Paul Wilson

[anny road]

"Peter Crouch did weigh in the the first strikers goal of 2006 , though he missed another opportunity that a more alert finisher might have snaffled when Edwin van der Sar and Nemanja Vidic let the ball run between themto permit a brief shooting chance"

 

FFS.....they cant praise him without damning him

 

Can I point out that FSP is a striker

 

and that a "more alert finisher" wouldnt have got anywhere near the ball as they dont possess Crouchs 8ft long legs

 

t***s

[Dee]

i can't see how he'd have done any better with that chance

[Guest Jack Bauer]

If it was Rooney, he would have chipped the keeper, don't you know?

[anny road]

i can't see how he'd have done any better with that chance

 

 

i cant see how any other striker would have got anywhere it

[tomski]

"Peter Crouch did weigh in the the first strikers goal of 2006 , though he missed another opportunity that a more alert finisher might have snaffled when Edwin van der Sar and Nemanja Vidic let the ball run between themto permit a brief shooting chance"

 

FFS.....they cant praise him without damning him

 

Can I point out that FSP is a striker

 

and that a "more alert finisher" wouldnt have got anywhere near the ball as they dont possess Crouchs 8ft long legs

 

t***s

 

 

Wilson routinely puts the boot into us and praises Chelski. Says everything really.

He also (in the same article) says we play a long ball game, and will do well to get anywhere in the champions league with

our lack of goal scoring players. Erm. There were 2 teams out there yesterday, one of who'me we are regularily told have one of the best strike

forces in the world who aren't in the next round of the european cup, and the other lot, who are....

[Ste M]

Wilson routinely puts the boot into us and praises Chelski. Says everything really.

He also (in the same article) says we play a long ball game, and will do well to get anywhere in the champions league with

our lack of goal scoring players. Erm. There were 2 teams out there yesterday, one of who'me we are regularily told have one of the best strike

forces in the world who aren't in the next round of the european cup, and the other lot, who are....

 

And who won it last season with a worse team and worse strikers (arguably)

[Stevie H]

was amazed crouch got to the ball at all to be honest. it wasn't even a chance.

[Guest Jack Bauer]

Man Utd were just launching it to Reina in injury time, like Chelsea did except Man Utd didn't have Hoof.

[IgPig]

Man Utd were just launching it to Reina in injury time, like Chelsea did except Man Utd didn't have Hoof.

 

 

is right

 

at the end there were 3 or 4 occasions in a row where van de saar or their defenders played long straight balls forward that ended up with Reina.

 

If you have a player like Crouch, you are going to play long ball from time to time because not do so would be stupid. However, we are much more varied than that.

[Stevie H]

Wilson hates us. FACT.

 

i've always assumed that he's a manyoo fan, just from tone and content of his material. looks a smug get from his byline photo as well.

[Guest roger]

I was amazed he got anywhere near the ball. The fact he got to it at all took me by surprise!

[tomski]

i've always assumed that he's a manyoo fan, just from tone and content of his material. looks a smug get from his byline photo as well.

 

I think you'll find he takes the russian's rouble....

[Gerry]

i've always assumed that he's a manyoo fan, just from tone and content of his material. looks a smug get from his byline photo as well.

 

He is, and always has been, a Man U fan.

[ricflairandy]

did i atch a diff game then as i dont remember usplaying any longballs

[anny road]

Man United Fan

[kop205]

I'd always assumed he is a United fan as wel, and I think he may have got a s***load of abusive leters telling him so because in his colum a couple of years back he set the record straight and revealed why he really writes so much s**** about us...

 

...he is an Evertonian.

 

Or, what he actually said, was something along the lines of Everton being 'his' Premiership side but he doesn't really follown anyone that passionately.

 

His words.

Edited February 20, 2006 by kop205

[Mike]

deffo manu then

[kop205]

deffo manu then

 

Same thing anyway really I suppose.

[Gilps]

Didn't he used to write about Rugby League? Everyone knows Rugby League fans know feck all about football.

[Stevie H]

Didn't he used to write about Rugby League? Everyone knows Rugby League fans know feck all about football.

 

two words too long that sentence, gilps.

[Mono]

Hey I don't care if we're labelled a long ball team. It's only a label and it could work to our advantage where opposition players are mentally prepared for long balls and less prepared for the variety our game offers. Rafa is turning us into the Borg (if you can get the Star Trek analogy) a collective unit capable of adapting our game to meet whatever the opposition throws at us.

It says it all when pundits are analysing our style and can't pin down the way we play. That's because we can pass and move when we need to our turn a team on it's heels when needed also. The variety to our game has them hugely confused. Fans who see it every week understand tho

[Ripley]

Didn't he used to write about Rugby League? Everyone knows Rugby League fans know feck all about football.

You may be confusing him with Andy Wilson who was (is?) their RL correspondent.

 

Paul Wilson can often be perceptive about general football matters but writes absolute garbage in his match reports - and not just our games, though he doesn't like us.

[yellow jumper]

he's not all bad...

 

Abramovich pleas shouted down in parish of Shankly

 

Roman Abramovich must have a sense of humour after all. How can a man who permits himself only one facial expression per game lecture anyone about being more demonstrative in their support?

 

If Abramovich wants Chelsea fans to feel more like singing, how about dropping admission prices for next season instead of putting them up? How about knocking down that tat at the Fulham Road end so the sun can get to the beach? Sorry, pitch. If Chelsea attracted more away fans the home supporters would actually have someone to sing at. But, if they want to be blown away by an atmosphere like Anfield's, that memorable night last May when the Chelsea directors confessed the noise inside the ground was 'almost frightening', the bad news is that even in football there are some things money just can't buy.

 

Liverpool and their extremely vocal support go back a long way, and if the passion generated on the terraces last season in any way helped the team to their unlikely triumph in Istanbul it was a fair reward for the club's commitment to their working-class fanbase over the years. Like Manchester United, who also recognise that many loyal supporters have limited means and other expenses to meet, Liverpool have steadfastly refused to take the mickey with ticket prices. When you have been put on the map by someone from Scottish mining stock this sort of collectivism comes naturally enough.

 

It is less clear what guides a club put on the map by a preposterously young Russian oil billionaire. Chelsea can be most things with Abramovich's money, but they can never be Liverpool. And they will never be popular either if they really want John Obi Mikel and Freddy Adu, or if they continue to irritate real talent scouts by snapping up the best two or three players at junior tournaments before farming them out across Europe on loan. People can cope with the richest club in the Premiership, managers are willing to take on the challenge of competing with the strongest team, but it is beginning to be whispered, with more than a trace of resentment, that Chelsea are using their money to sign players they don't need just so no one else can have them.

 

Bill Shankly - 'The socialism I believe in is not really politics; it is humanity, a way of living and sharing the rewards' - would not have approved.

 

The difference between Chelsea and Liverpool is not just the 18-point gap the league table suggests, or even the nine points it would come down to should Rafael Benitez's team win today and cash in on their two games in hand.

 

The difference was shown in the transfer window. Chelsea did not sign anybody apart from Maniche on loan, having just posted a £140m loss and already owning more players than they know how to keep occupied. Liverpool bought Daniel Agger from Brondby, swapped Josemi for Jan Kromkamp, and picked up Robbie Fowler on a free. Chelsea don't do frees, and never in a million years would they have looked at Robbie Fowler.

 

'We can't match Chelsea's money in the transfer market, so sometimes you have to be a bit smarter, show more imagination,' Benitez explained. 'Chelsea have the money to sign the best players in the world, and when you can do that, and you can afford to run a big squad, you can be more consistent. You can make changes without affecting quality or strength, and that is what Chelsea have been doing. We cannot sign everyone, we are about signing the players we need.'

 

Fowler is a risk, Benitez admits, though hardly a financial gamble and certainly a popular capture. Much more imaginative, say, than spending £21m on Shaun Wright-Phillips then putting his career in the deep freeze. The whole of football, give or take a few Everton and Arsenal fans, seems to be hoping the second coming goes well, and it is fair to say that even Chelsea are impressed.

 

'I was surprised at first, I think everyone was,' Frank Lampard said. 'But I think he can do it. It's great to see the return of a hero and that sort of move is good for football. Robbie has always been one to watch, he's dangerous whoever he plays for because he's a natural goalscorer. You can't take that away. He'll still be scoring when he's 50 and playing with his mates.'

 

Benitez agrees. About Fowler being a natural goalscorer, that is, not still kicking a ball around when he is 50. 'He needs to work on his physical condition, but he's a great finisher,' the Liverpool manager said. 'You can see that right away. He could be a fantastic signing for us.'

 

Cynics would say Liverpool are simply putting a brave face on what so far has been a goal-shy season. Not only are they 20 Premiership goals behind Chelsea, their total of 30 to date is inferior to midtable teams such as West Ham and Manchester City. With Djibril Cisse, Fernando Morientes and Peter Crouch not exactly filling their boots, Liverpool have been over-reliant on Steven Gerrard's 17- goal contribution, so it could be said they have every need of a reliable finisher, however out of condition. 'I am happy with my strikers and satisfied we are creating enough opportunities,' Benitez said. 'Possibly we could do with creating more clear-cut chances, that's all.'

 

Liverpool have a reasonable chance of finishing closer to Chelsea than anyone else, and there is the Champions League semi-final of last year and the 4-1 defeat at Anfield at the start of the season to add spice to this afternoon's encounter, though neither side seems keen to bill it as a showdown. 'We aspire to be a team that doesn't win the league just once, but wins it more often than not, like Liverpool and then Manchester United used to do,' Lampard said. Benitez was even more circumspect. Liverpool are still in three major competitions, and the Premiership is not necessarily the best bet for silverware. 'This is an important game, but not the biggest of the season,'

 

Benitez said. 'We've also got Manchester United in the FA Cup and Benfica in the Champions League to think about this month.'

 

here

 

and here

[Bootle Buck]

Point 1 - No mention of the fact that RVN hasn't had a sniff of a chance in years against Sami and Carra

 

Point 2 - Rooney did Feck all other than get inthe refs ear all game

 

Point 3 - Vidic was abysmal and looked dodgy on many occasssions

 

Point 4 - In three games this season we have dominated them and only one last minute goal by a "non forward" was pretty much the total of their actual efforts on goal in all three games.

 

Yet once again the media forgot all about it to concentrate on the 80 years we hadn't beaten them, the fact our strikers couldn't score in 2006 (not actually true) and the fact that Vidic has now settled into the Utd team. It's laughable.

[Stevie H]

Point 1 - No mention of the fact that RVN hasn't had a sniff of a chance in years against Sami and Carra

 

 

peter crouch has scored more goals from open play in liverpool - man utd matches than ruud van nistelrooy has.