Gooner Spy

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So mark, do you see Rooney as a future captain of England? Definitely so John.

Jesus wept. If you don't laugh you'll cry.

I honestly think thats just a lazy stick that the media like hitting us with, like Benitez and rotation. Apart from Gallas' hissy fit, where else was that seen? We were cruising, we got injuries, we didnt have the backup, and the weakened team that we were forced to field could't cope both because they had run out of steam and/or they just werent good enough. Case in point, Babel's penalty incident at Anfield. Had Flamini and Sagna been in, that penalty would never have been conceded. Babel steamed past a lethargic Gilberto, collided with an out of position Toure, and the rest is history. Poor technically, not mentally imo

Arsene's Magic Hat has arrived.

Utterly bizarre.

Its an accolade, in recognition of being the consistently highest achieving team in Europe over 5 years. 'Highest achieving' is not always the same as 'best'. Why would you not just take the recognition and be happy with it?

Its like car crash tv around here sometimes. You dont want to look, but you cant help yourself.

Naff???? Thats a bloody excellent achievement. Christ, what some of you are looking for in your team is beyond me.

IIRC when he was at Newcastle one of his kids got very sick, could even have died, and his faith helped him through apparently.

I disagree. with a good man manager, in a good team, I think he could be truly world class.

I dont think so. The important consideration here is that John Terry is, unquestionably, a c*** of the very highest order. Vis a vis, people take great delight in seeing him f*** up his big chance to play the hero. I personally can't think of any reason to dislike Carragher (certainly not in anything he has ever said, as I cant understand a fecking word he says), so to see Carragher upset wouldearn my sympathy. Moral of the story - streetdogs don't get sympathy!

Thats a good post, and the answer to the above is, in our case, very few. I think Richards, Barry and Owen would make a big difference. There are 2 issues though - firstly they're the same 3 players that the other top 4 clubs will be after, and secondly, cheaper (and better?) alternatives will be found further afield. Sagna - 6m vs Richards 10m. No brainer Adebayor - 6m vs Darren Bent - 17m - No brainer. So the value for money is laughable. Add to that the pure unprofessional nature of British Footballers (a sweeping statement I know, but the majority anyway) and the 'Baby Bentley' mentality that is all too prevalent in the game, and you can only scratch your head and think, if I was Benitez or Wenger, 'why would I sign ENglish'?

Feck me, if theres even a choice to be made there, then the world has truly gone mad. A no-brainer, surely?

I dont doubt it - I would have him in a heartbeat were it not for his injury record and massive wages. You would just have to accept playing second fiddle to England in his ambitions.

Regardless of the circumstances of his leaving Liverpool, if you were to ask Newcastle fans about his loyalty, what do you think they would say? The fact that he has a nice juicy get out clause doesnt show a lot, in his interviews when injured, he very rarely, if ever spoke of his determination to regain fitness for Newcastle, only England. Never mind who pays your extortionate wages, you ungrateful little b*****d. He is a grubby little mercenary, who would shaft anyone who dared get in the way of him becoming England's leading all time scorer. Sorry, forgot to add that despite the above, he is a very good player. Not great, but very good.

I was at Highbury a few years ago the first time we ever fielded no English in the 16. I didnt notice at the time, and would never have realised until I read it the next day in the papers. You support your manager and your 11 players, whoever they are, wherever they come from. Football has changed from the 'good old days', and anyone hankering after the past will only be disappointed.

18 months!!! Thats one and a half seasons, waiting for something that may never happen. You named Santa Cruz - would anyone at Blackburn in their right mind rue that piece of business as it may hinder the progress of an inferior English striker? Foreigners will always be cheaper, and in the vast majority of cases represent far better value for money.

But thats the point - theres not a club in the Premiership who believes him to be good enough - why on earth would he be good enough for Liverpool?

And have more interest in being in the VIP lounge in China whites than being on the training ground. This debate always reminds me of a story Cashley Cole told in his book - after the end of the league season, many of the players traditionally go out on the lash in London. He went this year (2006) and was furious than none of his Arsenal team mates were out with him. He felt it showed a lack of spirit, and cited this as one of the main reasons he wanted to leave Arsenal. What he failed to mention in his book, however, is that Arsenal had a Champions League final 4 days later. Says it all really.

So where is he now? If what you say is true, he should surley be banging them in for a Blackburn, Birmingham etc?

All this will achieve is lowering the standard of the Premiership, which in turn will harm our chances in the CL, which will hurt our reputation abroad, which will hinder our ability to attract the likes of Torres, Henry etc. The price of Average english players would go through the roof. You have surely seen enough at your club, like I have at mine. I have no interest in waiting for someone like Pennant to pull his finger out and stop drink driving, wondering if he may or may not be good enough. Nope, I would rather have a talented, and more importantly, dedicated professional like Cesc every day of the week.

I honestly believe the cream will always rise to the top. Perhaps the shortage of English players in the Premiership is because the quality just isnt there. The recent plight of the England team would seem to support this.

You'd get screwed when the African Nations Cup is on. Edit: Wikipedia informs me that Mongolia is in Asia. So go on ahead.