Virgil van Dijk and William Saliba parallels are interesting

by .

Well, you know it’s a sign of the non-banter era when the biggest international break debate is whether or not there’s a conspiracy against William Saliba because the club wants to loan him to a Championship team.

A few things I wanted to clarify.

Talent

I think he’ll be a top player. The signing, as a standalone investment, was kind of wild, but I think his first season in Ligue 1 showed that he has the tools to make it big for us at some point.

Business

Although I think the deal was bad business, I don’t think it was failed business. This should be a good signing. My overarching point was that signing him was a little bit like spending $16k of your £18k home-improvement budget on beer cooler… before you’ve addressed the fact you don’t have a roof or running water.

Ligue 1 Quality

I 100% believe the Championship slander is off the mark. It’s a very strong league that consistently produces top, top talent. Ligue 1 is superior technically, because France, as a general rule of thumb, does its shit right. However, there’s a reason only one teenage centre back managed more than 300 minutes of football in the last 4 seasons in the Premier League… because it is far more competitive. In France, nine U20 players were given +600 minutes (thank you @GiantGooner), why? Because it doesn’t boast the same pound for pound quality as the Premier League… and I think you’d find that our top Championship clubs would battle it out in the top 8 in Ligue 1.

Generational Stuff

People keep batting around the notion of ‘generational talent’, it’s the new hot thing to talk about. However, it’s worth reading up on the early years of VVD. Things weren’t going off for him at 19 years old. He was apparently ‘overtired’ from playing a season at Willem II reserves. Even more interesting than that, and something that might be a consdieration for Saliba is this little snippet from when the player was 17 years old.

Van Dijk’s long rise began the summer he turned 17, in 2008, when he shot up 18 centimeters (7 inches) in height. Before then, Van Dijk has admitted to the BBC, he was a slow, short right-back with an unstable knee, not a player who was good enough to dominate as a central defender.

Saliba is 6ft4, has a huge frame, and he’s only 19 (debuted younger). That’s rapid growth. That sometimes comes with challenges that are best ironed out outside a top 4 challenging team in the Premier League.

Back to VVD, things eventually clicked at Groningen. He then moved to… Celtic. He left Celtic at 24 to go to Southampton. This generational talent didn’t make it to Liverpool until he was 27 years old. Why am I telling you this? Because we need to drop the idea that this loan says anything about Saliba’s future, and we need to take seriously the reality that it is VERY hard to make it as a young centre back at a big club.

MOVING ON…

The Premier League announced that we, the fans, can watch all the games this season. The games that aren’t shown on the normal channels can be purchased for £14.95. Wow, what a treat?!

This is a dreadful decision that reads like it has been made by a group of people that would be more likely to know the exact price of an AP Royal Oak, than that of a pint of milk.

The pricing structure makes so little sense on so many levels. Firstly, shouldn’t the league be looking to draw in new customers, versus hammering people you know will already pay £20 for a ticket (the captives)? The price point is so high, you immediately rule out casual fans from the party, that’s money only obsessives pay.

Also, is that sort of price point not a bit detached from humanity in an era of mass unemployment? There aren’t many places to find joy right now. Food, booze, and sport is where I get my kicks. Making football really expensive right now seems really unfair. It’s also counter-productive, because the thing with the internet, is if people think the price is too high, they simply find it for free. The music industry learned that the hard way, then Spotify reimagined its structure for the internet. I’m not sure why the Premier League thinks gouging fans is a smart move?

£5 would be fair. £7.50 would be pricey. £10 for me would be a monthly subscription. £14.95 is just a rip off… it is especially jarring when you consider clubs just dropped £1.2b on players. Between them, the couldn’t come to arrangement to calm down the pricetags and wages of players… so they just dumped the bill on the fans.

I speak out of both sides of my mouth because the reality is I love the signings and I’ll pay the price of the games… but as always, it’s a losing game to be a fan. Still, at least we can all be skint watching Thomas Partey beating the press.

Right, that’s me done, tune into our podcast if you like to hear things. Also, sign up to the newsletter by giving you e-mail to the the box on the right (desktop) or scroll to the bottom if you are on mobile.

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Ashwin Gunner

There is a lot of press on Wenger these days.. guess he is looking for his next managerial position.

Biggles

My biggest concern with loaning Saliba out is that this is 2 years out of 5. Even if next season he comes good and if a first team player, that is us down to only 3 seasons left and after 1 good year we might need to start selling or extending to protect the value. Not to mention the fact that he will probably have been paid £4m in wages before he is even in the squad.

Buy potential to loan it has worked for Chelsea, but it wasn’t £27m players on £40k a week.

Tom

WE
Yes you have a problem but maybe with people’s judgment more than the player himself.

I don’t watch league1 but people who do said he wasn’t worth the money we paid for him so how is that on the player?

Btw, this ties in nicely with the point I was making to Valentin; no Pepe’s coaches or teammates said he wasn’t ready, picked the wrong league, should’ve stayed another season ( pick one). They were all supportive and thought he would be a success.

Champagne charlie

“Revert to type, when you can’t win on the argument, smear, insult, belittle people you disagree.“

Big lol, you obviously forget your casual gaslighting and belittling of others views as you go about spreading the seed of your numerous sources Val.

WengerEagle

We all called Walcott’s steep decline [well except you London Gunner ;] years before it happened. Always said that without his freakish pace [and it was sensational in his late teens/early twenties]that he was a lower PL player at best/Championship player. To his credit, he developed his finishing/final pass to the point that he was still useful for a year or two after his serious injury in 2014 that KO’d his speed but he was never the same after it. He put up many memorable performances and moments in the CL especially with his speed a key feature, my favourite… Read more »

MidwestGun

Sources told ESPN ________ Sources? Are the sources Pierre’s son? hahaha I too have never seen a quote from Arteta saying anything negative about Saliba’s play. The point is.. Bamford, Raptora was going on a rant about how Arteta devalued him in the press and embarrassed him.. well then show me the quotes where he did that. But sure .. it’s curtains for Saliba, he doesn’t fancy him, he is Wenger 2.0. The leaps of logic that go on here are mind spinning at times. Pierre, however is still just mad at Arteta for sidelining Ozil. Get over it dude.… Read more »

London gunner

Wenget eagle

I will maintain that Walcott was a lot better than welbeck and had the better career/impact with us.

WengerEagle

Tom

It’s not on Pepe, it’s on the club no doubt.

If he came over and performed way below his capabilities, then it’s on the player. But I really don’t think that there is much more to come from Pepe unfortunately, really do think that we got finessed out of 72 million by Lille.

Wasn’t the only time that we wasted money, Toreirra has been a failure too albeit at a much more modest fee which we’ll likely nearly recoup.

MidwestGun

Pepe will never be worth 75 mill.. we over paid for him to begin with.. How many players are actually worth that much? 4 or 5 maybe worldwide. Raul got the sack for that surely.

WengerEagle

London Gunner

No doubt, you went off the rails with your Wally > Hazard take though.

But yeah, Walcott deserves some respek from Arsenal fans. Scored over 100 goals for us and some of them were big ones. Also provided us with some notable highs even though he would would make your want to yank your hair out, much like Giroud.

Prime Walcott walks into our XI at RW.

Tom

“Going to ground for me is a bs excuse, because nobody should care if a player goes to ground but still emerge with the ball without making a foul.“ Really? Going to ground easily, whether that’s the real reason or not, is a huge issue for a CB in the premier league, because players are so much faster and quicker to go down at a hint of contact. Vardy, Son, Kane, half of United’s squad and a few on City have made a career out of getting cheap pens. VVD is still the best CB in the league despite his… Read more »

Valentin

Tom,

No that’s what Sven-Goran Erickson said himself.
Walcott was ready to play the last few minutes of games, he was just not given an opportunity to do so.

https://youtu.be/hEV-bvSR7uA

WengerEagle

Going to ground is an even bigger issue now with the penalty handball bollocks that we are witnessing on a weekly basis.

You lower the control of your hands/arm position when you commit to a sliding tackle, making you a prime victim to a VAR call.

Bamford10

“Pierre, however is still just mad at Arteta for sidelining Ozil. Get over it dude.” No, this isn’t why Pierre is pushing that bogus “Arteta doesn’t fancy Saliba” line. He’s pushing that line because he dislikes the tendency to see the transfer market as the solution to all problems. Pierre is a Wenger-ite of a certain type. Pierre likes old-world ways, homegrown solutions, Academy players. Pierre prefers Nketiah to Martinelli. Pierre would like to believe that the Saliba singing has proven a failure so that he can say, “you see, the transfer market is not always the solution. More money… Read more »

englandsbest

My only comment is this: ‘Why £14.95? Do they think we’re gonna say, ‘Ah, it’s fourteen quid.’ Do they take us for half-wits? Yes, I’m afraid they do.

Great stuff on Saliba/VVD, pal. That ought to end the vindictive stuff about Arteta. But it won’t.

Bamford10

*signing

raptora

Anyway you twist it, you don’t loan a 27m player if you consider this player all that. You are basically removing him from your sight for a year and when he comes back he’ll be diagnosed again if he’s got what it takes or not. You are already halfway conceding the money might have been thrown away. Else he would have been counted at least as a 2nd string member. Lately it’s happened to James Rodriguez, it’s happened to Coutinho where the managerial change might have saved his Barca career, it’s happened in Real M with Bale and Ceballos. Lukaku… Read more »

Raulishuss

I mostly don’t agree with val but he was spot on about pepe from day one. Dude was waayyyy overpriced for the amount we paid it’s scary. I think he has a big issue upstairs. He’s a slow learner and he doesn’t look like he has the zeal to improve might be wrong tho

MidwestGun

Mmm Idk.. Pierre is on this Arteta is a liar and not clear to the media angle, lately…. due to his Ozil love. . Even though I haven’t seen Arteta be anything but as open as he can be. The opposite of Wenger who used to make stuff up.. Like I didn’t see it or like a new signing. We only sign top top quality. etc..

That’s why Wenger had to write a book I guess to clarify all his bullshit. $25 dollars coming to Walmart near you.

Calypso

Apparently Partey was shite last night which is no surprise as the majority on legrove ars clueless.

raptora

Calypso,
I assume you are calling the club clueless as well since they just spent millions they don’t have on him.

Bamford10

Calypso

Partey was apparently played out of position, and the whole Ghana team were poor.

https://tbrfootball.com/some-fans-react-to-arsenal-newcomer-thomas-parteys-display-for-his-country-last-night/

WengerEagle

Yes because we all know that international friendlies are the marker for assessing football talent…

MidwestGun

Eagle –
Yep… just ask Redtruth about Messi. 😀

Champagne charlie

You don’t send young players on loan for experience now? Hahah wtf? Saliba had that sort of fee spent on him because of potential, if Arteta doesn’t think he’s going to get enough games for his development here then a loan absolutely is the right decision. Was talking to Paulinho the other day about this very facet (game time) missing from a lot of youngsters who emerge at elite clubs. Phil Foden was the subject that sparked it, unbelievable talent to the lad but he’s 75 first team appearances short of learning his trade and finding his niche at the… Read more »

WengerEagle

Foden is an incredible talent Charlie, different stratosphere to Nelson or Willock. He’ll be up there with the Sancho’s and Haaland’s in 2-3 years.

Raulishuss

Foden is ace but so is saka. The thing with saka is he can play instinctively and be so mature at the same time. He just lack a lil bit of raw pace but he has a good acceleration. He’s a classic creator lad’s got a big future ahead as an 8/10/11 hybrid IMO like iniesta(big boots and all lol)

Champagne charlie

Weagle Don’t disagree, we were talking more about the absence of that game time early on that can really hurt your development. Look at Sancho and Foden, both gifted players but one had access to first XI football the other was never going to get at Man City. Similar situation to the players we have that are looking at scraps, Saliba and Nelson are two players who need game time and there’s a limit to the benefits of training with the elites. At some point you need a block of games to learn your trade within the 90 minutes. I… Read more »

WengerEagle

Agree with the point you made though.

Hard for young talent to break through at elite clubs. Only real examples I can think of in modern times being Busquets making the step up at age 20 and forming the best CM of all time with Xavi and Iniesta. And talk about being helped along the way, the 2 best midfielders of their generation as your midfield partners.

Actually incredible how he seamlessly made the step up, Pep had shreds torn out of him for ousting a world class Yaya Toure to make it happen.

raptora

Ye, CC, the idea of a loan is good. But mentioning Nelson who managed 740 minutes which is the equivalent of what, 8 full games in 1 full season? It didn’t work out for Nketiah either it reached a point where the club recalled him in January cause he would get more chances in our team than a Championship team where he managed 2 starts in 5 months??? It’s actually a step back in the development of highly talented young players being 2nd and 3rd choices in a lower teams that play different football than us. I bet even participating… Read more »

Raulishuss

Speaking of yaya I really get his vibe seeing partey. Partey not as technically gifted from the videos but I think he’ll take his game up a bit with us except Mikel plans on playing xhaka as a kinda Toni kross for us I.e as the d dlp in the central zone on the left and partey as the box to box cm but with greater defensive responsibility but then ceballos had been groomed for that role so I don’t know. But I’m super excited to see what Mikel has planned

WengerEagle

Yeah Charlie, and it makes sense. Unfortunately, the stakes are just too high for at an elite level club to blood in a young player as they make mistakes as you say, a big part of learning their trade and all of the best go through it. For a Real Madrid it’s not financially worth their while to blood in academy players given in the time it takes to get them to the level, they would fall behind their rivals. They are better off buying ready-made or on their way to being elite players for hefty sums to help ensure… Read more »

raptora

Yeah Foden in the City team that is obscenely full of talented attacking players, managed 1150 minutes for City last season.

I bet Foden wished he went to Hoffenheim to register 740 minutes, or to Leeds – 500 minutes. He would have progressed into a far better player than staying at City where he would play more and with better players under the best manager in the world. He totally regrets his decision.

MidwestGun

Martinelli_____Auba_____Pepe

Saka_____Partey____Ceballos

Tierney____Gabriel___Saliba_____Bellerin.

___________(Martinez haha kidding) Leno

Seems like this is the Golden Vision that some people had in their minds for later this season and when anything contrary to that vision happens.. Arteta is playing favorites. I don’t think that’s the case.. so many factors go into it, I don’t think you can have that kind of linear thinking.

WengerEagle

Raulishuss If Partey can even be half the player that Yaya Toure was for City, we are onto a winner there. He’s still the single biggest one-man wrecking ball CM that I have ever laid eyes on in the PL was Yaya. Could literally do it all when he was arsed, score and create goals, dribble, pass any distance, tackle, win headers, link up midfield with attack and from defence. Was huge, powerful, fast, agile, fit as anything. Lucky for the PL he was a temperamental sissy more often than not. But even at that, he was the best CM… Read more »

WengerEagle

Middy

I really don’t see Pepe surviving till next season when Saliba’s back. I think that we’ll sell him for 30m ish next summer. Arteta doesn’t fancy him, you can tell. Look at Toreirra.

raptora

CC: “So what, he’s ‘good enough to play for us and should stay’, meanwhile we ‘need to be careful loaning him to Brentford because he might not get games’? Does it get more stupid? Lol” Coming from a fan who is aware of what happened to Gnabry in West Brom, and has also witnessed how Nketiah became an Arsenal regular after being an absolute bench warmer for Leeds. It’s supposed to be stupid that Gnabry started 0 games and was subbed in once, same year but later went to the Olympics and scored 6 goals, got his first call-up for… Read more »

Champagne charlie

Raptora Wish you’d get this idea out your head that nothing harmful can come of a young player staying at the club when not deemed ready to play. It’s a balancing act for staff to pick the right career choice for youngsters on an individual basis. What might not have worked for one can work wonders for another. Id be amazed if Nelson came away from his loan under Naglesmann worse off in any way. He tasted a new country, league, coach, and his minutes might not have reflected his initial hopes but it’s bogus to label that loan a… Read more »

Champagne charlie

Nvm Raptora, you’re obviously another totally immune to the sense being spoken. I can understand the importance of getting a loan right in all aspects, but to continue to use Gnabry as a hard stick shows your immaturity.

We get it, you think Arteta is killing talents left and right on his devaluing streak.

MidwestGun

Eagle- I actually think it’s too early to say… .still. . I do think Arteta prefers Willian for now. I kind of would like to see Willian sitting deeper in the midfield. For me that would make us more fluid and dynamic. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if Pepe didn’t work out, too. It’s very disappointing that he isn’t more direct at times like he was last match when he came on.. He just has too much to work on for what we thought we were getting for the money where I could see us wanting more of a… Read more »

Marc

Pedro

Nice piece – can’t be bothered to get back into the Saliba debate it’s already been said. As for the pricing of matches – complete madness the only justification I can think of is for when COVID is gone and fans are back in the stadium. If they made all matches available for say a fiver you’d see demand for that to stay and it could affect attendances – if you won’t pay the TV price it doesn’t become a habit.

Zacharse

The problem pedro is that you get your kicks from food booze and sports when you really should be considering cars & girls
https://youtu.be/7H5rqaEzYcY

WengerEagle

I mean Gnabry had Tony fucking Pulis to contend with, kid never stood a chance with a guy who’s football philosophy revolved around literally players that could throw the ball very far with their narrow pitch pushing legal limits.

Shame on us for loaning him out there, remember a similarly stupid loan was sending Carlos Vela there.

Marc

On the food subject I’ll shortly be doing the prep work on a Coq au Vin for tomorrow which will be served with suicide mash.

And no you can’t have any.

Raulishuss

True WE yaya is/was better than partey offensively. Partey is like casmeiro but better when receiving under pressure and has more refined game. Kinda like yaya in that sense.

raptora

CC, In a perfect world where you know the said player will start over 30 games a loan could be worth. And in here we are not talking about an ordinary youth player that you take a gamble and maybe he gets good or not. It’s a player who’s started many games in Ligue 1. To me chancing that the player gets in the right team, under the right manager, he fits in well and gets to play many, many games for them when you consider the player a great talent, with potential first team future, you don’t send him… Read more »

Marc

WE

I still can’t understand for the life of me why we sent Gnabry on loan to Stoke – the loan was fair enough but of all the clubs?

raptora

CC,
You really have to tell me I’m immature and immune to sense being spoken, right?!

As a matter of fact, I haven’t called you anything. Might as well think who the immature of us two is.

WengerEagle

Mid Exactly, at the very least he needs to be a goalscorer or a creator for Auba/Laca. Our midfield is looking a lot better with Partey but it is still short of goals and creativity so there is a huge onus on Auba to once again carry the scoring burden, up to Lacazette, Pepe, Willian, Saka to ease that burden and contribute. Dream said that we need to score about 70 PL goals to have a chance at top 4 and I agree. United, Chelsea and Leicester were hitting around that number last season. Auba is good for 20, after… Read more »

raptora

Apparently showing proof that 2 of our loans of players that were/are considered talented and one that shortly after became a superstar is me being immune to sense and immature.

It’s somehow stupid to assume that a player we value might not get the amount of games we’re hoping he will at another club although there are actual evidences in our own very club where it has worked exactly like it. But it’s stupid. And we start calling people names.

Fair and square.

WengerEagle

Marc

Was West Brom mate, you’ve got Coq-Au-Vin on the brain clearly!

Your point stands though, why I haven’t a fucking clue. Wenger absolutely despised Pulis to boot.

raptora

Re Toure he was probably the most complete midfield player I’ve watched in the EPL. Vieira this, Keane that, but Toure had it absolutely all. Such a shame we passed on him. A midfield of Yaya and Cesc would have dominated the league year in, year out.

Champagne charlie

Raptora

Your views are immature:

“Not good enough to get cup games is very, very, very, very disturbing. Or it might be the Arteta extra. Torreira, Guendouzi, Pepe, Martinelli have all got a taste of it.“

Fully aware of the merits of a loan move (which is why we’re looking at one, and why there’s understanding of such a decision) but not only are you forwarding
every angle it could fail, but you’re inserting your own claims about Arteta being a talent killer et al like it’s a natural assumption to make – which it quite clearly isn’t at all.

WengerEagle

rap

Another Wenger nearly special. Had him on trial and had his brother at the club too ffs.

Yaya in that 2008 CM for Flamini would have been amazing.

Marc

WE

Clearly mate and I’m cooking with the wine and not drinking it!

Rich

Whether Saliba has been a good investment or not? Was never going to be decided in year 1. A year in the championship makes a lot of sense, providing that we choose a club where he plays, with a manager who plays out from the back, and if at all possible, we’d keep him in the London, where he can settle into his environment. The idea we were going to pair a 19 + 22yr old centre half’s, with less than 100 senior appearances between them was utterly insane, I’m confident Saliba will come good, providing he settles in the… Read more »

CaliGooner

Raptora is on here acting like Saliba is a family member. Either he will get his chance to prove himself or he will end up back in France. I do think he will end up getting games and be just fine. He had a big injury last season and didn’t get a lot of games. Also still just 19 so he will have plenty of chances when mustafi, Luiz and sokratis are gone next season.

WengerEagle

Just looking at Germany tonight and they’re unrecognisable from their 2014 World Cup winning side. Only Neuer and Kroos have survived.

Neuer
Lahm- Retired.
Howedes- Retired.
Hummels- Banished nearly 2 years ago from NT by Loew
Boateng- Banished from NT by Loew
Kroos
Khedira- Permacrock years past his best.
Schweinsteiger- Retired.
Muller- Banished from NT side by Loew
Ozil- Semi-Retired for 2+ years now. Corpse of the player he was 6 years ago.
Klose- Retired.

6 years is long time in football years.

raptora

WE,
So sad when you think about the times we were 1 top player away of winning the league. In Yaya’s case it’s a player that easily wins you more than 10 points a season, compared to playing as you said a Flamini, a Song, a Coquelin, a crooked Diaby. Could have won 2-3 EPL titles in the years when we were playing top class football but we were short of quality in defence and midfield.

raptora

WE,
Don’t forget their Golden boy Mario Götze. Last time he played for them was like 4 years ago and is now PSV Eindhoven’s new signing. Aged 28, and on a downward spiral you cannot think of the similarities between him and Ozil. Then you read he is the 2nd most expensive transfer for a German player ever, behind guess who – yes, Ozil, and the resemblance becomes striking.

James wood.

Not getting this Saliba chat.
Tony Adams made his Debut
aged 17.
He made his full International debut
aged 20.
Saliba will be ok if his good enough.

Luteo Guenreira

“Revert to type, when you can’t win on the argument, smear, insult, belittle people you disagree.” Val I was never having an argument with you, I would never bother, it’d be like trying to talk to a farm hen. You can’t understand my English, I can’t understand your clucking, what’s the point then? So I’ve not resorted to anything. I’ve actually been belittling you right from the start. ”I can spot favouritism.“ Oh really, you’re reading minds now is it? This is your problem. You assume way too often that you understand how other people (namely football managers and executives)… Read more »

WengerEagle

raptora Sad isn’t it? I still remember when there was a legitimate comparison to be made between Hazard and Gotze with Gotze arguably looking the better prospect in 2011. Bayer Leverkusen’s manager has come out and said that the club didn’t even want him despite Gotze being keen. He’s 28 ffs, what happened? Heard much of it was physical and to do with a metabolic condition he has leading him susceptible to weight gain. These two and Isco were supposed to dominate and join football’s elite, only quite happened for one of them in Hazard although Isco has played a… Read more »

London gunner

WE

Hazards been wank for real madrid. Hazard has always been overrated never been on the level of neymar robben or peak bale even.

Never does get a crazy amount of goals and isn’t a clutch player in big games like drogba was for chelsea.

I think an argument can be made sterling is better (i use sterling as they have very similar playing styles)

TR7

‘Hazards been wank for real madrid. Hazard has always been overrated never been on the level of neymar robben or peak bale even.’

Well, Neymar is highly overrated too :P.

He’s like Andy Murray of football, put in the bracket of big 4 even though only 3 players were/are real big.

raptora

Even mentioning Andy Murray turns my stomach. I hated the sad muppet with passion. Always pissed off at something, would fake injuries, would randomly start yelling at his box swearing loud, smashing his racket was a an ordinary thing. Everything about him was negative, including his game.

Rich

James Wood Outside of Adams name other consistent teenage centre half’s at the top level in the English top flight in the last 33 years? Terry was 21 when he broke into the Chelsea first team, after an initial loan at Nottingham Forest. But I can’t think of any who’ve come in and hit the ground running, outside those two. Young players confidence is fragile, a player like Luiz who’s legs are gone, will make mistakes, but he has the experience to brush off those mistakes. Damaging a 19yr olds confidence, is an entirely different thing. Allowing him a period… Read more »

TR7

https://youtu.be/OsBOWSjOLsE

This is a hilarious video.

Marc

TR7

I rarely place bets but I’m really tempted to stick some money on Biden winning but not making it to Inauguration – guy really looks like he’s on his last legs.

raptora

Weagle, Another German WC winner. One of our own – Mustafi. He claimed a starting spot until he got injured and the tournament was over for him. Kind of sad that Loew didn’t even include him in the WC 2018 cause of his bad games for us. Truth be told, Mustafi was a talented player and could have had a successful career in a bunch of other teams. Maybe Spain, maybe Italy, maybe Germany. That we’ve been and still are kinda clueless in defence did not help him, neither the fast pace of English football. Another failed potential of what… Read more »

raptora

Still 28 too, pretty young for a central back.

TR7

Marc

Trump was nailed on to win the presidential election once again before the Chinese virus created mayhem all around the world including in the USA. He is not in a strong position anymore but luckily for him Biden just like crooked Hillary is a weak candidate. It will be close contest. I will be ridiculed for this perhaps but I hope Trump wins again.

Graham62

raptora

Murray is Scottish.

They don’t fake injuries. He was a fighter.

In an era with Federer, Rafa, and Djokovic, he put up an admirable showing.

Doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Graham62

raptora

Name me one time Murray faked an injury?

By the way, I’ve also had a hip replacement. Have you?

Can tell you this, Andy Murray would have been suffering for several years before he had his operation.

raptora

Rich,
I would not agree that Championship games are “less pressurised environment”. Teams play like it’s’ their last game. It’s really intense and he’ll have to jump a lot, tackle a lot. Europa games would have been the best way to settle and gain confidence plus get used to London, England, the training ground, the everyday life. If the loan is to Brentford being a London club will be of massive help so if he is given a chance to prove himself next season, he won’t have to change his habits much.

Graham62

raptora

The “sad muppet” you talk of was a top competitor and a world class player.

Obviously you have a limited knowledge of the sport.

raptora

Oshit Graham is a Murray fan. His style was extremely taxing on his body. Imagine taking a timeout for a supposed injury, then proceeding to play better than before cause he actually used it to take a breather, rest and refocus, also disbalance the opponent’s game. You are the one who was talking about the dirty tactics in tennis but apparently you’ve turned a blind eye to your favorite Murray. I enjoyed Henman and Rusedski. Both likeable, honest players. Cool playstyle too. Murray not at all. I was also a fan of the other Andy at the time, Roddick. He… Read more »

Rich

Anyone writing off Trump is naive, this day 4 years ago according to the polls, Clinton had a 14 point lead nationally. Trump has a huge base, and there’s a huge section of people who absolutely don’t want to vote for Trump, but faced with the option of Trump or Biden, they’ll reluctantly vote Trump. Forget the national polls, Trump is now leading in Florida, and in key swing states, the margins are well within the margins for error. My prediction is Trump will win on the day, but once the postal votes are counted, the democrats will sneak it.… Read more »

raptora

“Obviously you have a limited knowledge of the sport”

Okay mister know-it-all. Why do people decide to become personal and slate people for their opinion. “Cause your opinion is shit” well write it on a paper and wipe your ass with it. Weird you have to drop low in order to prove a point.

Marc

TR7 & Pedro

It’s looking like a Biden win but then it was looking like a Clinton win in 2016.

My thing is how out of a population of circa 330 million are Trump – 70 odd and a nutjob and Biden – 79 and looking like he’s ready to walk towards the light the best two candidates America could come up with?

Marc

“A cager of kids?”

What’s wrong with that?

London gunner

I’m a left wing type of guy or more like left centrist always vote for Labour and would have voted for Obama.

But I hope trump wins just because I cant stand the identity politics of the left especially in America.

This whole woke playing to the crowd smug fest is sickening. Hate the sjws and seeing trump win would be hilarious.

Also china is a dystopia nightmare and trump seems to be the only one to stand against them

Champagne charlie

Rich

Top comment on Saliba, agree entirely.

Marc

Pedro

I don’t have a preference but you really want to be careful tempting fate on Trump, to say it’s not like 2016 – no the World’s an even more fucked up place.

I didn’t think Trump had a chance in 2016 and Biden’s just as weak a candidate as Clinton was.

Fuck knows what will happen but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rich’s prediction happen.

Rich

Pedro Obama + Biden’s record on caging kids is much worse than Trump’s, you might want to do some research. Look into Hunter Biden’s payments from Russian billionaires. Biden’s own history of racism. The Russia hoax from the media and the left, around Trump, Grimes, Banks, Leave.EU and Cambridge analitica, all proven to be completely fabricated and unfounded allegations We had the same in 2016 with Clinton and Remain, the MSM are so trapped within their own echo chamber, they refused to even consider the fact that there’s a silent majority who don’t think the way they do. Get out… Read more »

Marc

Pedro

You’re living in ground zero so obviously have a better feel for it but for fucks sake Biden’s almost 80 and people are talking about giving him about the most stressful job in the World?

London gunner

Either way I don’t have a horse in the race but with Biden in power this will be the start of Americas decline to a former world power playing second fiddle to china

Marc

Pedro

I will laugh my arse off if Trump wins again!

The scary thing is if what Rich said happens – Trump wins on the day but we then see the postal vote change the result a couple of days later.

I’m really beginning to wonder just fucked up the world can get.

Marc

Pedro

” Just good politicians, with principles, and good ideas.”

I think that’s enough booze for you tonight!

You need to listen to the lyrics of the Luhrmann song Wear Sunscreen.