Weekend Football; 20-22nd December - *SPOiLERS*

[TheCenturion]

In general i agree but not today. Up untill just after the red card, when Babel did come on, there was no reason to make a change as we were dominating the game. I don't think the time of the other 2 subs made too much difference as i don't think either were really going to improve our play and were brought on more as fresh legs. Like i said earlier, the mistake imo with our subs today was to take of Riera rather than Lucas.

but even so, riera was playing well, why take him off? should have taken off kuyt, tbh, liverpool were way too content to sit back today. shocking really

 

[BaZ87]

...

Had Adebayor made contact with Arbeloa then it would have looked just as bad as Arca's. The fact that he didn't really make any contact is why it was only worth a booking where as Arca should have been given a straight red.

but even so, riera was playing well, why take him off? should have taken off kuyt, tbh, liverpool were way too content to sit back today. shocking really

I said it was a mistake imo to take Riera off

 

[FlippinEck]

Won £900 on the football this weekend

 

[FrankJH]

Had Adebayor made contact with Arbeloa then it would have looked just as bad as Arca's. The fact that he didn't really make any contact is why it was only worth a booking where as Arca should have been given a straight red.

totally agree - but if they start showing cards (while players are on their feet/one foot) - ie relatively in control as it where, then the number of cards are gonna shoot up / the game is going to get very sanitised

Is it skill that Ade DIDNT make contact or luck? Certainly very little margin for error on Ade's part

 

[da_mic_1530]

great result for the Toon, gets us a bit of breathing space

 

[drunkenmaster]

I was just watching SSN while flicking and Winterburn was talking about someone who didn't play possible looking to move in January, they seemed to be talking about Arsenal so I was wondernig who he was talking about anyone heard any rumours of someone Arsenal looking to clear off? Is it Toure again, whose barely played of late, gotten a couple very late substitute appearances and didn't play at the weekend. He was supposed to be injured, but that seems to be an on and off rumour inbetween 10 min substitutes, wondering if he's had a run in with Wenger and is looking to leave as there were rumours not long ago about Hughes being interested and him being out of favour.

Could be Bendtner but can't really think it would be anyone else at Arsenal who didn't play.


AS for the Ade tackle, in the end it made little difference, Wenger wouldn't have subbed him at least until incredibly late and he did absolutely nothing worthwhile on the pitch while he was on. They weren't yellow cards, either. Arca was running in pretty fast and had all his weight on the front foot which made contact, he essentially stamped on Johnson's leg and had a LOT of momentum going into the tackle. Adebayor had all his weight on his other foot, didn't have momentum in either tackle and was looking simply to put his foot down on the other side of the ball to protect it, something players in the prem have been doing for 5 years. He was a little clumsy and made contact with the first but it wasn't malicious, or dangerous and wasn't off the floor or running in fast. Both maybe freekicks, neither a yellow. Reira very clearly and purposefully raised his arm drew it away then smashed it back with all the power he could, that for me was a clear red card. Lucas's first 3 fouls were commited by the 4 minute mark, he was at 5 by the 10 minute mark, how he wasn't yellow carded by then I don't know, how he wasn't red carded for the sheer persistance of fouling I don't know aswell as a couple of shirt tugs to stop us breaking.

The game was a joke, Liverpool were pathetically unattacking considering our defensive weakness, Diaby's inability to get a single pass right(like his past 5/6 games) and us being a man down. Our inability to take off Diaby when he was having a far longer and more useless time than Eboue had in his poor 10 minutes(he'd been fine for 50 before that), our hapless midfield after Fabregas left and our inability to go for it considering how poor Liverpool were playing and their reluctance to play an attacking formation. Both sides should be ashamed frankly, either side with the right attitude could have fairly easily gone on to win.

 

[NokkonWud]

Was happy with the World Club Cup or whatever it's called win, although it actually means nothing (I'd rather have been playing in the league).

It was nice to see Ronaldo happy and snappy running about the place and looking excellent, Rooney looking free and an attacking midfield all because Berbatov wasn't there. Their keeper made some great saves and VDS made one excellent one to keep us a clean sheet.

Also Vidic should never have been sent off. We all know how bad the refereeing and decisions are when you play in dodgy tournaments run by Fifa as Liverpool can certainly attest to from 2005. The annoying thing is that he misses the game against Inter meaning his replacement will be Evans who looks dodgier than a dodgy man coming first in a being dodgy contest. When is it with him and his 2 step dashes towards a striker, then standing there like a pillock whilst the opposition striker darts past him, he does it all the time and 3 times against LDU Quito who are hardly trailblazers of world striking talent. .

 

[Shamikebab]

And look at how Tevez and Rooney ripped up their defense

Vidic shouldn't have been sent off, but then the refereeing throughout was pretty crap.

 

[NokkonWud]

Rooney got player of the tournament?
Tevez was sacrificed (not substituted) for the Red Card. In the first game he should have had 2 assists but Scholes was slow at hitting one and Park (I think) messed up the other .

 

[Shamikebab]

Yeah Rooney was excellent, but no better than he was playing alongside Berb. Tevez was quite poor yesterday and we had a good 50 mins of domination with Rooney and Tevez up front without managing to score.

 

[NokkonWud]

And how many saves did their keeper make, the best of them being from Tevez' header.

And Rooney was quite clearly better than when he was playing with Berbatov. Rooney has gone from being a striker who would be dropped elsewhere to winning player of the tournament and bagging 2 goals in 3 games. Rooney has been awful for about 5 games in a row in the EPL. He was like a completely different player.
Of course, the fact is how much more improved Ronaldo is when Rooney and Tevez are working for him. He came second in player of the tournament and bagged himself a goal.

 

[Shamikebab]

Ronaldo was improved because of the poor opposition, allowing him to run past them with ease. Most of Rooney's shots were from distance straight at the keeper, in fact most of our shots were straight at the keeper. Other than the header I can't think of another chance Tevez had, he mishit one shot straight at the keeper but that was about it. We should have beaten them by 3 or 4 goals easily. Other than the number 21, they were pretty poor.

 

[FrankJH]

And how many saves did their keeper make, the best of them being from Tevez' header.

And Rooney was quite clearly better than when he was playing with Berbatov. Rooney has gone from being a striker who would be dropped elsewhere to winning player of the tournament and bagging 2 goals in 3 games. Rooney has been awful for about 5 games in a row in the EPL. He was like a completely different player.
Of course, the fact is how much more improved Ronaldo is when Rooney and Tevez are working for him. He came second in player of the tournament and bagged himself a goal.

Couple of decent Rooney shots in the 1st half equal to the Tevez header

I think you meant 3 goals in 2 games

Park should have scored at least one also, but he was off balance I seem to recall

 

[drunkenmaster]

And how many saves did their keeper make, the best of them being from Tevez' header.

And Rooney was quite clearly better than when he was playing with Berbatov. Rooney has gone from being a striker who would be dropped elsewhere to winning player of the tournament and bagging 2 goals in 3 games. Rooney has been awful for about 5 games in a row in the EPL. He was like a completely different player.
Of course, the fact is how much more improved Ronaldo is when Rooney and Tevez are working for him. He came second in player of the tournament and bagged himself a goal.

3 goals in two games , but frankly you need some perspective, World Club cup, is weak in the best of years, this was the weakest ever. One team from a "real" league, the rest from fairly cruddy leagues and a couple teams no ones ever heard of.

West Brom are probably better than the other 3 teams on their best day. I wouldn't hail Rooney's performances playing against the Ecuadorian champions(i presume they were the champions in Ecuador), or against the Japanese.

I could say Arsenal were the best team in the world last year because we won the Emirates cup against, frankly, much much much higher quality sides, but I won't as that would be equally as pointless.


EDIT:- the Diarra move has been completed, didn't Arsenal have like a 40% sell on fee clause so we could be looking at around 8mil from the sale?

 

[G|mp]

Like they say, gotta be in it to win it

Its amazing how these mickey mouse cups are nothing to the fans whose teams can't compete in them

 

[FrankJH]

3 goals in two games , but frankly you need some perspective, World Club cup, is weak in the best of years, this was the weakest ever. One team from a "real" league, the rest from fairly cruddy leagues and a couple teams no ones ever heard of.

West Brom are probably better than the other 3 teams on their best day. I wouldn't hail Rooney's performances playing against the Ecuadorian champions(i presume they were the champions in Ecuador), or against the Japanese.

I could say Arsenal were the best team in the world last year because we won the Emirates cup against, frankly, much much much higher quality sides, but I won't as that would be equally as pointless.

Quite a few Liverpool supporters where crowing about winning 5 cups a few seasons /years ago - even if two or three of those where just as "worthless"

Also a case in point that no one in England has actually won the CWC (with Liverpool refusing to take part 3 times in the forerunner to it)

EDIT:- the Diarra move has been completed, didn't Arsenal have like a 40% sell on fee clause so we could be looking at around 8mil from the sale?

Wasnt aware it was as high as 40% but Arsenal should get a good load of cash - not that Arsene will use it on one decent player, more like several promising youngsters

Like they say, gotta be in it to win it

Best way of putting it

 

[drunkenmaster]

Quite a few Liverpool supporters where crowing about winning 5 cups a few seasons /years ago - even if two or three of those where just as "worthless"

Wasnt aware it was as high as 40% but Arsenal should get a good load of cash - not that Arsene will use it on one decent player, more like several promising youngsters

Best way of putting it

You have to be aware I'm not a pool fan, but yes their cups weren't nearly as impressive as the number sounded, hell I can't even remember what they won. Supercup, FA, Charity, Champs league, worthington, or was it Uefa, i can't remember.

AS to Arsene spending it, I agree most likely on youth, the problem being he won't add this 8mil to his fund, he's all to happy with the club making profit despite what seems to be the entire board telling him to spend. He'll also buy another 4 central attacking midfielders at whatever age, and not buy a single defensive midfielder be it a 30 yr old or a 13yr old or anywhere inbetween. I don't think we have a def midfielder at the club anymore, at all, closest we have is Song, Denilson and Randall who are all being shoved into a role they aren't good at.

I'm not 100% sure what the Diarra clause was but it was rumoured to be pretty damn high, Pompie would probably have agreed to quite a high % to get him at a lower cost being that they were short on cash.

 

[drunkenmaster]

Like they say, gotta be in it to win it

Its amazing how these mickey mouse cups are nothing to the fans whose teams can't compete in them

Seriously, be honest had you ever once heard of LDQ or, that other one I can't even remember who it was? Does anyone in the world think any 3 of the leagues those teams came from are remotely competitive with the top 4 leagues in the world?

Get a grip, its a money making exercise, nothing more or less, however its that kind of thing that helps build Man U as a worldwide brand and get oddles of cash, that I wouldn't mind, but as I said, Arsenal won the Emirates cup, which based on who was competing is far more impressive, and no I don't remotely fall back on that to prove how good we WERE, or how we were the best team in the world. It was a training/money thing and how we played in those games means nothing to me at all except the enjoyment of watching what turned out to be a few good games. THis year we weren't as good, but it was a decent way to see a few younger players.

Take out the name World Club, because its not an established cup, and rename it, the Money cup, run around saying you Won the Money cup and it sounds crap. Rename the World Cup the Money Cup and because its the established international tourneyment where everyone gets in on merit and doesn't take 2 games to win and people would still feel about the title the exact same way, says it all really.

 

[G|mp]

You can say what you like son, at the end of the day you still have to be there to have a chance of winning it.

Im realistic enough to admit it was nothing and we would have been better off staying here and winning PL games, even so it still says were PL,CL and WC in the same year, what did you win?

The Emirates Cup that was held in your own ****ing ground

 

[Gooner14]

I doubt the Diarra clause was anywhere near 40%. 25% would be my guess.

However we are signing Tevez, Ribery and Arshavin this transfer window.