tmonkey

Terry is the best defender in the Premiership, but because of the club he plays for and where he's from, as well as some poor international performances, he's underrated. Rio is class but is someone I wouldnt want up against an intelligent, skillful forward.

Giggs still has class in his boots. His touch, intelligence and passing are grossly underrated because he used to be an all-out spectacular dribbler, when in fact hes a very good all round footballer. I have a dislike for Nani because I hate the way the cunt snarls after everything that doesnt go his way, so im a bit biased against him, but even beyond that bias I dont think he's that good a player - as a Giggs replacement, hes a step or two down. Andersen looks half the player Scholes is imo. Which is still pretty decent, but he's got a long, long way to go if he's to be in the same class as Scholes.

Why not? I can read and criticise if I want to.

Expecting too much for someone who hasnt even been in the country for a month yet. If he has a competent performance, I'll be very pleased. Give it two or three years and then hope he'll be the rock in our defence able to hold us together against top sides.

NUFC.com is a domain that really should be owned by the club, not two fans with often questionable and biased opinions. Compare that to eg: www.manutd.com www.chelseafc.com www.liverpoolfc.com www.arsenal.com etc etc. It's simply the case the .com is perceived to be more formal/official than a .co.uk or .net or any other extension, whilst the club is only ever going to have NUFC as the name of the site since that is logically what most of us who support the club would go for. Hence, NUFC.com should be the official club website. IMO they're simply taking advantage of having nabbed that web address first, which is fair enough, but with their increasingly biased bullshit opinions they're abusing that privileged position.

Those players are all competent though, and its suprising how shit alot of the Premiership truly is when you actually have a competent player in your team and you realise just how much of a difference they can make.

He is also a totally different person to the Keegan of old. He is older and less dynamic (and less well known around the world). But mainly . . . He is not free to do what he wants under Ashley & co, to the extent that he was under SJH. So, effectively, he is not the same Keegan. (Still good mind!) Although on the face of it Keegan having people in conflicting roles is a bad thing, in his case for all we know its probably a blessing in disguise. Keegan was an immense manager last time around, but he was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination - having alternative views and opinions around him would be nothing but constructive as long as he gets the final decision and is happy with it. For example, maybe in 1996 when we had a side that was so close to winning the league but crumbled after the midway point, maybe he had noone telling him in his ear that the defence had no real leader at the back, that star defender/keeper, the ones that all title winning teams tend to have - maybe if there was a head scout or Director of Football who was able to point that out to him, we might have gone out and sorted the defence outright instead of just signing more attacking players because they were available? Maybe with that added opinion things might have been totally different and he might never have left on such a sour note having won nothing? He might not be as dynamic as he used to be, and again on the face of it its not good to have someone lose their "fire", but maybe he's wiser and more level headed this time around? Maybe if we're in a position of such good fortune that others are playing mind games with him, he wont crack under the pressure as he did infamously after that Leeds game? Who knows. At present, he seems to be tactically spot on, and we're doing very well on the pitch in terms of the way that we're playing at the very least. In fact, the basic competence we are now showing on the pitch mirrors what we saw under the early Sir Bobby days, where we went from a shit side to a decent one overnight with the same bunch of players. There's not much to indicate that there's anything wrong with whats going on. If we're judging things on Keegan's first spell here, then by the same logicc we could say that James Milner is not a Keegan player in any way, shape or form - Keegan wont want grafters in attacking positions, when given money to spend he went for the Gillespie's, Ginola's and Apsrilla's in those positions - attacking players with pace or great skill. Keegan was a flair player himself, and I think he has a preferrence for what a good attacking player needs to have. Added to which, he'd have noted how much the performances improved last season when Milner, Duff and Smith were out of the side - that spell would have opened his eyes as to who needed to be shipped out because they werent contributing to what matters for their respective positions - assists and goals.

Bloody hell, £12m for Milner. They must think he'll turn into some player. To be fair to the lad, he'll put the effort in no doubt and he's still young, but so far he's shown himself to have the ability of a £4million player if anything. Cant ever see him getting a regular game for England. £12 million, its hard to believe. I think that blinder against Coventry has raised his price significantly, a few scouts must have been watching him and considered that kind of performance to be his potential, which is misleading as the Premiership has stronger, faster, better fullbacks than Coventry had. Good luck to him though, a transfer request is imo more honourable and honest than trying to engineer a move in private and thereby still getting a loyalty bonus. I think we have a better replacement already at the club in Jonas, we already have a better young winger with far more pace and dribbling/crossing ability in Zog, and there are considerably better wingers than him out there, so he'll not be missed. Hope he develops into a good winger eventually, but without meaning to sound bitter, im glad it's someone else who'll be developing him, and not us. He'll not suit the style of football that we want to play, but should should others.

Shepherd and Souness treated him like crap. He's been rewarded with plenty of first team appearances and a new contract since, and the people at the club who shat over him arent here anymore. They're also generally accepted to have been clueless. He's got no reason to still hold a grudge. I think he wants out because apart from the money/wage he's probably being offered by ONeill, he wants to be a first teamer, and he'll get that at Villa. With us, as soon as Viduka, Owen and Martins are fit (second half of this season?), we'll probably go back to the 4-3-1-2, and with Gutierrez looking a far better footballer than Milner and similarly capable of playing in various attacking positions, along with Joey Barton's return at some stage later in the season, Milner is going to struggle to get on the first team sheet. Its a long way from now, but I can see it happening. Contrasts to Villa, where I can see him being a gauranteed first teamer under a manager who clearly loves him and at a club where he has little competition for his specific spot.

Im happy. He's a decent winger, but he's an anti-footballer. He's capapble of beating a fullback several times, he's aggressive in terms of taking them on, he works hard and tracks back, he's two footed to an extent, and he can put in a good cross or a good shot once in a blue moon. But he's also someone who hogs the ball, i.e. when he gets it into a certain area the rest of the team may as well stand around hands on hips whilst hes turning in and out and running in slow motion to the touchline before putting in an aimless cross. He doesnt contribute to pass 'n' move football at all, in my mind he's someone incapable of playing in that sort of system - the teams that will buy him will want him because he's pretty much a solo player. His passing is average, extremely average, he probably hasnt had an assist in his entire career with us that wasnt a cross, and his all round technical ability is pretty much extremely average too. He's pretty much a well drilled winger with a high work rate, but anything that comes to him outside of that drilled environment and he's out of his depth. Yes, it is a blow to lose a regular with such a weak squad, we wouldnt want the likes of Smith or Ameobi getting regular games in midfield because of injury problems or international tournaments. But its a small price to pay for losing someone who'll want regular games, someone who contributes negatively to the team as a whole.

Keegan looks like he's gonna kick a boot at someone's head.

Zog is a machine. Been running fast all game.

Bassong has some pace on him for a big guy.

Bloody hell we were lucky. That was an absolute sitter.

What a ball from Enrique.

So, who to blame? Jonas for not winding the clock down and attempting a ridiuclous, needless shot from a bad angle with a defender in the way and the keeper covering the angle well? Butt for toe poking the ball straight out for a goal kick when as a pro footballer you'd except him to be able to control it in that situation?

That is a joke. But its awesome entertainment.

ManU are such cheating c***s. That wall must have been 6 yards from the ball by the time the free kick was taken. The ref is meant to show someone in the wall a yellow card when they keep coming forward everytime he turns his back, but its ManU so different rules apply.

ManU will probably win this comfortably, but they look pretty average without C.Ronaldo. Its as though they dont really have any pace to hurt the opposition.

How the hell can Paul Scholes not get a yellow card for that?

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Ox3RnunHKr0o-M:http://www.madeirawineguide.com/pics/non-invasive-flashed-cork-pic.jpg James Milner http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:KbsPoaR0A9qAtM:http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00452/milner_280x390_452062a.jpg Bottleneck. Doesnt really work, but irrespective of that, I think im turning into Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde when it comes to Milner. On the one hand, Milner's a half decent right winger who can create the odd chance and can trouble a decent fullback when on form. And he's young, and works hard for the team. On the other, Milner's a hard working but head-down, poor quality, repetitive solo player who I would lump in with Duff, Smith and Ameobi (and when hes having a stinker, Butt) as players who contribute to the team as a whole playing less effectively when on the pitch than a bog standard average player would if he were playing in their position. As an example, I bet you if Geremi starts instead of Milner, we'll be seeing - 1) Slightly more, slighty better quality possession 2) More chances created 3) Better performances all round by those connected to the position in question, e.g. Beye. 4) Slightly quicker team moves Much like we did at the end of last season. And as we all know, Geremi is s*** in terms of a first teamer for where we want to be. He's a player who's legs have effectively gone, and the rest of his game is pretty average. Noone would pay 6-8 million for Geremi, but they'll do so for Milner because he's youngish, English, works hard, and looks good on highlights (where they dont show the 20 shit crosses he'll put in). For this side of Milner, I say cash in irrespective of having a direct replacement or not (Zog can be moved up).

Yet with others (Yakubu and Viduka spring to mind) the accusation is that they only play well when their contract is nearly up. If what you say is the case with Owen, then it will severely dent the signing on fee and wages he will be able to demand at the end of the season. Every other interested club will also be worried about his fitness and current ability, so if he's as mercenary as people seem to think, he could have no better incentive than to prove his worth to other clubs and have a great season for us. Granted some do play better prior to the contract finishing, e.g. Viduka, but im not so sure that Owen needs to. I think on a free transfer, someone like ManU or Chelsea might just take the risk on him, but even so, you'd think as a bare minimum, Liverpool would still be interested in him, firstly because it'd be a fan-appeasing signing ala Robbie Fowler despite what some scousers might say about bad feelings regarding the way he left for Madrid, and secondly because with Keane/Torres there, Owen on a free would be well worth the risk for them because if he's injured its not going to hit the team like it would a mid table side, on top of which Rafa Benitez always likes having the ability to chop and change the team he puts out as he sees fit. As stated, im a bit paranoid when it comes to Owen, split in two minds so to speak. On the one hand, based on last season, I think hes a good professional and he'll want to play as many games as possible prior to leaving if he chooses to do so. On the other, prior to last season, he did seem to come accross as a mercenary - i.e. someone who had little interest in playing for us, was only here for the money (as per Svenn Goran's revelation) and initially to salvage his England world cup hopes (didnt want to come here at all prior to being forced to), was only really interested in playing for his country and not his club (first 6 months were a bit of a joke, the number of times he was injured yet instantly back for an international game), and didnt think twice about trying to leave after two years of doing nothing to repay the money and faith invested in him. I can't say the rest of the complaints/suspicions aren't fair enough (even if I disagree with interpretation on a few), but I bolded one that I've always thought was unfair. Owen has denied, multiple times, ever saying anything of the sort. I know, that's expected, but how he chose to do so made me listen. He admitted that pay was a factor -- lets be honest, he's got a limited amount of time to get the best for himself and his family and pay is an important factor of ALL new jobs -- but that regular football was his primary goal (probably a good part of his England world cup hopes, tbh). He also said that he would never have said anything of the sort to the England manager: first, because it wasn't true, and second, because it would make him look horrific to a man who had great control over his career (Owen made his name for England, really). Owen said in his book that Eriksson called personally to apologise, that his comment was misquoted and taken out of all context, that what was intended was that Owen could be, with sufficient funds, bought from NUFC (he had a get-out clause, now widely known), and that Liverpool had been priced out of Owen's sale from Madrid (that part was about money, Madrid wasn't going to take Liverpool's offered 8-10 mil over Newcastle's offered 16 mil just because Owen would have preferred Liverpool). I've always, as a Liverpool fan, thought that Owen and Liverpool Football Club were equally at fault for the mess with Real Madrid. Owen had said from age 18 that he wanted to try playing abroad, but wouldn't want to play for another English club. However, he really looked bad because he said he was signing a new contract with Liverpool and two weeks later was off to Madrid. Probably why he keeps his mouth shut now about his contracts -- better to get nailed for not talking than for saying the wrong thing. However, the rumours from inside the club was that Owen wanted to stay, that Benitez had been partially his shout for the new manager (the top players were consulted -- including Owen & Gerrard), and Benitez wanted rid because he thought the striker-rotation policy would be ruined by Owen's presence. Benitez also, according to rumours, wanted rid of the "Merseyside Mafia" -- a group of 5 players that "ran" so to speak, the dressing room, and included Carragher, Owen, Gerrard, Murphy and Hamann. Within one year, Owen, Murphy and Hamann were all gone -- and Owen & Murphy within that same summer (which lends some credence, imo). All three had been key starters for Liverpool for years. Liverpool, because it had never occured to them that Owen might be sold that summer, had let him draw out his contract negotiations. Owen, because it had not occurred to him, had not hurried the process from his end either. According to both Gerrard and Carragher -- Owen's closest friends at Liverpool, whom he had played with since age 11 and 16 respectively, and admits to still speaking to at least several times per week -- were shocked at the move, which lends credence to this not being a planned move from Owen. Yes, he let his contract run down, but it was not a pre-meditated move to screw Liverpool Football Club. So I'm not sure I'd expect that sort of behavior from him now. But, I DO expect him to negotiate to get a good deal for himself, no doubt. In that, he's as much a mercenary as every other footballer (look at Lampard, for pity's sake, or Gerrard's two summers worth of Chelsea-gate). As for how to "deal" with Owen's issues (fitness, not class) -- I'm completely in agreement with Big TRon. Point taken about the Svenn revelations. In fact, quite clearly Fabricio Coloccini has joined us because of the money we've offered, so it is harsh to criticise Owen for that. Having said that, I think when it comes to Owen, if you look at each individual criticism, it'd be easy to point to many other players who have done something similar, and thereby say we're being too harsh/critical of him. Its when you combine them that you start to wonder what he's doing with us and where his commitments/intentions lie. But as stated, that could easily be down to being paranoid about a player who is still our biggest star in terms of reputation at least. On top of which, theres the resentment of the implications of such behaivour - i.e. the notion that he thinks he's too good for us or should be playing for someone better, when for me although he's a good calibre player with natural abilities that arent found easily, he's nowhere near too good for us - in fact, he's pretty inferior to some of his NUFC striking predecessors, in the Premiership at least. As for the way he moved to Madrid, there seem to be quite a few different versions according to various Pool fans ive spoken to down the years - most of them putting Owen in a negative light in terms of being cold, calculating, ruthless, etc, i.e. he cleverly ran his contract down. But if what you say is true with regards to the "Merseyside Mafia" and Benitez wanting Owen out of the club so that he could adopt the squad rotation policy, then why did Benitez attempt to resign Owen for 8mill a year later, or at the very least had given his blessing to the Liverpool board to make the move? Im pretty sure I recall Benitez being in favour of the move at the time. If there's no friction between Benitez and Owen, then it lends more credence to the version where Owen has strung his club along before leaving on a Bosman.

Yet with others (Yakubu and Viduka spring to mind) the accusation is that they only play well when their contract is nearly up. If what you say is the case with Owen, then it will severely dent the signing on fee and wages he will be able to demand at the end of the season. Every other interested club will also be worried about his fitness and current ability, so if he's as mercenary as people seem to think, he could have no better incentive than to prove his worth to other clubs and have a great season for us. Granted some do play better prior to the contract finishing, e.g. Viduka, but im not so sure that Owen needs to. I think on a free transfer, someone like ManU or Chelsea might just take the risk on him, but even so, you'd think as a bare minimum, Liverpool would still be interested in him, firstly because it'd be a fan-appeasing signing ala Robbie Fowler despite what some scousers might say about bad feelings regarding the way he left for Madrid, and secondly because with Keane/Torres there, Owen on a free would be well worth the risk for them because if he's injured its not going to hit the team like it would a mid table side, on top of which Rafa Benitez always likes having the ability to chop and change the team he puts out as he sees fit. As stated, im a bit paranoid when it comes to Owen, split in two minds so to speak. On the one hand, based on last season, I think hes a good professional and he'll want to play as many games as possible prior to leaving if he chooses to do so. On the other, prior to last season, he did seem to come accross as a mercenary - i.e. someone who had little interest in playing for us, was only here for the money (as per Svenn Goran's revelation) and initially to salvage his England world cup hopes (didnt want to come here at all prior to being forced to), was only really interested in playing for his country and not his club (first 6 months were a bit of a joke, the number of times he was injured yet instantly back for an international game), and didnt think twice about trying to leave after two years of doing nothing to repay the money and faith invested in him.

Would be happy to see Enrique being sold and/or replaced. Just something about the way he plays that I personally dislike - heavy footed, moves a bit slow despite not being a slow player, doesnt have the natural athleticism where you could see him running up and down the flanks constantly whilst still having the energy to play catchup against a pacey winger, etc etc. For example, against ManU Zog carried the ball from deep over medium distances numerous times. It's something that many of the better fullbacks in the league can do, e.g. Evra, Sagna, etc. I cant ever see Enrique doing that, as soon as he gets the ball in deep positions, he'll use his golf-club-boots to chip or clobber it somewhere. Its as though he's from the John Arne Riise school of footballers.

Hasnt signed a contract yet. Thought he was excellent last season as an attacking midfielder, brought new life to his game, and am looking forward eagerly to see him in the same role this season. He could be the difference between mid table and finishing in a European spot. However, I just cant trust the bloke. He's shown himself in the past to be a bit of a mercenary, we all know for a fact that him and his agents were trying to engineer a move back when Shepherd discretely gave the game away, and this was when he had done f*** all for us other than eating up huge wages. In his first season here, prior to the major injuries, he was constantly injured for us with a minor one, yet somehow always available for England - might not have been feigning injury, but there was no doubt at the time that he was rushing back to play for the team that was clearly his priority, which wasnt his employers. His form last season was good, as were his all round efforts on the pitch, but that could easily be down to him having no alternative with none of the big clubs interested in him. The situation now is that on top of that questionable commitment from several years ago, theres the fear that he's going to run his contract down, and although that's fair enough for him and on the face of it I still think we'd be better off using him this season even if we lose him for free at the end (higher up on the table meaning more money offsetting the loss of a possible transfer fee, better chance to attract a better replacement meaning in the long term we'd be better off, etc etc), players who know they'll be leaving tend to have commitment and form issues with regards to their current employers, and if that happens with Owen then we could well only see him play for us once in a blue moon. For his last season at Liverpool, he barely did anything in between the constant speculation of him leaving on a Bosman and being injured, and its a worry for me how easy it is to foresee him having another season with constant "minor" injury problems where he plays a few games and then is injured for a few months, right up until the point he leaves. Similar to Emre possibly - although admittedly theres an element of paranoia to all this. Still, I dont think anyone would purchase him for a good fee outright, so we've probably got no option but to hope he has a good season with us irrespective of his contract.