Vinny Green Balls

People are saying that he was the greatest striker in the last 20 odd years. And I think it's safe to say that he was. See what people say about him in 20 years time.

Ronaldo overrated? That is absurd. van Basten was absolutely unplayable in his prime. But so was Ronaldo.

and no, I am not likening them to those two. Wildly different players. Just between abilities. Platini is an absolute legend, but Maradona was clearly better. In the end, I agree with TRon. The comparisons will never favor Shearer. But who gives a shit? I wish I had a quarter of the ability of either. There's clearly room for both players. And I consider myself immensely fortunate to have seen Ronaldo and Shearer live.

as a footballer, yes, Ronaldo was levels above. But Shearer had a quality that separated him from everybody else. It was that immense force of will. Reminded me of watching Michael Jordan play in his heyday. This is what makes Shearer one of the best strikers I have seen in my 35 years. There were certainly players with more physical ability. But they ended up paling in comparison to his iron resolve. That said, in his prime, Ronaldo had it all. And as legendary as Shearer is, and legendary he is, Ronaldo always was a step up. To say he was levels above Shearer, however, is a bit of hyperbole. The difference is more between Maradona and Platini.

His goal scoring levels harken back to another time when the best were so much better than the shittier teams they played. What is extraordinary is that Ronaldo did it in the modern era. Fucking unbelievable. And as much as I like Messi, he will never be such a physical force of nature like Ronaldo. A fucking battering ram who also had the intelligence to outwit the best defenders. Outmuscle or outwit, he could kill you with both.

Ronaldo was on a different level to anybody. Super strength, pace, skill, trickery, he had absolutely everything. We will not see anyone like him (who isn't a cheap imitation) for awhile. Those of us who have seen him play should count ourselves extremely lucky. I'm a lot sadder than I expected to be.

Didn't say they got everything right. And in truth, they probably stumbled on the truth more than anything else. It gets on my nerves when people think that one's opinion cannot be malleable at all. Over time, one collects data. And the reasonable man will base his opinion on this. If the opinion in the past was incorrect, then so be it. Too many true believers as it is.

Well done to howaythelads. Say what you will about NE5 and him for being perpetually obnoxious with the same old hackneyed arguments ad nauseum, but they certainly got a few things right in hindsight.

Jesus Christ, Goering wouldn't have had to swallow the capsule if he had one or two of you representing him.

Hate these hearsay weekends. Sucks living in California (for this reason at least).

yes, successful. We got relegated two years ago.

http://vladsprincipality.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/cinderella.jpg edited for accuracy.

http://img.youtube.com/vi/i28UEoLXVFQ/0.jpg I suppose you don't know what you got...

It is impossible to get rid of Ameobi. We might send him out on loan, but he will return. He's the proverbial case of herpes, festering on the genitals of NUFC. That said, I wish he was back for the Blackburn match.

From what I have seen, Ireland is a significantly better player than Gosling. I am getting really excited about seeing him play.

We will do anything to keep our best players in January, anything except reject ridiculous bids.

Yeah, but he played emergency striker for 30 years.

I hear Mubarak is now a free agent.

Anyhow, it's pedantic. On the macro scale, there's no such thing as capitalism in its purest form, just as there was never any real example of pure socialism. It's all about the propensity toward a certain socio-economic system. In the current market, however, capitalism is the dominant propensity, but with a socialist bent toward only those with money. It's a reflection of many of our systems worldwide, systems that are fast becoming snakes eating their own tales. Football is about the metrics now. The players are assets. The supporters are assets. The real estate is an asset. We all can be translated into dollar amounts. And so the spirit of what makes the game great is becoming ancillary. And I am not necessarily criticizing it. It's just the nature of evolution. Organisms, economic systems, civilizations...they have a sell-by date. This trend in football is not a forever rising trajectory, just like the housing market wasn't (even though a lot of assholes pre-2006 would have you believe otherwise). Things will come crashing down at some point.

for all those who remember 'Greatest American Hero'

http://vladsprincipality.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/the-greatest-american-hero-copy1.jpg

that would be the case if I was talking about 50,000 supporters, and not the player who is acknowledging them.

certainly it is. That does not detract from its gaiety. give a thumbs up ffs.

virtual seppukku was the honorable thing for his House.

Over the head clapping. Oh, the magnitude of gaiety when any player commits this atrocity. Who is the asshole who started the trend?