The TT Football Club
- Thread starter Ross K
- Start date
cant believe fergie is whining when he gets five hours of added time on a regular basis! Ah well. Congrats to your team on their performance this season. I have two good friends who are Spurs fans so have to be happy for them.
Di Canio as manager?... I think that's highly unlikely following hot on the heels of the failure of another untried Italian footballing legend...
Julian... Julian *****?... let's not even go there!... thought he was a golfer now anyway~?...
Mark Hughes would be a good appointment imo... he's got good experience of managing in the Prem... and he's going to be determined to prove himself after Man City got shot of him...
Bilic interests me though... he's impressed me with his international role... hmmm... what do others think?~... worth a punt?... too risky?...
The odds i have seen seem to say: Grant, Hughes, Bilic, PArdew are the favourites, guess it depends on who would be cheapest!
What do you mean dont go there, Julian is a legend and wrote me a card on my 18th birthday, best left back to stupidly not get picked for England, should of been at Euro 96 (and was contacted by Hoddles right hand man but it was infered to him h'd have a better chance of a call up if he grew his hair and Hoddle still gets touted for each managerial job going?) best penalty taker since Ray "Tonka" Stewart.HIs knee was too knackered to make it on the pro golf tour.Seiously though:
On on e hand Hughes should be a good fit, can clearly manag a budget like at blackburn but doesn't pplay that exciting style of play(though a season with more than one away win might hold the fans over!)
Bilic, bit of a legend down the Boleyn way, as you say has done a decent job interntionally but zola did well with the italy u21s an how long till he got fe up with the "board" chiming in-or would they quiet down with their own appointment in charge I wonder?
Somone on sky sports news jusy said Curbs......................screw it someone call Sir Trevor of Brooking as manager with Paolo, Julian and Slaven as his coaches and have done with it all!
Anybody see any of the testimonial at Upton park last week on you tube?Zola and Dicanio were two of the best strikers on the field and good lord did the defenders look average when they played up front togther!
PED
Legend
I'm suprised at Italy's pick.Inter with NO players?!?
Inter is mostly foreigners aren't they. Isn't Ballotelli one of the few native italians on the team?
Feña14
G.O.A.T.
The squad looks pretty decent overall, it's a shame Capello will probably go with that 4-2-2-2 formation he seems to like so much though.
I can't help but think a bold 4-3-3 would get the best players into the team and in positions they have excelled in all year.
Wayne Rooney has looked great all season when he has been up front on his own with support from Nani and Valencia, I think Rooney up front with Joe Cole and Walcott either side of him would be alot more effective than having Heskey in the side.
Parker then holding with Lampard and Milner either side in a midfield 3.
So yeah, my starting 11 would be:
Hart
Johnson Ferdinand Terry A. Cole
Milner Parker Lampard
Walcott Rooney J. Cole
Get the deadwood of Gerrard and Heskey out and we're golden.
I can't help but think a bold 4-3-3 would get the best players into the team and in positions they have excelled in all year.
Wayne Rooney has looked great all season when he has been up front on his own with support from Nani and Valencia, I think Rooney up front with Joe Cole and Walcott either side of him would be alot more effective than having Heskey in the side.
Parker then holding with Lampard and Milner either side in a midfield 3.
So yeah, my starting 11 would be:
Hart
Johnson Ferdinand Terry A. Cole
Milner Parker Lampard
Walcott Rooney J. Cole
Get the deadwood of Gerrard and Heskey out and we're golden.
PED
Legend
I would prefer King instead of either Terry or Rio and I really doubt Rio will be fit. I think it will be nice having Cole on the left running at guys. I remember what an impact he made for the gooners when he came back from injury back in 06, he's solid.
I like that midfield but you know we'll be seeing Stevie G in there
Feña14
G.O.A.T.
I would prefer King instead of either Terry or Rio and I really doubt Rio will be fit. I think it will be nice having Cole on the left running at guys. I remember what an impact he made for the gooners when he came back from injury back in 06, he's solid.
I like that midfield but you know we'll be seeing Stevie G in there
I agree about Ferdinand, even when he played this year and said he was fit he looked to be in trouble. Ferdinand's strength is in his agility and speed, something that he doesn't have anymore. I'd have no problems with either King or Carragher coming into the side but after Capello messed up the whole Terry captaincy thing and gave it to Ferdinand, he's made it very difficult not to play him.
And yeah I have no doubt Gerrard will be in there, he's a player that i've never really rated so would never be in the side for me personally. Luckily for him my opinion doesn't really count for much!
SempreSami
Hall of Fame
Upson in over Jagielka is silly.
surfsb
Rookie
I hope to see this formation at some point in group stage. It's who I think has been showing great form in the last month.
Hart
G Johnson - King - Terry - A Cole
Wright-Phillips - Carrick - A Johnson
----- Lampard
Crouch - Rooney
Rio has been in poor fitness the whole season with injuries. King should get the nod ahead of him. As for mid, a bit of a toss up but Shawn Wright Phillps should get a start on the wing. He along with Crouch are always solid when it comes to national team. Performing better than at club level IMO. Carrick could be subbed with Barry if he can be fit by then or by Milner who could help split the field wide which England likes to often do. But Adam Johnson deserves to see time. He's been phenomenal this season and he's been red hot up to the end. Then have Lampard up top attacking and supporting Crouch and Rooney.
Hart
G Johnson - King - Terry - A Cole
Wright-Phillips - Carrick - A Johnson
----- Lampard
Crouch - Rooney
Rio has been in poor fitness the whole season with injuries. King should get the nod ahead of him. As for mid, a bit of a toss up but Shawn Wright Phillps should get a start on the wing. He along with Crouch are always solid when it comes to national team. Performing better than at club level IMO. Carrick could be subbed with Barry if he can be fit by then or by Milner who could help split the field wide which England likes to often do. But Adam Johnson deserves to see time. He's been phenomenal this season and he's been red hot up to the end. Then have Lampard up top attacking and supporting Crouch and Rooney.
PED
Legend
I like that lineup but am unsure about Carrick. I like him overall and he could give some nice protection to the back 4.
Wright-Phillips IMO is in better form than Lennon (just back from injury). I like the idea of Lennon but I've never truly been blown away by him week in and week out.
Crouch and Rooney should be able to do some damage together.
Feña14
G.O.A.T.
Lennon was fantastic before the injury, he's always had serious pace and the ability to get in good positions, but for the first half of the season he was providing the quality balls into the box aswell. You're right though, since his injury he's still a bit rusty so would be a gamble to start with.
Yeah I think Crouch and Rooney would be the best 2 man attack, Crouch gives you the out ball that Heskey does, plus he's a scoring machine in an England shirt (unlike Heskey!). I'd still prefer to see Rooney up on his own with a couple of pacey wingers either side of him if i'm honest, this World Cup looks like being about counter attacking so the 3 pacey forwards would be the way i'd go.
forthegame
Hall of Fame
My heart bleeds for Fulham!
Heartbreak at the death and it was, who else, Forlan (the only other Man U reject to come good after leaving the Theatre of Dreams).
Heartbreak at the death and it was, who else, Forlan (the only other Man U reject to come good after leaving the Theatre of Dreams).
I'd take Bilic, my Croatian buddies have been raving about the style of Football he's gotten Croatia to play for years now, and the fans at West Ham already adore him so I think he's the first choice.
I'm suprised at Italy's pick.Inter with NO players?!?
A real shame; Davide Santon is a stud, that kid is the real deal. If I was Lippi and I wanted to give some experience to the next generation, Santon would have been first on my list to bring along to the World Cup.
There ain't nothing Italian about Ballotelli besides his name.
Benzema is overrated, IMO, he's done nothing at Real and as such doesn't warrant a place in the squad. He also apparently has an attitude problem, and that probably hurt his chances as well.
For me, Nasri's omission was the real shocker. France only selected one true playmaking midfielder in Gorcuff and he's on-and-off and his off days are pretty bad. They have no "plan B" in terms of attack-minded midfielders or playmakers. That's a problem.
Mine too! I was rooting for them, they should have had it! As an American, I'm really disappointed that Dempsey didn't start. He played well as a striker though; word going around is that our manager is considering playing him as a striker alongside Altidore in South Africa.
Feña14
G.O.A.T.
Mathieu Valbuena, a good attacking minded midfielder who helped his side win the league this year.
He's in great form and will be going to the World Cup as a winner, I can understand the thinking behind picking him over Nasri.
Isn't he that kid who's like 5'3 or 5'4?
Either way, Nasri had a good season, the goal against Porto notwithstanding, he deserves to go.
JRstriker12
Hall of Fame
Didn't they say something similar about a lot of the players from the France's 1998 World Cup team????
Feña14
G.O.A.T.
He's around that yeah, he's pacey with good technical skill, has a good range of passing and is deadly from distance.
It was a bit of a surprise not to see Nasri in the 30, but with Gourcuff pretty much guarenteed a starting place, having Valbuena as the back up isn't a weak position to be in.
Breaker
Legend
Woy :neutral: and to that twat Forlan as well, gutting.
As for international I still don't see why Ashley Young wasn't picked over speed merchant Walcott, SWP, iron man Joe Cole, and no skill Heskey - I thought Capello said that you have to be a consistent starter on your club team to get a shot?
As for international I still don't see why Ashley Young wasn't picked over speed merchant Walcott, SWP, iron man Joe Cole, and no skill Heskey - I thought Capello said that you have to be a consistent starter on your club team to get a shot?
surfsb
Rookie
Carrick is a definite gamble because he has a tendency for foul trouble which is especially bad given how card-happy the last WC was. I'd prefer Barry but his fitness is questionable so I almost consider him to be injured by then.
BBC had a good breakdown between Carrick and Barry regarding a defensive midfield position: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8584090.stm
Their conclusion, "If England had a fit Hargreaves, then he would be the most suited to that holding role, but in his absence I would opt for Barry ahead of Carrick, who is a very good player to bring off the bench. "
I think Carrick is actually a lot better than a hargreaves type holding player and the guy can pick a pass and ping it anywhere. Though to be honest I think with BArry out and if we are picking players on form PArker has to be in with a shout, very good tackler great at distribution (unusually for west ham this year to a team mate) can bring the ball forward to start attacks and scores goals.
Well Parker it is then.
Double winners with the Champions League to aim for next year, good times!
Kalou should never play football again, IMO. My dog could have scored that goal.
Feña14
G.O.A.T.
Such a shame as he has been awesome over the second half of the season, the Italian's were raving about him when we played Inter Milan. That's Kalou in a nutshell though really, one day he can tear you apart and the next he couldn't get a game in League One.
PED
Legend
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article7127774.ece
Great interview with the special one from the london times. Love him or hate him, you can't deny he gets results
I would love to see him at Real and see if he can make them reach their true potential.
Great interview with the special one from the london times. Love him or hate him, you can't deny he gets results
I would love to see him at Real and see if he can make them reach their true potential.
West Ham's next manager...
Reports out today say Avram Grant (hmm), Dave Jones (hmm), Ian Holloway (for real) and (whisper it) Sam Allardyce are the front-runners for the job. :shock:
Am I the only one to find that list completely uninspiring?:wink:
Dave?... fancy Allardyce or Holloway?... Nah, didn't think so!!... Allardyce would quickly be loathed whilst Holloway would be like Roeder all over again...
As mentioned before, Billic or Sparky Hughes - they'd be my picks. I also quite like Roberto Martinez - but I don't reckon he'll be going anywhere.
Reports out today say Avram Grant (hmm), Dave Jones (hmm), Ian Holloway (for real) and (whisper it) Sam Allardyce are the front-runners for the job. :shock:
Am I the only one to find that list completely uninspiring?:wink:
Dave?... fancy Allardyce or Holloway?... Nah, didn't think so!!... Allardyce would quickly be loathed whilst Holloway would be like Roeder all over again...
As mentioned before, Billic or Sparky Hughes - they'd be my picks. I also quite like Roberto Martinez - but I don't reckon he'll be going anywhere.
PED
Legend
No offense to Big Sam but that's a totally underwhelming group of prospects. I know it's effective but the big sam brand of football of kicking the crap out of everyone just leaves me cold.
I actually rate Grant and think he did a fine job at chelsea given the situation and he can likely get the job done with a minimal budget.
How about Ian Dowie...lol
I actually rate Grant and think he did a fine job at chelsea given the situation and he can likely get the job done with a minimal budget.
How about Ian Dowie...lol
Bilic wanted a much bigger transfer kitty than WHU were able to afford, and Sparky's wages were way above what WHU could pay. Bilic wanted the job but Sully and Gold don't have enough cash to allow him to build a team.
I think Big Sam would be a massive mistake. I don't like him or the style of football his teams play at all. He was crap at Newcastle as well. Grant is my pick if he doesn't quit Pompey. Ian Holloway isn't ready for a club like WHU, and Dave Jones shouldn't be mentioned YET.
I'd heard the same about Bilic,which i a shame 'cus i think he could do a good job.
Oh please not sam, surely he's happy at Blackbburn, I hope he's happy at blackburn, the Davids' can't be that short sighted surely?Can they?
It's looking more and more like Avam Grant is the likely contender, not sure i'm that excited, maybe Paolo can hurry up, finish his badges and join the coaching staff with Julian too.Yes a trio of staff, that's the way to go!
PED
Legend
I say let's take the $$ and run......
"Cesc Fabregas has told Arsene Wenger in a face-to-face meeting today that he wants to quit Arsenal and rejoin Barcelona, Goal.com UK can confirm.
In a showdown described only as "emotional", the midfielder delivered the bombshell to his mentor and the man to whom he feels he owes his career that, following some agonising soul-searching, he wants to leave the club that he joined as a 16-year-old.
It is understood that the talks between Wenger and Fabregas, who flew into the UK today from Spain for treatment on his injured knee, took place in London."
"Cesc Fabregas has told Arsene Wenger in a face-to-face meeting today that he wants to quit Arsenal and rejoin Barcelona, Goal.com UK can confirm.
In a showdown described only as "emotional", the midfielder delivered the bombshell to his mentor and the man to whom he feels he owes his career that, following some agonising soul-searching, he wants to leave the club that he joined as a 16-year-old.
It is understood that the talks between Wenger and Fabregas, who flew into the UK today from Spain for treatment on his injured knee, took place in London."
Feña14
G.O.A.T.
It certainly looks like he might be going, if Arsenal can get Toure and a large cash sum then they will probably be pretty pleased. Ramsey, Song, Diaby, Denilson and then Toure in midfield would be pretty strong. If they could get another centre back and keeper then they would certainly be a better side next year.
As for Barcelona, it looks like they have pretty much got Villa in the bag and a deal for Fabregas could be on the cards too. I've also heard they want Torres!
Quite how they plan of fitting Ibrahimovic, Torres, Villa, Fabregas, Xavi, Messi and Iniesta all into the same side, I don't know.
Breaker
Legend
^^ Ibra has been left out of every important game to end the season so even though they paid big money for him I don't think he has a long term future there. Once they get Villa I doubt they go for Torres as well.
Fabregas would probably take Keita's spot with Keita moving back to take Busquet's holding role. Don't know about Iniesta since Pedro seems to be every bit as effective in that same position.
Replacing Ibra with Villa at striker will make them unstoppable next year.
Fabregas would probably take Keita's spot with Keita moving back to take Busquet's holding role. Don't know about Iniesta since Pedro seems to be every bit as effective in that same position.
Replacing Ibra with Villa at striker will make them unstoppable next year.
Mourinho to Real?...
If true, it will be fascinating not just who he brings in (and speculation is Lamps and Stevie G are high on his list - as always :wink: ), but who he ships out (like for example, the under-performing Kaka)... this may well turn out to be a busy summer of transfers across the board?
If true, it will be fascinating not just who he brings in (and speculation is Lamps and Stevie G are high on his list - as always :wink: ), but who he ships out (like for example, the under-performing Kaka)... this may well turn out to be a busy summer of transfers across the board?
Lets not even joke about that, he's not got a cllub so he's chaep i'm sure they hve thought about it.
HE has shown that givn funding he can build a good side (CHelsea still benefit from a lot of that I suppose) Can't imagin them letting Lamps etc go unles hey handed in a request.
Once a player like Cesc at Arsenal asks to leave there just isn't any point in making them stay, as said above Arsenal could seemingly get Yaya, and have enough cash for a 'keeper and defender or two.
Gerrard anmd Torres seem to be getting a lot of press too don't they, theink either will still be at Liverpool come the start of the season if all else stays the same?
PED
Legend
Another look at the special one from the Times. He covers both sides of the argument so don't get angry with the first half of the article
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/05/jose-mourinho-the-cases-for-and-against.html
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/05/jose-mourinho-the-cases-for-and-against.html
Is Villa better than Ibra? I'm no expert in football, so I really don't know.
What I would have thought though is that Ibra should be better in the air, something that Barca usually lacks, hence why Ibra is such an asset.
But, like said, I don't follow football that closely, so forgive me for my ignorance
.Is Villa better than Ibra? I'm no expert in football, so I really don't know.
What I would have thought though is that Ibra should be better in the air, something that Barca usually lacks, hence why Ibra is such an asset.
But, like said, I don't follow football that closely, so forgive me for my ignorance
They'll play Ibra alongside DV7, infront of Messi, who will take a central supporting striker/winger/all-puropse forward, who in turn will play infront of Xavi and Iniesta.
Ibra has to stay at Barcelona because he gives them a physical, powerful look uptop, and none of their other attacking options have the physique that allows them to do so. If you want a diverse team with tons of different options, then Ibra's gotta stay.
If they somehow manage to get ahold of Torres, their forward options are going to be flat-out ridiculous. Think about it, you'd have Messi, Ibra, Torres, and Villa as options, who can all play alone as well as other forward roles like Wing and Supporting Striker, or Holder. Then imagine that you'd have Xavi and Andres Iniesta providing service to these strikers, and they can provide any kind of pass depending on who they're passing to. And if they got Fabregas in there too? Holy sh*t. That would be mind-blowing, even Mourinho wouldn't be able to figure out a way to stop them.
And if they decided that it wasn't enough, they could probably get Kaka on the cheap because the Real fans hate him and he's on the way out, despite the fact that his game is suited to Spanish football. That would be absurd if it happened. They wouldn't even need defenders, as their midfielders wouldn't ever loose possession of the ball. Seriously. A lineup that featured all those players would be orgasmic to see. I think I'd cream myself if it actually happened.
On that thought, if Kaka leaves, Arsenal should go after him if Cesc does leave. I imagine Wenger would want to buy him, despite his age.
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Cesc Fabregas
Legend
If Cesc goes to Barca he will be rotated with Xavi and Iniesta in CM with Iniesta getting some games at LWF, Sergi Busquets playing the holding role.
Feña14
G.O.A.T.
It's interesting that the League Mourinho won in his first season was won mainly with Ranieri's players. The key players were Terry, Lampard, Cech, Robben, Duff, Gudjohnsen, Joe Cole, Makelele and Gallas, all players who were brought into the team by Ranieri.
Drogba and Carvalho were the important Mourinho buys and they didn't really make an impact in their first season.
PED
Legend
Makelele was the glue that held it all together; I loved to watch the guy play. The other bedrock of that first season was Cech, def the best in the world at that time. You never hear Mourinho admit that he won with Ranieri's players though He just talks about Carlo winning with "his" players.
He just talks about Carlo winning with "his" players.I had forgotten how close Claudio got with that side, ta for the info.
Makelele was the glue that held it all together; I loved to watch the guy play. The other bedrock of that first season was Cech, def the best in the world at that time. You never hear Mourinho admit that he won with Ranieri's players though
But he did get Essien, who was extremely important in winning those two league titles.
