2007/2008 European football thread

[mlyons]

dola

For the record, the Everton lineup I expect to see if and when everyone's healthy and fit is:

GK: Howard
RB: Jagielka
LB: Baines
DC: Yobo
DC: Lescott
MR: Osman
ML: Arteta
MC: Cahill
MC: Pienaar/Neville/Carsley (but really, I hope it's Fernandes)
ST: Johnson
ST: Vaughan

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by mlyons

Weren't you the guy up in arms that Baines wasn't named to the national team a few months ago? And now he's not good enough to make Everton better? You really are a homer, aren't you?

lmao he should be given a chance in the England squad, you should actually read what I say and not what you want me to say, I said HE WOULDN'T HAVE MADE EVERTON BETTER YESTERDAY < he doesn't play in midfield and that is where the game was won HENCE the Brown would have made a difference to the game.

Question where did you sit at Goodison yesterday ? and someone once said to me because I don't live in America that I knew nothing about American sports hmm pot kettle black, honestly watching football on TV and seeing 10 minutes of highlights gives you around 50% of what football is about.

You read the posts on here and its all about Gerrard, Drogba, Ronaldo etc because most of the people on here never get to see a live game thus they never see what the Browns of this world actually do.

[mlyons]

"England squad a load of bs yet again, second best rated left back not in the squad again oh but wait he doesn't play for a fashionable club, whats the betting if Baines leaves Wigan in the Summer that he'll be in an England squad minutes later. If Phil Neville is better than Baines then no wonder England can win jack, only player you can really say is from an unfashionable club is Bent from Charlton."

Ring a bell?

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by mlyons

"England squad a load of bs yet again, second best rated left back not in the squad again oh but wait he doesn't play for a fashionable club, whats the betting if Baines leaves Wigan in the Summer that he'll be in an England squad minutes later. If Phil Neville is better than Baines then no wonder England can win jack, only player you can really say is from an unfashionable club is Bent from Charlton."

Ring a bell?

Can you repeat that in English, proven fact you have a higher chance no matter how good you are of playing for England if you play for Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, London clubs, Everton than you do if you play for the likes of Wigan, Bolton etc. Ask the English people on this board and I'm sure 99% if not 100% will agree.

And again you make up what you want, where have I ever said Baines is the best left back, what I have said the last 12 months is that Baines is the ever present under 21 left back so should be given a chance in the full team. And how much do you want to wager that Baines plays for the full team, maybe even have been the Germany game in a couple of weeks had he been fit who knows maybe yet get into the squad but it will be before the European Championships mark my words.

[ukhotstove]

Jagielka starting RB ? Spoke to a few Evertonians yesterday and they can't figure out why they got Jagielka when they'd have been better bringing in a real RB and not a utility player (their words not mine).

By all accounts Jagielka will play in the centre of the back four when Yobo goes to the African nations, right back only if Hibbert screws up and central midfield if Carsley or Neville are injured so going off what people say who go watch Everton on a regular basis is that Jagielka will be used as a utility player and not an ever present at one position unless the lack of form or injuries kicks in.

[mlyons]

I don't like Jagielka at right back; I just don't think they have many better options. Hibbert's been unimpressive, Lescott's played well there in the past but is going to be more useful at center back, and Neville doesn't really seem comfortable there. I could very well be wrong, and I do think that's the weakest position in the squad.

[mlyons]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Can you repeat that in English, proven fact you have a higher chance no matter how good you are of playing for England if you play for Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, London clubs, Everton than you do if you play for the likes of Wigan, Bolton etc. Ask the English people on this board and I'm sure 99% if not 100% will agree.

And again you make up what you want, where have I ever said Baines is the best left back, what I have said the last 12 months is that Baines is the ever present under 21 left back so should be given a chance in the full team. And how much do you want to wager that Baines plays for the full team, maybe even have been the Germany game in a couple of weeks had he been fit who knows maybe yet get into the squad but it will be before the European Championships mark my words.

Those are your words I quoted.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by mlyons

Those are your words I quoted.

1 maybe you should have said so instead of making them out to be your words, I don't see any reason to change my mind Baines will play for England in the near future now he is playing for a fashionable team. 2 I do rate Baines as a better LB than Neville but seeing Neville wasn't playing LB yesterday then this as nothing to do with what as been said. Neville was playing central midfield and Baines as never played there so would NOT have made Everton better, Lescott did a decent enough job at LB so Baines playing there would NOT have made Everton better.

Baines is better at left back than what Everton have imo but he would not have made them better yesterday, Everton won the game by playing Carsley and Neville stuffing the centre of midfield again this is why I said (sigh) that it may (didn't say WOULD HAVE) have made a difference if Brown had played. End of.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by mlyons

I don't like Jagielka at right back; I just don't think they have many better options. Hibbert's been unimpressive, Lescott's played well there in the past but is going to be more useful at center back, and Neville doesn't really seem comfortable there. I could very well be wrong, and I do think that's the weakest position in the squad.

Thats why I said people (Everton fans) could not understand why they had got Jagielka who is a utility player instead of bringing in a real right back, Everton's back four will be Hibbert-Yobo-Lescott-Baines with Jagielka taking over Hibbert's place if he screws up, when the African Nations is being played it will be Hibbert-Jagielka-Lescott-Baines.

[ukhotstove]

Anyways Chelsea v Birmingham = good game, Man Utd v Reading = boring the crap out of me, but give them their dues Reading are stopping United frrom playing. United almost play a 4-6-0 formation as they don't have what you would class as an out an out forward.

[mlyons]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

1 maybe you should have said so instead of making them out to be your words, I don't see any reason to change my mind Baines will play for England in the near future now he is playing for a fashionable team. 2 I do rate Baines as a better LB than Neville but seeing Neville wasn't playing LB yesterday then this as nothing to do with what as been said. Neville was playing central midfield and Baines as never played there so would NOT have made Everton better, Lescott did a decent enough job at LB so Baines playing there would NOT have made Everton better.

Baines is better at left back than what Everton have imo but he would not have made them better yesterday, Everton won the game by playing Carsley and Neville stuffing the centre of midfield again this is why I said (sigh) that it may (didn't say WOULD HAVE) have made a difference if Brown had played. End of.

I don't understand why you think Everton having better players out there wouldn't have made them a better team. Sure, they used Neville and Carsley primarily to close down midfield play, but that was a tactical choice dictated by not having as many attacking options available. Replace Stubbs with Baines and Carsley/Neville/Hibbert with Cahill and you have a far more skillful team out there that doesn't have to play a defensive-minded game.

I'm also not sure why you don't think a change at left back would have affected anything, considering Wigan's lone goal came partly as a result of poor defending from the left back position, where Lescott isn't comfortable.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by mlyons

I don't understand why you think Everton having better players out there wouldn't have made them a better team. Sure, they used Neville and Carsley primarily to close down midfield play, but that was a tactical choice dictated by not having as many attacking options available. Replace Stubbs with Baines and Carsley/Neville/Hibbert with Cahill and you have a far more skillful team out there that doesn't have to play a defensive-minded game.

I'm also not sure why you don't think a change at left back would have affected anything, considering Wigan's lone goal came partly as a result of poor defending from the left back position, where Lescott isn't comfortable.

The game was a scrappy affair and Wigan didn't have a player who could do the dirty work, to be honest I wish Everton had, had Cahill playing as it would have made it more of a free flowing game which would have helped Wigan as it did last season at Goodison (with Cahill in the team) and the season before (again with Cahill in the team).

Not sure if it was his brains (doubtfull) or just plain luck with injuries but Moyes got the tactics right as the previous 2 seasons at Goodison Wigan were the better team and deserved their win and draw, see one of the best ways if your not a top team to beat Wigan is bully them because they don't have a workhorse that's why they got Brown.

[ukhotstove]

Blow for Manure.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...td/6943283.stm

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Blow for Manure.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...td/6943283.stm

It proves there is a God.

[ukhotstove]

They just seem light up front, I know they have players like Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney who can score for fun but not sure why they don't play with a proven striker, if they had say a Shearer type player it would be game over.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

They just seem light up front, I know they have players like Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney who can score for fun but not sure why they don't play with a proven striker, if they had say a Shearer type player it would be game over.

Carlos Tevez.

[Fallschirmjager]

I did not make a prediction before the season
But I like Liverpool to win the league this year

[mlyons]

Originally Posted by bababui

Carlos Tevez.

Boy, do they need to get him match fit, and quickly.

[Fallschirmjager]

Good opening weekend
Some teams looked very good but it will be 6-8 weeks before you can say if they are going to make a turn around

But Newcastle and Man City are two teams to keep an eye on
They looked very good yesterday and could qualify for Europe behind the big 4
Reading continue to impress me and are turning into my favourite club in the south of England

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

Carlos Tevez.

Tevez is happier playing of a forward or behind the front two he isn't say a van horsehead somebody who is a goal poacher, time and time again yesterday there were 5-6 United players round the box but nobody inside it then you had Ronaldo, Nani etc trying to either run through or shoot from the edge of the box. And you can tell they have no marksman as they ended up playing O'Shea up front, imo they need that centre forward if their going to challenge in Europe.