
Johnson — Sol — Upson — Gibbs
SWP —– Barry — Milner — Young
——– Theo — Agbonlahor ——-
Not a huge Engalnd fan to be honest, allways have prefered to watch club footy instead.
Theo won’t make it to the final squad in my opinion.
NB52 scored a nice header, and Vela scored a nice goal
Pedro
Walcott has been having slight niggles since november too..
How often has walcott played since November? Not much..
morning all, theo will come good, he just needs playing time and a bit of confidence.
if he doesn’t make the final squad it would be good for us… no pressure or chance of getting injured and extra motivation
After November Theo missed Arsenal games in January due to a rib injury.
Wenger on walcott after he returned from his rib injury
“There is no player in the world who can be out for two months, come back and be outstanding,” he said. “He doesn’t exist, unfortunately. It’s not like you switch an engine on and off in the car. It demands competition and the most important thing for Theo now is not to be injured for five or six weeks. Then you will see a different Walcott.”
Rooney knows how to play with Theo, in the first half he always looked for Theo and provided him with perfect passes to run on to.
anyone see bendy’s header for denmark!? he might actually give us some kind of threat at corners finally
Has anyone else noticed that Theo’s favourite trick at the moment is getting the ball, passing it back to his full back and then spinning and running full pelt headless chicken style the other way? I’m not sure that move has ever worked, and yet he still does it at least 5 times per game…
Like Waddle says, no football brain.
I would like this team for Saturday please Arsene:
Al
Eboue Sol TV Clich
Fab Denilson Diaby
Nasri Bendtner Arshavin
Many thanks.
Perrotta is a central midfielder for Roma, Perotti is the Argentinean winger for Sevilla.
Morning all!
I would jump on the Theo bandwagon as well. He is just not playing well. Whether its Arsenal of England. He could use the negative critics if he is smart and starts working on his game. I do believe that he has huge potential though.
Vela’s goal, pure class!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXYg9dr9nGA
Too many excuses for Theo and there has been for far too long.
For a quick player he rarely tries to beat a man for pace, the ball to Lampard last night was the best pass he’s made in ages and all in all he contributes very little.
I’ve said it time and time again – the guys had one good game in four years at Arsenal and that was for England.
The rest of the time his contribution has been mediocre at best – when have any of his goals made a difference? When has he ever stood out in a game that matters?
It’s coming to something when I’d rather see Eboue out on the right…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXqz5cJ3Xys
theo gets the ball at his feet to much, he wants to be running onto a moving ball, thats his strength not getting it played to feet then having to beat a man
Theo will be fine… He was looking really good at the end of last season and this season he’s been bogged down by injuries..
He’s hardly featured.
Fact – Waddle hates Theo for some reason, even when he scored the hat-trick he was moaning. I don’t believe anything he says even though he is right this time…
Choy, he’s useless and didnt do anything at the end of last season!
morning guys
if you watched the spain france game you woulkd then understand why liverpool are so poor this season
Xabi Alonso is the man
Chipo, how can you possibly want Denilshit in the team?
We’re only playing Burnley, so need to drastically improve our goal difference.
We should go with the following midfield & forwards?
Rosicky — Cesc — Diaby
Bendtner — Eduardo — Arshie
I quite agree with the Chris Waddle statement as per Theo and reading the game.
He baffles me some times with his decissions with the ball. Against Liverpool at the Emirates, he had chased the ball and he had 2 Scousers behind him near the corner flag. You would have thought the least he could do was play for a corner kick. Not our Theo, he just crossed the ball into Reina’s hand and Wenger was so furious at that decision.
He does have the pace indeed and he should be doing more to get the opposition worried,but they all seem to know what he’s going to do next. I really hope he improves…
Has any one listened to the alan davis podcast this week, sums up the ramsey situation to a tee. Also a hilarious piss take off alex fergerson. Download it people!
Sick of all the Walcott bashing (not that you are particularly guilty of this), he’s just not had a run of games and found his stride yet, I am sure it will come, he’s only 20 for f**k sake, a stop start season has effected him. Not accusing le grove of this but people memories are so short, I am sure most people slating Theo were all saying Song & Diaby were not fit to wear the shirt last season, look at them now!!!
Morning All, Theo will be ok i think. He is frustrating but at the end of the day he’s 20. Lennon is 23 and he’s only just coming decent and Wright-Phillips is 29!!
However he does need to pick it up and improve – he has gone backwards i think. He doesn’t have much in the way of idea’s but whoever made the point that he needs to run onto balls rather than have them played to feet is spot on.
The problem is he’s not making good enough run’s so he needs to improve his movement.
Should have added it is probably a major confidence thing.
Barry Bethel the believer. He is only 20 yeah but like Waddle says he doesnt look like he understands the game
Ive made that point several times on here as have many others the kid looks lost on the pitch many times
his decision making is as bad as it can be
Shocking really
Barry, in fairness, I’ve always had the same opinion of Theo… even when he was getting major England love.
He’s 20… fair shout… but he’s earning £60k a week. Take the 20 years olds wages if you can’t hack it…
Well well the expected Theo bashing..
I still want to believe though. Arsene Wenger has all sorts of short comings most would agree but developing natural talent into a decision making footballer is one of his strengths. If anyone, he can deliver Theo to the next level still I feel.
Theo is highly inconsistent with poor decision making but phenominal speed, a decent touch in space, and he used to have a finish on him (I know I have seen it, if he cultivates the confidence there will be lots more to come, perhaps some technical ability to beat his marker with attributes apart from just speed).
4-0 against Burnley. I want to see Bendtner follow up his goals and get another and it would be nice to see Eduardo score.
I want our forward’s to get there sharpness back and i think we’ll romp the next 5 game’s.
Win those 5 and then go into spur’s on a 7 match winnning run…..Easier said than done but if we are going to win the title this is it!
Call me old fashioned, but whatever happened to the reserves. It seems that players come straight back from injuries, either into a starting XI, or on to the bench. We are then expected to be patient as thy regain their form during important matches. I am not just getting at Theo here, but the system in general.
Win those 5
—
One at time!
If u wanna have walcott wages cut…he maybe off
ofcourse first team is not the place to learn … but i guess,if we dont play him in 1st team,he may leave..
and we dont wanna regret that in future,if walcott turns out to be a english superstar…
Does Theo remind anyone of Michael Owen? he does me…….Owen never beat players, but he had natural goalscoring ability and frightning pace.
I am not saying Theo is as good a finisher but that can be improved – look at Henry?
Careful Lazer, or Sabeel will call you an AKB
Bnsb – 3 home games against Wolves, Burnley and West Ham and 2 away games against hull and birmingham………
I know it’s one at a time – but if we can’t win these games against the bottom 5 sides in the league then we’ll never be champions!
And it really wouldn’t be the worst thing for Theo to lose the limelight a bit and sit out the WC. He’s 20, if he is a late developer there will be plenty of opportunities for him on the international stage.
Barry
Hes 21 in a week or 2, he hasnt improved 1% since we bought him, he has no discernable talents & is just a sprinter.
We bought him way way too soon. Arsene likes to make out he watched every player 1000 times first, but theres no way he did with Theo.
Ask yourself this…..if he was playing for West Ham would you be clamouring for AW to sign him? No chance, you’d be mortified if we were after him.
would theo know where to run into?
Theo will come good, its actually what AW says – give him a run and he’ll turn out superb. Back in 08, he played lots of games – see what he did to Liverpool in the CL Semi’s?? If we hadn’t lost that game – he would be an automatic pick for the England squad by now. Besides, he’s pretty well behaved and has some class, in comparison to most of the rest of that national team.
Theo is best if you play the ball in front of him, so that he can run onto it. Give him the ball to his feet with a player in front of him to beat and he’s clueless.
I would take Ashley young, SWP or Milner over Theo any day of the week. I am surprised he gets in the team ahead of these guys. SWP should have coem to Arsenal – I still blame his dad for telling him to go to chelsea, and he calls himself a Gooner.
I think Theo has booked his seat for the World Cup……….on the sofa at home!
gambon
isnt 20/21 a little too early to sell walcott..especially the only way walcott can go better is by playing more,and make for those 5 years he hasnt played football..in short span of time..
we know where he is lacking,final ball…one can always improve on that…right?
as i said,first team is not a place to learn,but we may miss out on a future england top player…
after alll walcott is best being used as a impact sub…so he wont be a bother in our trophy quests…
100% agreed with you there Micky.
Reserves used to be for the reserves and players returning from injury, not for the U20s.
Give them some games away from the spotlight to get their sharpness back. Pretty basic concept.
the boy is quick though if only he had a brain to match what a plyer he would be
Milner was shit at best while at Newcastle. Only this year he has improved and he is 24 now.
Franchise..
what were u and me doing when 20 yrs old..not setting the world alight i guess…
it takes run of games,and final ball experience, to have a brain ticking in footballing terms..
guys,have u checked out Eriksen, the one THE ICEMAN told us to sign? I saw both legs of juve vs ajax. he played not bad, but i think their no 22, De Jong was the man to watch. He could be another Bergkamp. He is never shy to shoot and always is looking for killer passes( actually the whole ajax team was looking for killer passes!)anyways, i liked the guy who’s 21 and could be a gr8 signing
Saw Vela goal of yesterday. Now that is footballing brain combined with skill.
Vela is Injured by the way…hope we dont hear any more injury news..
Sabeel
But he hasnt improved even 1%, if anything he was a better player at 16.
Why do people find it so hard to accept that when you buy players at 16, MOST of them wont make it by the age of 22-23.
And is it possible to have a Theo conversation without people mentioning that goal against Liverpool constantly, that was 2 years ago FFS and hes literally done nothing since.
gambon
u know right,there is lot of difference btw championship(age-16) and EPL(now)
I think the reason why it is tuf to understand that,is,because we know the area where walcott has to improve..in final ball/delivery footballing terms..
this area of improvement is so obvious in walcotts case,that some people are patient enuf to persist with him..
gambon,i for one never mentioned that pool run..maybe somelese would have..
“It is expected that Vela will be out again for a few weeks, so that he will be not able to feature for the Gunners in the next month. But there is no news really how serious the injury is.
Carlos will arrive on Friday in London, so that Arsenal’s Medical department have a view on it.”
http://carlosvelanews.co.uk/2010/03/04/arsenals-carlos-vela-scores-and-then-limps-off-with-bad-injury/?
Milner, Young and SWP are 3, 4 and 8 years older respectively to Walcott. Agreed, they all have certain qualities that are right now superior to Theo; Milner has better teamwork, confidence and shooting, Young provides better crosses and makes good runs on the wing and SWP has a little bit of everything.
If Theo can cultivate his runs, impove his first touch in tight marking, and have better confidence to finish then I think he can have better end product then all of those three players, given time.
Chris Waddle is a thick moron. Worse, he’s an ex-Tottenham thick moron.
Walcott is currently a little one dimensional, he plays in bursts but thats only natural he’s still learning the game…when those burst come off like vs Liverpool he’s a one man highlight reel.
The £60k thing is just something people use to wind themselves up with…1) We don’t know that is the real number. 2) If it is, he’s paid that because of the brand Walcott not because the winger Walcott. He sells a lot of shirts. And whoever said that he should take 20year old wages rather those offered to him is missing the point entirely.
Right… sorry to fuck you around guys… the purpose of me posting today… our t-shirt launch. Hope you like them!
New post!
Sabeel
I wasnt talking about you mentioning that liverpool run, but someone always weighs in with “the run against liverpool”
It means nothing, you see players in the conference score wonder goals.
http://le-grove.co.uk/2010/03/04/finally-our-very-own-kit-launch-something-special-for-rambo/
gambon – a little harsh.
His goal against Villareal
His assist against Liverpool
His goals against Chelsea in Carling Cup final and FA semi
He has definitely made progress, but he still looks amazingly raw for someone who has been an Arsenal player for this long.
Hope Theo scores against Burnley though…
And the Vermaenator to get another with a solid header
Theo was not great last night, to be fair he was playing while the rest of the team were also shite. He came of just as the team started to play slightly better. I think Theo did ok in periods last season. he needs a run of games and the confidence that that brings. The Theo bashing for me from the press is just another anti Arsenal tactic and another way to have digs at Wenger. Waddle’s stuff was well over the top. how can anyone say he has not improved, he has and will, he may not have improved enough or be great but the rest of what he says is just his Spurs bias and his love in with Aaron lennon.
it still angers me that this prat showcross is portraid as victim but dont want keep going on about that prick the fact arsenel are second most fouled team in the prem;,i feel thoe has been out for so long he needs time i dont think he has played 90 min so for this season,vela looks real class but has been strugling with groin injury and wenger did not want risk him so looks as if he is out for the burnly and most likely alot longer.not who will in midfield with no ramsey or song its eastmond diaby or delinson,diaby is not yet match fit but i would prefer him,its choice between delinson or eastmont i play delinson,hopefully aa will be up for selection
I’m not so sure that England do have many world class players on paper. They certainly don’t on grass! The only two I would really rate at the moment are Rooney and Milner. Agree with the rest of your article though.
Vela has hardly contributed. I’d be keen to send him on a loan spell to an EPL club till Jan and see what he’s got. If he has no impact it may be time to call it. What is he on? Anyone know? Another one coming into the selling window soonish for me is Eduardo. I have the utmost respect for him for being through the injury and returning but if isn’t putting the ball in the back of the net we have an unproductive striker on our hands. Hope he finds some form soon, his contribution would really aid our final run in this year.
Ferdinand, Cole, Gerrard, Lampard are world class.
OK so theo will be great in 4 years time, so what the fuck is he doing in the England squad now, with considerably superior and more experienced players sitting on the bench while he starts? its crazy.
shame about Vela, but wenger never uses his anyway.
GUys age has nothing to do with how intelligent a player is on the pitch
theo is one player that has really surprised me with how unintelligent he is on the pitch
jeez
milner was not setting the world alight at 20 but he didnt look like a fish on a tree either
lazer vela he so unlucky he keeps getting injured playing for mexico in fact he plays more for them than arsenal,he is real talent but at 20 he lower down the pecking order he just needs time,when it comes to edwardo he needs to get confedence back he can still be very useful player for the team but i dont see him a player who carry the team he will still score but is clearly not the player he was before the injury
I think that’s the difference between Vela and Theo… Vela is a natural, Theo isn’t. If he wants to be a great, he’ll have to work really hard for it…
I agree completely with Waddle & Taylor.
Theo hasnt improved, he doesnt understand the game & isnt very good at it. He isnt a footballer, he’s a runner who wants to be a footballer.
Its ridiculous that he earns £60k pw, absolutely ridiculous.
what the hell
i thoughy everyone was supposed to blog on the new post…
and everyones still here..
mornin ,,,
Theo didnt play well yesterday….then again who did in a very poor performance…baines was as poor as they come…id give Theo time…
Vela as usual scored a great goal and got injured whats new eh…
Bendtner is fast becoming a real aerial threat and i got a hunch he will be superb…
Cesc got one half..then rested..well done..
shawpiss is just geeting to be more of an ass for every feckin second..great..
and looking at England its clear to see why the media defends players like shawpiss…thats all they got…and i must say im very sad for the once great nation England…to have been left behind as the rest of the footballing world evolves and plays some amazing football….what does the terry’s the baines the brown’s the cole’s bring to the game..??..Englands by far best player yesterday was Wright Phillips who did show proof of real talent..well done
and i agree Pedro Crouch has a fantastic goel scoring record for England…and great goals too….to be honest ive always kinda liked Crouch..
Your obsession with new posts Sig…it reminds me of the kid always putting his hand up first for everything.
Morning all!
was gutted that Spain match wasn’t live on tv/sky ;(
watched the England match and here’s my ramblings…
I thought the game was really good in the 1st half, both teams were very fluid playing neat, intelligent football. However Egypt were more composed on the ball as the 1st half wore on and Zidan scored a brilliant goal. This guy is classy…would be a gr8 addition to the premiership imo.
England’s problem? too many missed chances…lampard missed 2 chances as did Defoe. Walcott fed Lampard with a gr8 cutback but Lampard shot right at the keeper…hmmm
I thought Lampard and Defoe were below-par y’day. Crouch scoring twice meant the he’s now a fixture in the side ahead of Defoe. Carrick provided England with more stability when he came on for Lampard who was just lost imo.
In the 2nd half though the game lost its spark for me and became tedious with Egypt losing interest/momentum and England capitalising. I thought Crouch done well for his goal but his 2nd was offside and SWPhillip’s goal should have been stopped by the keeper – what a clanger – was he Fabianksi in disguise?
The match suggested that the future England midfield will be :
Barry Gerrard Carrick
however i’v now come to believe that Milner is really talented. i didnt rate him until this season….he is quality and actually plays with his brain switched on.
Also he is very versatile, can play on the wings or as the AM.
Rooney and then Gerrard were England’s best players in the 1st half. Barry was also putting in some good work. However Gerrard sometimes resorts to playing long balls over the top which is really annoying to watch.
Me and my mates were sat watching and we all agreed that under Capello, England should able to reach the Q/F’s or the Semi’s. So let’s what happens from here.
Lazer
i sort of agree with u on Vela. The kid needs to go on loan to a mid-table team to adjust playing regular football in the premiership.
Nxt year we will have RvP/Bendtner/Chamakh who can play as main CF and Arshavin & Eduardo who can play support striker so to send Vela out on loan would be a good move imo.
However i would keep Eduardo because the amount of injuries we have each year.
Lazer…its no obsession…if u observe the difference in time there…in the t-shirt post…no one is blogging there….everyones here….
KM…do you really believe that in world cup the rest of the teams are that poor…Germany Brazil Argentina Spain are feckin miles ahead of England…France have a shithead of a coach…England suffers from one typed players..
Theo needs at least 2 seasons to become a consistently good player…atm he’s playing in patches, (injuries/form) which is just not good enough.
Songthegr8
i agree that the teams u’v mentioned are miles ahead of England. Y’day against Egypt, England were a goal down in the 1st half. However they came back to win 3-1. This Egypt side are no mugs. They won the ACN (again!)..they are a gr8 side but England beat them. I’m no England fan (being welsh and i also hate their style of play because its more akin to Bolton/Blackburn) but Capello is a gr8 manager and he’s made them stronger mentally and i believe that with the luck of draws they can get far this year.
France & Argentina have gr8 players but awful managers
The favourites are Brazil and Spain but correct me if i’m wrong but Spain will play Brazil very early in the World Cup because of the groups they are in.
KM… i think your right, there cant be a brazil spain final, think they meet in the quarters or semis
i think your sarcasm was lost there LAzer
Atom
i would love it if an african nation advances to the semi’s. it will be gr8 for the game
i think its huge assumtion that chaamkh will come to arsenal
p
If we dnt get Chamakh, then Wenger should go out and buy Zidan – the guy is worthy of an Arsenal shirt…but then does that mean we will have to re-jig our formation?
KM, brazil v ivory coast should be a pretty interesting game in terms of differing styles.
How can you say Zidan is worthy of an Arsenal shirt on the back of 1 well-taken goal and pretty much fk all else in the game apart from a bit of work-rate?!
chipo
his name is “Zidan”
I have a little feeling that it is going to be a destruction on Saturday. I think we can be the first team ever to score 10 goals in a Prem game this weekend! You heard it here first!
http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/35028/Veloso_key_to_Wenger_Melo_deal.aspx
So we will have all new Brazilian midfield duo of Denilson and Melo
no keep that 10 goal scoreline reserved to the game at shit hart lane
Chipo
Zidan looks like a quality player. Only because he’s not a superstar doesn’t mean he’s not any good. did u hear of Eduardo before he came to Arsenal?
Swap Juventus worst player Melo,with,Arsenal worst player Denilson.
Fair enough i think,
BNSB
would love Wenger to get some more muscle in midfield. Melo has not impressed at Juve it seems…
Melo has been maligned in Italy
i like the look of Veloso as well. good defensively and can play a bit too.
im sure your right KM,im not that sure of Englands progress in the World Cup…then again im sort of hoping that they get well and truly beaten early on and sent home..not because im against England at all,more as an incentive for changing style…because im sure if the premier and England wanted to,they could change and take the step up among the very best Nations..where in my mind they do belong…
Statistics:
Melo has scored a goal in every match he played in 2009-10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felipe_Melo
BSNB
seems like Melo is a good fellow…
KM
melow has played more than djourou this year,no doubt his 100% record in scoring goals this year
and to be honest..Melo hasnt played in the best of teams ..i think he would fit better in Arsenal…one player can be terrible playing for one team..and great for another…and Wenger usually gets it right…so if Wenger wanted him id take his word for it…
What can you do Chipo, one must keep trying I suppose.
I heard good reviews on Wilshere from the Bolton game, didn’t get a chance to watch it. Any thoughts from someone?
I think regardless of how the season ends Wenger really needs to have a culling of the squad at some point. In defence we have Nordveit, Traore, Bartley and JD who need to be looked at, in midfield Wilshere, Denilson, Lansbury, Merida, Randall, Barazite (JET still does not seem to have a position so that is a concern too). Up front we need to consider the futures of Vela, Sunu and Simpson as well I believe.
If we cut even half of those we can rebuild contributors to the first team by adding players who are young enough willing to sit on the bench but good enough to contribute and take the next step when/if given first team opportunites. Youngsters like Sakho, the St. Etienne chap, Hazard and the Danish fellow come to mind.
some discussion was there on irony yesterday.
Bolton player Stuart Holden is out for 4 months. Why?
In US vs Netherland friendly, Holden was injured in a challenge with Netherland’s Nigel de Jong
SongThegr8
i agree with u on England’s playing style. its criminal that a player like Joe Cole is ignored at Chelsea & England. Joe Cole is really talented and alongside Rooney the only player in the England side who can dribble and go past people with SKILL. The same happened with Le Tissier who was also ignored because he was different to the bog standard players.
In England there’s this mentality of ‘up and at them’ ‘let’s get in their face’ very aggressive play which works fine in the premiership but when they’r up against the best teams in the world – Spain/Brazil they are buggered, because the team as a whole does not have the technique,composure and ball-retention skills which most foreign teams have.
Until something drastic is done players like Rooney & Joe Cole will only come now and then rather than the norm. The FA would be wise to look at other nations like Holland & Spain for example who regularly produce technically sound players.
Melo seems a bit of a thug…exactly what we need in this Arsenal boy scouts team
LAzer..i agree..
lets say that Wenger follows through on his five year plan(two more years)we would get the answers on the players you mentioned…and we would be in a terrific financial situation,then i think Wenger would buy what he need…i get this hunch that Wenger has a plan and that it is working better that he thought…he is slowly creating a Monster
..then again if it falls apart..he must be off….he is walking a very thin line…
but i cant get rid of the feeling that all is slowly starting to come together,and if we had been without major injuries this season we would already have been there….and in my opinion have cruised to the title…lots of maybe’s still not a complete fantasy ..
Tevez on Terry
‘Terry would be dead in Argentina’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/04/john-terry-carlos-tevez-wayne-bridge
imo Capello bottled out of doing the decent thing – he should dropped Terry from the England team. simple as, however it seems the world is very fickle nowadays and morality is very rare.
SPAIN are on fire !!! they beat France 2-0 in their own backyard. ouch!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/04/spain-world-cup-favourites
guys who do u think is the better team? Spain or Brazil?
i’d love to see a friendly between these two teams before the world cup at the Emirates
KM i am not debating that point.
This is my point:
How can you call Zidan a “quality player” when you have only seen 90 minutes.
If you had never heard of any of the players who played last night, you would probably say that Rooney was an “average player”.
90mins means fk all and you can’t base an opinion of a player on that alone.
Well I don’t necessarily share your optimism SongtheGreat but I do see your point in some ways. I can’t really say it has come together when we are agreeing there are so many fringe players who are getting paid a decent amount that need to be looked at.
If some of the following borderling sorts make it soonish I can see his long term strategy succeeding perhaps: JD, Walcott, Gibbs, Merida, Wilshere, Vela.
Personally I don’t see Traore or Denilson making it but never say never truly applies considering Song and Diaby in recent seasons.
Chipo
true but this guy has been getting better and better over the last 2years
The opposite of theo then!!
talking of Theo
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/mar/03/theo-walcott-england-egypt?showallcomments=true#start-of-comments
STG, they are being printed next week… so tatty should be despatching them by next thursday. After than, they should be with most people in 3 days.
God i hate International Friendlies what a complete waste of time and Air not long till proper football returns
BEST team in the world ?
SPAIN or BRAZIL?
where did everyone go!
Spain by a country mile.
I read that Shawpiss says his horror tackle wont change his style of play. so even though he was visibly shaken and all the rest, and receiving a 3 match ban, he will not change.
This tells me that long bans would be pointless anyway. they would not change what is happening on the field. The FA should really be concerned about improving our football culture. That is the real problem with English football.
Even the best 11 players in England are not much more than grit and determination. There aren’t many silky skills to admire amongst the lot of them – we are about a million years behind Spain and Brazil.
As long as speed, strength and committment are the most valued properites of a young developing english footballer then nothing will change at pro level. Its too ingrained in their heads by that age.
I bet Shawcross changes his style of play when they play Manky Spew on the last day of the season. He’ll be under strict instructions not to go anywhere near Rooney
Waddle caning Walcott today means fuck all, that fat geordie cunt knows nothing, except how to sky a penalty and sing an awful song with Glen Hoddle.
Wenger rates Theo, Cappello rates Theo, there was a training session where the England players stood and applauded Theo for one of the best bits of skill and finishing they’d seen for years.
He’s had a lot of injuries and his confidence is clearly low. If he can put a run of a few months together I think we’ll all see what 2 of the best coaches in world football can see.
He still has a chance in my eyes.
Also Velas goal was magical and Bendtner is 3 for 3 now at club and international level, I hope he carries that form through to the rest of the season.
just one last comment for a while.i would like to put pulis,shawcross,taylor,allardyce,lineker,shearer,collymore,ridgewell,brown,brazil,townsend in a long line.then get a heavy mallet and smash the right leg of each one of them.then i would ask them where their sympathies lie on the arron ramsey `incident`.